Let's read "Pat Benatar roasts Sen. Ted Cruz after he suggests she’s demonic" (NY Post). Ah:Ted Cruz: “I don’t think Senate Democrats, if you had video of Joe Biden murdering children dressed as the devil under a full moon while singing Pat Benatar, they still wouldn’t vote to convict.” pic.twitter.com/ysYei6Rr3E
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) June 15, 2023
Cruz’s comment may have been a reference to the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s 1980 hit “Hell Is For Children.”It's odd that Cruz assumes people know this song, which I see was the B side of "Love Is a Battlefield." This is a recording from 1980. I'm older than most Americans, and I remember living through the songs of 43 years ago, but I only knew the A side.
Here are the lyrics. To quote a bit: "It's all so confusing, this brutal abusing/They blacken your eyes, and then 'pologize/You're daddy's good girl, and don't tell mommy a thing.... Hell is for children...."
Of course, the Post headline is silly. Cruz didn't "suggest" that Benatar is "demonic." He created an exaggerated image of Joe Biden — something along the lines of Trump's "shoot a man on 5th Avenue" — as a way to say that nothing would be enough to turn Senate Democrats against Biden. Singing "Hell Is For Children" is a stray detail probably intended to add color and coolness, but of course, Benatar doesn't want her song thought of as celebrating the point of view of the child abuser.
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64 comments:
Poor Pat Benatar. Poor, POOR Pat Benatar. Can no one save a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer from evil Republican senators?
It's hard to avoid noticing how, in our political and social spheres, the worst are full of passionate intensity; while (too many of) the best lack all conviction.
Although doesn't it seem that the latter is changing? Thank you, Donald Trump.
My mind went to “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” but, really, it’s hard to know why Cruz threw Benatar into the mix. Maybe he was channeling the Parent’s Music Resource Center. Rock ‘n Roll is bad. Name a Rock ‘n Roller. There, done.
I'd say it's an immense boost to Benatar. She's trending on Twitter. There are pictures of her in the paper, looking quite cool at age 70. No one will actually think she's demonic. Some will think Cruz is awful. There's no downside.
In high school I spun Pat Benatar for hours. She didn't make demonic music videos. She married her lead guitarist; they are one of the great multi-decade rock romances.
Ted Cruz is an ass who doesn't offset his fumbles with charm.
Cruz made some analogies, a few loud voices attach meaning that does not exist, and we are on day 3 of a media 'event'
Meanwhile, The President of the United States is going to build a railroad from the Pacific Ocean, all the way across the Indian Ocean, and we have a news blackout.
Can we please return to normal. COVFEFE, is so soothing.
No one is permitted to make a wisecrack? Its humor. Geeez.
Ted’s right, you know. Have you seen the video of him feeling up Eva Longoria?
"Of course, the Post headline is silly."
Forget it, Althouse. It's the Post. (Hollywood allusion alert. Apologies.)
Anyway, do the MSM ever present a GOPer fairly and without obvious BS? The WSJ, occasionally. Any other outlet?
"Hell Is for Children" (1980) came out three years before "Love is a Battlefield" (1983).
Ted knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to go viral. Pat Benetar helped as it's beneficial to her too to be trending again.
I think Cruz picked her name as a rock singer randomly off the top of his head to be cute, that she had a song called Hell is for Children is just a coincidence. Cruz wasn’t saying Benatar is demonic, he was simply being the ass he’s always been. His hypocrisy in saying Democrats would stand behind a president who stooped to the same lows as Trump while he and fellow Republicans continue to support Trump is probably closer to being demonic than poor Pat Benatar. I’m glad she’s getting a bit of a boost from Cruz’s idiocy.
Big Mike said...
Poor Pat Benatar. Poor, POOR Pat Benatar. Can no one save a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer from evil Republican senators?
6/17/23, 6:56 AM
THIS^^
Pat Bentar looks great; about 54.
It was a tortured point... but the point is eternally valid.
mob-Democrats never turn on each other. The crooks and mobsters that make up the various loyal layers of the democrat demonic party - will always keep quiet when one of their own gets caught in a family corruption scheme. Personal profit comes first for democrats. Loyalty to it - a close second.
Elder abuse? Child abuse?
The real abuse is 'we the people'. The democrat party are the abusers.
"House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Thursday teased that new bank records his panel expects to obtain will reveal that the Biden family has accepted as much as $30 million from foreign nationals."
Democrats everywhere and hack liar press? Big yawn.
Credit Cruz for baiting the hook for a Streisand effect magnification of his comment.
To quote a bit: "It's all so confusing, this brutal abusing/He's nude in your shower, all you can do is cower/You're daddy's good girl, and don't tell mommy a thing.... Hell is for children...."
"Benatar doesn't want her song thought of as celebrating the point of view of the child abuser."
Do we really know what Benatar wants?
Of course, we do. I'm just using it to point out something I learned recently.
Hell is for purveyors of shitty music: Styx, REO Speedwagon, Boston, etc., etc., ad nauseum.
