¡Ay, caramba!

For me anyway, this remarkable exchange between Cruz and Rubio was one of the most revealing moments of last night's debate. But, in order to fully appreciate just how meaningful this was, it helps to know the background. Both men are the sons of Cuban immigrants, and presumably know how to speak Spanish, but neither one really identifies with being Hispanic at least not in the context of this presidential contest they are both competing in. Cruz was born Rafael Edward Cruz, but dropped the Rafael in favor of Ted when he was a teenager. He married an Anglo woman named Heidi Suzanne Nelson, and the couple's two daughters are named Caroline and Catherine respectively. Unlike Cruz, Rubio saw no need to change his first name to something less overtly ethnic. His wife Jeanette is the daughter of Colombian immigrants. She also worked as a Miami Dolphins cheerleader, which is something I wasn't previously aware of. The couple have four children: Daniella, Amanda, Dominick, and Anthony. And, like the name Marco, those names all have a distinctly Italian flavor.

None of the first three states in the GOP primary process have significant number of Hispanic voters, but that will not be the case moving forward. So it stands to reason that all of the campaigns, with the likely exception of the Trump campaign, will be trying to appeal to Hispanics in states where they are heavily represented. Jeb Bush is married to a Mexican-American woman, and is fluent in her native language. And when he launched his campaign, Bush did so in English and Spanish, and seemed poised to make his command of the language a centerpiece of his campaign. Only to find himself mocked by front-runner Donald Trump, someone who has relentlessly demonized Hispanics in his own campaign. Jeb got the message loud and clear. Both Cruz and Rubio would seem to be uniquely qualified to appeal to Hispanic voters, given that they can communicate in Spanish, but it isn't quite that simple.

Ted Cruz has been quoted as saying that his Spanish is "lousy", and when a Spanish-speaking opponent challenged him to a debate in Spanish during the 2012 Texas Senate race, Cruz wouldn't take the bait. And last night was probably the first time that Cruz has spoken Spanish during this campaign. Without a doubt, Rubio was attacking his rival's credentials as a legitimate Latino and Cruz got so rattled that he actually started speaking Spanish. And, as you watch the video, you can almost see the wheels turning in Rubio's head as Cruz accuses him of speaking Spanish on Univision. A wide smile spreads across his face as Marco realizes that his opponent has just handed him an early Valentine's Day gift.

Southern Discomfort

I must confess that the very last GOP presidential candidate that I expected to be linked to a sex scandal would be Ted Cruz. This doesn't really qualify as one, but it will suffice in a pinch. When the Cruz campaign discovered that an actress that they had cast to appear in one of their ads had done some porn, they immediately pulled it down. The actress, Amy Lindsay, could hardly be described as a hardcore porn star. In fact, she has a fairly respectable career history, one that includes a few television appearances.

Lindsay graduated from the University of Texas Austin with a degree in journalism and a minor in Drama. After working in public relations and marketing, she moved to LA to pursue an acting career. And, along with the conventional work, Lindsay also starred in films with titles such as “Kinky Sex Club,” “Milf,” “Carnal Wishes” and “Sex Sent Me to the ER”. The films are all described as being softcore porn, which presumably means that they aren't much more graphic than what you see in the typical movie carrying an "R" rating. 

I was unable to find either a current age, or date-of-birth, for Lindsay which is hardly surprising when you consider that she is an actress. But, considering that she graduated from college in 1995, it is probably safe to assume that she is somewhere north of thirty-five and her days of working in porn are over. And she does claim to be a pro-gun and pro-life Republican, albeit one who supports gay marriage. What is it with these retired porn stars who support Republican presidential candidates anyway? In 2012, Jenna Jameson publicly endorsed Mitt Romney saying that "When you're rich, you want a Republican in office." Here is the pulled campaign ad starring Lindsay:

Pussy Riot