Ted Cruz and Fake News - Susanna Bucklin

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There is no doubt, especially after the 2016 United States Presidential Election, that memes have become a driving force in politics today. One of the earliest examples of memes that became "fake news" in the 2016 election was the theory/joke that Texas Senator Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer, a well-known serial killer who was never caught. In the late 1960’s and early 70’s, California was terrorized by a mysterious string of murders, the perpetrator never caught. He left behind several letters written in code, cryptograms that have yet to be deciphered. 


In 2013, a Tweet by @RedPillAmerica read, “#CPAC Alert: Ted Cruz is speaking!! His speech is titled: ‘This Is The Zodiac Speaking”.


This tweet is vague and doesn’t tell us much. Zodiac could mean various different things, but what catches my attention is the username of the account. “Red pill” has become a term appropriated by the internet, specifically the far right, on forums discussing conspiracy theories or an “unpleasant truth”. Any mention of “zodiac” associated with Ted Cruz was pretty much nonexistent until December 2015, during the beginning of the election cycle when Ted Cruz was running for the Republican nomination for president. A Facebook page titled “Ted Cruz Is The Zodiac Killer” became viral seemingly out of nowhere. The memes remained largely popular on Facebook and Twitter with young people, conspiracy theorists and meme enthusiasts. It wasn’t until February 2016 when t-shirts were made, when NPR and other outlets wrote articles featuring the theory/meme. It remained popular throughout the election season, even after Cruz dropped out of the race. Comedian Larry Willmore dropped a few jokes during the 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner about Cruz being the Zodiac Killer, the most infamous mention before Cruz himself acknowledged the meme. 


After nearly a year and a half after the peak of the meme’s virility, it was finally acknowledged by Cruz himself. During a senate hearing, fellow U.S. senator Ben Sasse accidentally spilled soda on Ted Cruz and issued an apology, to which a few Twitter users questioned if the incident had been an accident or not. Senator Sasse responded directly to the tweets, “No comment.” One user responded that, “If I were sitting with the son of the guy who killed Kennedy I might do worse than spill some Dr Pepper.” The tweet made reference to claims by Donald Trump that Ted Cruz’ father, Rafael, was an accomplice and directly involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Sasse responded, “full disclosure: I was wearing my ‘Lee Harvey Oswald was framed’ t-shirt”. The tweet rapidly began gaining attention on Twitter, when Senator Cruz himself responded; attaching a picture of one of the famous cryptograms left behind by the actual Zodiac Killer with no other comment or caption. 





Those who started the meme and the majority of those who contributed to it acknowledge the absurdity of the claim that Ted Cruz is responsible for the Zodiac murders in California. Cruz was born in 1970, and the first series of murders took place in the late 60’s. The meme was not intended to be interpreted as serious but rather a satirical spin on Cruz’ infamous “creepiness”. Nonetheless, in a poll by Public Policy Polling, 10% of Florida voters responded that they in fact DID believe that Senator Cruz is the Zodiac Killer. Another 28% of the voters said they weren’t sure. If there’s anything we learned from the 2016 election, it’s that memes and fake news both play essential roles in influencing voter opinion - and that many voters can’t tell the two apart. 





Senator Cruz and the police sketch of the actual Zodiac Killer. Source


A Zodiac themed "promposal" Source


Source


@RedPillAmerica on Twitter. “#CPAC Alert: Ted Cruz Is Speaking!! His Speech Is Titled: 'This Is The Zodiac Speaking'.” Twitter, Twitter, 14 Mar. 2013, twitter.com/TakeItDeeDee/status/312323787091755009?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^312323787091755009|twgr^share_3&ref_url=www.npr.org/2016/02/26/468153952/-memeoftheweek-ted-cruz-and-the-zodiac-killer.

Cruz, Ted. “Pic.twitter.com/CRKdrSDWes.” Twitter, Twitter, 18 Oct. 2017, twitter.com/tedcruz/status/920709146789515272.

Mccaskill, Nolan D. “Trump Accuses Cruz's Father of Helping JFK's Assassin.” POLITICO, 3 May 2016, www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/05/trump-ted-cruz-father-222730.

“Red Pill.” Know Your Meme, Literally Media Ltd., 7 Oct. 2020, knowyourmeme.com/memes/red-pill.

Sanders, Sam, and Paulina Firozi. “#MemeOfTheWeek: Ted Cruz And The Zodiac Killer.” NPR, National Public Radio, 26 Feb. 2016, www.npr.org/2016/02/26/468153952/-memeoftheweek-ted-cruz-and-the-zodiac-killer.