It’s all full up.
Musician… heal thyself!
Does Pat Benatar trans look add to the apparent furor?
Or is it transgressive to say people have a trans look?
Pat should think her lucky stars she is still a recognizable cultural icon. Hopefully it will keep her out of shows in Indian casinos.
Well, this is explains some of the confusion for those of us who remember the song on the radio prior to 1983:
The song ... was recorded by Benatar in 1980 for her second studio album Crimes of Passion.
A live version of this song from her album Live from Earth (1983) was released as the B-side of her "Love Is a Battlefield" single three years later.
Inga - the topic is Biden - not Trump.
Why is it a universal truth that when the subject of a corrupt old crook democrat comes up - ALL loyalist democrats can do is - change the subject.
Bender,
Yes, it is on the Crimes of Passion album which I owned on vinyl at the time, but is also the b-side of "Love is a Battlefield" which, I think, was an original studio track from her live album (I didn't buy it, so I am not certain), and the version on that 45 was the live version of "Hell is for Children".
Who knows why Cruz chose to use Benatar there- he may well have had that particular song in mind, which is about child abuse and would tie into the context of his comment. He may have simply reached for any rock singer he was familiar with, which likely means he is a fan of Ms. Benatar. Personally, I would have made a different choice in that instance, for example, Pat Boone.
The obvious choice was Ozzy.
The Pat Benatar kerfluffle is just to confuse Cruz's point that Democrats consider criminal conduct by their elite to be a feature not a bug.
Pat Benatar = squirrel.
The point is in the face of irrefutable evidence that Biden is a liar and a crook - to the tune of 30+ million in hidden secret protected - corrupt international personal profit from kickbacks and bribes - the democrats in the senate (and the loyal Soviet-D press) will circle the wagons.
Trump isn't the crook.
F*ing BIDEN IS.
Blogger Bonkti said...
Credit Cruz for baiting the hook for a Streisand effect magnification of his comment.
Yup. Good observation.
“Inga - the topic is Biden - not Trump.”
Hooker, the topic is Ted Cruz, not Biden. Trump is a part of the sham that Cruz was trying to perpetrate by saying Democrats would support a vile president, no matter what he would do, while ignoring what Trump has done and his fellow Republicans continued support of Trump. You support Trump now again? You’re a silly fickle woman, or a very confused one. The bottom line is Cruz and Republicans’ hypocrisy in claiming Democrats would do exactly what they/you have done. Maybe you’re just a dummy.
It's rhetoric perchance a Chat. The same reason that they dragged Kate Bush into the transgender milieu. A woman who would die for her man, is not a woman who dreams of becoming a man. That said, all's fair in lust and abortion.
Biden...Benatar...they belong together.
Since Cruz has no qualms about evicting the rule of law from society and establishing a totalitarian state in the U.S., I guess it eases his conscious somewhat to (wrongly) assume that those left of center feel the same way.
You, Althouse, brought in the song name, not Ted. I'd prefer to think he was recalling her MTV video release of You Better Run, a much more campaign oriented song.
Lyrics include the very Biden-appropriate:
You go around, tellin' lies, and now you wanna compromise
Whatcha tryin' to do to my heart
You better run, you better hide, you better leave from my side, yeah
For the record, if I were on a jury and Biden was the defendant and the prosecution established beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed a crime (any crime), I would not hesitate to convict. Further, I would apply the exact same standard to Trump. You can disbelieve me, but that would fall in the category of not my problem.
Does everyone agree with this simple statement on the application of the rule of law?
Very cool statement by Ted Cruz. Evokes Smilin' Joe and his essential creepiness. The worse, the better? Would referencing hair-sniffing have been a step too far?
With Inga, the topic is always Trump.
She should take a hard look at Smilin' Joe. I think she is underestimating the creepiness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTXVJvyzQ4I
There are some really demonic rap songs, but most voters never heard them or of the artists who perform them. No traction to be had there. Voters have distant memories of Pat Benatar... Taylor Swift is the only singer under thirty I ever heard of. She could pop a nipple in the Super Bowl half time show, and Cruz would never dare to criticize her....Pat Benatar just doesn't hold the place in American hearts that is given to Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift. If Cruz wants to punch up and create a stir, he should take on Taylor Swift and the deleterious effects she's having on the young women of America.
We have double standards on our double standards. Trump said he could shoot someone on Fifth Ave and get away with it. Ted Kennedy actually did let a woman drown and got away with it.....Republicans are not without their double standards: Strom Thurmond all by himself exemplified the bad qualities of both Diane Feinstein and Robert Byrd and was tolerated by Republicans. Still, I give Republicans the edge in this regard. They did not elect Herschel Walker but the Dems elected Fetterman. The double standards are not quite as noisome as those of the Dems so that's something.
C'mon, leave the old lady alone.
"Why did Ted Cruz drag Pat Benatar into this?"
It’s an enhancement. If you’re convicted of doing anything while singing Pat Benatar, that should add at least ten years to your sentence.
Inga - are you that blind? did you listen to the clip?
