While celebrities were busy praising Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s, D-Texas, remarks in support of national anthem kneelers, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was busy cutting them into an ad.
Cruz’s re-election campaign launched a digital ad on Monday juxtaposing his opponent’s take on the anthem with Vietnam veteran Tim Lee’s. After O’Rourke says, “I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, any time, anywhere, any place,” the ad shows Lee telling a crowd, “I gave two legs for this country. I’m not able to stand. But I sure expect you to stand for me when the national anthem is being played.”
“In November, where will you stand?” a narrator concludes.
[More: Ted Cruz in dead heat with Beto O’Rourke]
I wrote last week that Cruz was happy to watch the Left amplify O’Rourke’s support for athletes who elect to kneel during the anthem— especially because Hollywood celebrities were fawning over him. O’Rourke’s campaign, on the other hand, seemed to see less of a political advantage in promoting that position outside the town halls in which the congressman articulated it, which probably speaks volumes about where the electorate is on the issue.
An NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll taken last week found 54 percent of registered voters nationwide believe it is “not appropriate” for professional football players to kneel during the anthem in protest of racial inequality. The Cruz ad released Monday eagerly displays tweets of praise from celebrities to O’Rourke, saying in a voice over, “Liberal Hollywood was thrilled. But do Texans agree?”
Where celebrities thought they were helping O’Rourke, they may have actually been giving Cruz ammunition to defeat him. Hollywood’s opinion doesn’t carry that much weight in Texas.