Spinelli, Dan. “Trump Revives Rumor Linking Cruz's Father to JFK Assassination.” POLITICO, 22 July 2016, www.politico.com/story/2016/07/trump-ted-cruz-jfk-assassination-226020.

Stuart, Tessa. “Is Ted Cruz the Zodiac Killer? Maybe, Say Florida Voters.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2016, www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/is-ted-cruz-the-zodiac-killer-maybe-say-38-percent-of-florida-voters-89135/.

Tiffany, Kaitlyn. “Who Called Ted Cruz the Zodiac Killer, Why, and Is He?” The Verge, Vox Media, 26 Feb. 2016, www.theverge.com/2016/2/26/11120000/ted-cruz-zodiac-killer-why-evidence-theory.

Public Policy Polling, 2016, Trump Leads Rubio in Florida- Even Head to Head, www.publicpolicypolling.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/PPP_Release_FL_22516.pdf.

Victor, Daniel. “Ted Cruz, Who Is Not the Zodiac Killer, Acknowledges a Long-Running Joke.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/18/us/politics/ted-cruz-zodiac-killer-tweet.html.

Wilt, Haley Byrd. “Hmm. ‘Accidentally," @BenSasse? Https://T.co/4xx1ll3Qq7.” Twitter, Twitter, 18 Oct. 2017, twitter.com/byrdinator/status/920689950609289217.

“Ted Cruz Zodiac Killer.” Know Your Meme, 27 Sept. 2020, knowyourmeme.com/memes/ted-cruz-zodiac-killer.


Cruz, Ted. “Pic.twitter.com/CRKdrSDWes.” Twitter, Twitter, 18 Oct. 2017, twitter.com/tedcruz/status/920709146789515272.
Mccaskill, Nolan D. “Trump Accuses Cruz's Father of Helping JFK's Assassin.” POLITICO, 3 May 2016, www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/05/trump-ted-cruz-father-222730.
“Red Pill.” Know Your Meme, Literally Media Ltd., 7 Oct. 2020, knowyourmeme.com/memes/red-pill.
Sanders, Sam, and Paulina Firozi. “#MemeOfTheWeek: Ted Cruz And The Zodiac Killer.” NPR, National Public Radio, 26 Feb. 2016, www.npr.org/2016/02/26/468153952/-memeoftheweek-ted-cruz-and-the-zodiac-killer.
Spinelli, Dan. “Trump Revives Rumor Linking Cruz's Father to JFK Assassination.” POLITICO, 22 July 2016, www.politico.com/story/2016/07/trump-ted-cruz-jfk-assassination-226020.
Stuart, Tessa. “Is Ted Cruz the Zodiac Killer? Maybe, Say Florida Voters.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2016, www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/is-ted-cruz-the-zodiac-killer-maybe-say-38-percent-of-florida-voters-89135/.
Tiffany, Kaitlyn. “Who Called Ted Cruz the Zodiac Killer, Why, and Is He?” The Verge, Vox Media, 26 Feb. 2016, www.theverge.com/2016/2/26/11120000/ted-cruz-zodiac-killer-why-evidence-theory.
Public Policy Polling, 2016, Trump Leads Rubio in Florida- Even Head to Head, www.publicpolicypolling.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/PPP_Release_FL_22516.pdf.
Victor, Daniel. “Ted Cruz, Who Is Not the Zodiac Killer, Acknowledges a Long-Running Joke.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/18/us/politics/ted-cruz-zodiac-killer-tweet.html.
Wilt, Haley Byrd. “Hmm. ‘Accidentally," @BenSasse? Https://T.co/4xx1ll3Qq7.” Twitter, Twitter, 18 Oct. 2017, twitter.com/byrdinator/status/920689950609289217.

Comments

  1. RosanaOctober 14, 2020 at 10:34 PM

    Wow, I didn't know about this Susanna, it is brilliant! What strikes me is that a substantial number of people actually took these memes seriously. Partly, I suppose this is due to not knowing what a meme is (or even, what humor is and how humor functions!). As Bratich explains, the humor in memes comes from understanding the semiotic nucleus of the original image, trope, text, etc, and then, re-contextualize it in a completely unprecedented way. On the other hand, as you mention, memes today have become a common form of political commentary: memes often become the target of polarized fractions who re-signified and mutate memes as a way to mock the other party. Just like the old iconoclastic wars... I find all this fascinating!

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