Ted Cruz is discussing Biden's corruption - and how loyal democrats in the Senate (and, well, people like you) remain loyal to Biden.
Shorter Inga: TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP.
Inga- do tell us the who Ted Cruz is discussing here.
Like all loyal Leftists - they know Biden is a crook - they just do not care at all.
On twitter: “I loved Pat Benatar in the 80s. But, forget about her for a second. What Ted Cruz said was 100% True,”
Inga and the collective left - TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP.
I bet Ted Cruz rules during trivia night.
BTW - I do remember that song.
Blogger jim5301 said...
Since Cruz has no qualms about evicting the rule of law from society and establishing a totalitarian state in the U.S., I guess it eases his conscious somewhat to (wrongly) assume that those left of center feel the same way.
No, we know how the creepy left feels about it. We see it every day. This same commie was bragging about being an unbiased juror. Hilarious.
Bender said...
"Hell Is for Children" (1980) came out three years before "Love is a Battlefield" (1983)
========
Ted Cruz, byname of Rafael Edward Cruz, (born December 22, 1970, Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
may be he listened songs as child and teenager?
Not only would senate Democrats not convict, they'd claim prosecution was satanophobic and anyone against murdering children is a bigot.
I knew the reference immediately, and recognized Cruz's intent. It was a popular song, and still gets airplay.
I don't know a single Bob Dylan song, though.
“Inga- do tell us the who Ted Cruz is discussing here.”
Hooker,
Who is saying that Cruz wasn’t speaking of Biden? Not I. I know full well he was referring to Biden and he says Democrats would support Biden no matter what he did. Cruz was deflecting what he, you and Republicans have done regarding your support for Trump, no matter what he has done.
Do you easily get confused? Seems like you need to be spoon fed what the meaning of Cruz’s weird rant was. Or maybe you are a dummy.
To add to my previous comment, Cruz was also projecting Republicans’ behavior onto Democrats, while at the same time hoping he could get a bit of attention on Twitter and to deflect from the cultish behavior of his own party toward their cult leader.
To someone from the same generation as Cruz, it's totally obvious that it's the connection between "dressed as the devil" and singing "Hell is for children," which strongly suggests that it was just a spontaneous thought rather than some planned-out "dog whistle" (or whatever the new stupid term is). This must be the 10 millionth example of how Boomers and Millennials--and in particular those in media--act as if they think that if something isn't an immediate cultural reference for THEM, it's esoteric or weird for EVERYONE. Never for a second is there enough self-awareness in these people to (a) recognize that something sounds like cultural reference even though you don't know what that is; (b) try to figure out what the reference is rather than jumping to the conclusion of "if I don't know it, it's stupid."
Without looking it up, I could not tell you what the reference to "don't take any wooden nickels" is, or "Prof. D is incredibly slay" (from a course evaluation this semester), but when I come across things like these, or something like "he had to see a man about a dog," or any of the thousands of other cultural references, my assumption is that my lack of knowledge is at fault, not that the speaker somehow made a mistake.
Inga - your cult leader is Trump - what what is your point?
Maddow's cult leader is Trump. Microsoft's MSN/MSNBC's obsession is Trump.
Merrick/Mob/Biden's obsession is Trump. Stay firmly in the embrace of the Trump cult, Inga.
jim5301: One issue with your hypothetical equal application of the law is getting one set of crooks before the jury, compared with the other.
"Hell is for Children" is a rockin' song, better than the "A" side, had its own video, and was (is) played on the radio. It's obscure to non-rockers only.
Hell is for Children was both a massive - MASSIVE - AOR radio-play hit at the time of its release (and for years afterwards), and a consistent airplay favorite even in Arbitron Platinum markets like Los Angeles today.
Stop with the "I don't know anyone who voted for Nixon" nonsense; it's unbecoming.
Ted Cruz: “I don’t think Senate Democrats, if you had video of Joe Biden murdering children dressed as the devil under a full moon while singing Pat Benatar, they still wouldn’t vote to convict.”
Chait declares West "immune to consequentialist reason"
Isn't it nice how posts tie together? Because what Chait's saying is "you're damn right they wouldn't, and they shouldn't, because it's Democrats Democrats uber alles!"
jim5301 said...
Since Cruz has no qualms about evicting the rule of law from society and establishing a totalitarian state in the U.S., I guess it eases his conscious somewhat to (wrongly) assume that those left of center feel the same way.
Ah, left wing projection at its finest!
Do share with us Jim, where is it that "Cruz has no qualms about evicting the rule of law from society"? Does give us an example, with a link
jim5301 said...
For the record, if I were on a jury and Biden was the defendant and the prosecution established beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed a crime (any crime), I would not hesitate to convict
Sure Jim.
Let's try a simpler case: It was clearly obvious that candidate Fetterman was not mentally capable of handling the job of Senator. Did you support his candidacy, or oppose it?
You supported it whole-heartedly? because the ONLY thing that matters to you is "power for the Democrats"?
Yeah, we're clear on where this is going
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