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4 Times Cruz Kept A Straight Face On Insane Views

by Tiffany Thomas

U.S. Senator and GOP Presidential candidate Ted Cruz wants American voters to get a glimpse of his funny, awkward side. At least, that was the intention earlier this week when Ted Cruz recorded a joke video audition for The Simpsons. Normally, the Princeton debate champion puts his famed oratory skills to work on more serious issues like immigration or abortion rights. But, Buzzfeed Comedy convinced him to lighten up a bit and don the personas of some of television's most popular animated characters. The result is an unintentional treasure trove of reaction GIFs to some of Cruz's most problematic real-life campaign points.

Comedian and actor Harry Shearer announced plans to leave The Simpsons after nearly 26 years on the show. Shearer provided the voices for some of the show's most prominent characters, including Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, and Waylon Smithers. Buzzfeed reported that Sen. Cruz is a fan of the show, so they asked him to submit a joke video to the site auditioning for Shearer's spot.

The result is not exactly what Cruz or his campaign team might have had in mind. The one-minute clip is packed with snippets just waiting to be snapped up by meme-savvy Cruz haters. From Cruz's creepy impression of Mr. Burns' "Excellent..." to his Ned Flanders "Okily dokily, neighborino!" the video is a massive backfire.

Here's the full video, courtesy of Buzzfeed:

The jokes almost make themselves.

Of course, Cruz has also submitted his resume to the American voters to be the next President of the United States. And while his Simpsons audition reel is a clear attempt to show the candidate's softer, playfully awkward side, what we should pay attention to are the times Cruz was completely serious about his most problematic views on social issues.

There's The Time He Said The Supreme Court Justices Should Have Term Limits And Be Subject To Popular Vote

The GOP contenders made pretty awful comments following last week's Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. But Cruz was one of the only candidates who said the court was in violation of its judicial oath. In a Today Show interview, Cruz said that the "five unelected lawyers" should instead be subject to up or down term votes by the American popular, a move that would guarantee the court would become more politicized, not less.

There's The Time Cruz Couldn't Comprehend The Science Behind The 20-Week Abortion Ban

Mark Wilson/Getty Images News/Getty Images

A co-sponsor of the first federal attempt to ban abortions at 20 weeks, Cruz expressed worries about the health of mothers seeking the procedure, but couldn't spell out what those risks might be.

There's The Time When Cruz Compared Medicaid Recipients To Terrorists

Yes, that actually happened. In a Fox News interview, Sen. Cruz said that President Obama and U.S. military leaders sounded more like social workers than soldiers. In a recap posted on The Hill blog, Cruz went on to compare the military strategy regarding the terror group ISIS with expanding Medicaid.

There's The Time He Told Trayvon Martin's Parents That Stand Your Ground Laws Couldn't Possibly Be Racist

During a Senate hearing on the controversial Stand Your Ground Law, Cruz said that the racial impact of the law had been overblown by those seeking to politicize the death of Florida teen, Trayvon Martin. Cruz told the gallery, including Martin's mother, that "the notion that Stand Your Ground Laws are some form of veiled racism may be a convenient political attack, but it is not borne out by the facts, remotely." That's the opposite of what analysts have found about Stand Your Ground Laws: investigators are more likely to excuse killings of black people by whites under the stand your ground guidelines than killings of white people by blacks.

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