CNBC host Steve Liesman went on a tear bashing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz today. He blamed the poor jobs report on the Texas senator, mocked a photo of him, and then launched a racist attack on Cruz, who is Hispanic.
Liesman said “We’re going to call this the Senator Ted Cruz jobs report. These are the jobless claims of Senator Ted Cruz. There he is!” as a photo of the senator appeared on screen.
Liesman continued: “There he is! Can we get some music to go along with that, some Mexican music maybe?”
For what it’s worth, Ted Cruz’s heritage is not Mexican. His parents escaped Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Cuba is an entirely different country from Mexico.
Apparently all Hispanics look the same to CNBC’s Steve Liesman.
UPDATE: Liesman apologizes with an “if.”
Regarding my recent remark on Squawk Box regarding Senator Ted Cruz, I first want to deeply and sincerely apologize if my remarks were insensitive.
Second, I want to explain that it was not intended to be offensive in any way.
I thought of him only as an American senator from Texas, and in an attempt, on the fly, to choose music representing that state, I chose Mexican music.
As a musician for many decades, I’ve played and listened to tons of Texas songs infused with Mexican themes. A better choice would have been Country/Western or Texas Roadhouse Blues – it was a bad reach all the way around.
Bull. It was a racist attack, and the apology being one of those “if you were offended” apologies, he isn’t sorry and remains a racist who doesn’t know his geography.
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