Cruz laughs off ‘attack meme’ against him using band Kiss

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday laughed off a doctored photo that imagined him as a member of the rock group Kiss, which he called “pretty damn funny.”

Alas, never had the rhythm to play drums — and Peter Criss sang Beth better than I could ever dream of — but this attack meme is pretty damn funny! https://t.co/qRTGTpiPby

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 8, 2018

The original post, which photoshopped Cruz into the band, was sent out by someone voicing support for Rep. Beto O’Rourke (Texas), Cruz’s Democratic challenger in November’s midterm elections.

Rock historians site Ted Cruz’s decision to go without makeup as the primary reason he was kicked out of KISS. That and the fact that he sucked at drums and as a person, too.#BetoForTexas #BetoForSenate @BetoORourke pic.twitter.com/LfN8dwSfeU

— Matt Johnson (@HotPockets4All) October 8, 2018

Cruz told conservative comedian Steven Crowder in an interview last Friday that he “reads all the bad things [about him] on Twitter” and shows the funniest to members of his staff.

{mosads}”If you ever have something that’s actually clever and funny, I’ll read it to the team,” Cruz said, agreeing that an insult that stings is usually “hysterical.”

Cruz has been the object of less-friendly political opposition as well, such as two weeks ago, when he and his wife were run out of a restaurant in Washington, D.C.

“They surrounded us, they screamed at us,” Cruz said, describing the encounter on Fox News to Sean Hannity. “They basically shut down the restaurant and made it impossible to have dinner.”

O’Rourke is giving Cruz a surprisingly strong challenge in deep-red Texas. The Cook Political Report currently rates the race as a toss-up.