Cruz Campaign Press Release - ICYMI: New York Times: Ted Cruz Ad Uses Scorpion to Depict Threat of Islamic Terror

HOUSTON, Texas – Cruz for President today released an ad that will run in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada during tonight's CNN Republican Presidential Debate. Following the debate, the ad will run during Fox News Channel's post-debate coverage in early states. The total ad buy is $33,000. Details about the ad, as written by the New York Times, are below, followed by a link to the ad and transcript.

Ted Cruz Ad Uses Scorpion to Depict Threat of Islamic Terror

New York Times

Trip Gabriel

September 15, 2015

For aficionados of political ads, the line "There's a bear in the woods" still brings a shivery memory of a 1984 spot for Ronald Reagan that helped define his foreign policy of peace through strength.

During the Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas will evoke that memory in a 30-second ad featuring a scorpion crawling in the desert.

The text of "Scorpion" is a line-by-line homage to the Reagan spot, evoking the threat of Middle East terrorism rather than the Cold War-era Soviet Union, which the Reagan ad symbolized by using a grizzly bear walking menacingly in a forest.

"There's a scorpion in the desert,'' an announcer says in the Cruz ad, as the camera shows various angles of the insect and its hooked stinger.

"For most of us, its venom is a clear and deadly threat," the announcer continues. "But others refuse to even speak its name. Since the scorpion seeks our destruction, isn't it time we recognize the scorpion for what it is before it strikes again?''

A spokesman for Mr. Cruz said the campaign had paid for the ad to run in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada during the debate on CNN and during post-debate analysis on Fox News.

Like the original "Bear" ad, which contrasted Reagan with his Democratic opponent, Walter Mondale, "Scorpion" is mostly subtext: It is a jab at President Obama for his reluctance to use the term "radical Islamic terrorism" to refer to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, a reluctance Republicans see as a form of weakness. The president has said the term gives terrorists a cover of religious legitimacy

"Bear," which was written and narrated by Hal Riney, who died in 2008, has been copied before. During his re-election campaign in 2004, President George W. Bush ran "Wolves" comparing terrorists to timber wolves.

Click here to view ad.

TRANSCRIPT:

Voiceover: There is a scorpion in the desert.

For most of us, its venom is a clear and deadly threat.

But others refuse to even speak its name.

Since the scorpion seeks out destruction, isn't it time we recognize the scorpion for what it is?

Before it strikes again?

Ted Cruz: I'm Ted Cruz and I approve this message.