Ted Cruz Angers Nigerian-Americans With Obamacare Remarks

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Don't make me pull up people on the left who have used this same "nigerian scammer" thing in humor.

Go ahead, Danno. Bring it.

[Darnell 8,478]

http://news.yahoo.com/ted-cruz-angers-nigerian-americans-obamacare-remarks-025953889--abc-news-politics.html

Sen. Ted Cruz's sense of humor is earning him some ill will from near and far.

A Nigerian-American organization wants the Texas Republican to apologize for comments he made Monday about the problems with the Affordable Care Act website.

"You may have noticed that all the Nigerian email scammers have become a lot less active lately," Cruz said at a gathering with supporters in Houston, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"They all have been hired to run the Obamacare website," he joked.

But the Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans, also known as CANAN, isn't laughing. The group blasted Cruz, calling his comments distasteful and disparaging.

Ouch...

Things can be positional, even locational.

What's that, you ask ? Nigerian Email Scammers are sitting in the internet cafes in Nigeria.

Not members of anything 'Nigerian-American' and inside the USA.

On this one, I hope Cruz not apologize.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Things can be positional, even locational.

What's that, you ask ? Nigerian Email Scammers are sitting in the internet cafes in Nigeria.

Not members of anything 'Nigerian-American' and inside the USA.

On this one, I hope Cruz not apologize.

I hope he doesn't either. Less votes for the Republicans.

[robbie jeannet 5]

Did he say Nigerian-American email scammers? NO. To many whinny a$$ people in this country, get over it ,get a life.

[Dakine10 5,452]

get over it

I agree.

A republican congressperson making disparaging comments about minorities is not really a newsworthy event anymore.

It's sort of ironic though, to hear the old "how can we attract more minorities next time" spiel after elections. Unless they are just being facetious, the GOP needs to make a heck of a lot more effort to distance themselves from what is already perceived by many as second nature. Make it more than just rhetoric. This kind of ####### happening every other day, regardless of intent, is not going to help the GOP going forward.

[Darnell 8,478]

'Nigerian Email Scammer' is a proper minority label?

Yikes. I thought it was a type-of-criminal label, instead.

Just asking, to be clear/er.

[Dakine10 5,452]

'Nigerian Email Scammer' is a proper minority label?

Yikes. I thought it was a type-of-criminal label, instead.

Just asking, to be clear/er.

Obviously it was offensive to some people of Nigerian descent. Nobody likes negative associations about there culture. I don't like hearing about how poor and inadequate our American education system has become, but maybe that would have been a more appropriate thing for Ted to joke about. Maybe that's why the website doesn't work.

Personally I'm not even sure what email scams have to do with website design, but other than that, I'm sure it was purely intended as a joke. I can also see why it wouldn't go over well.

The GOP memo to their congress members right now should be:

- avoid making jokes. We're not that funny to begin with and people are pissed at us right now anyway, so even a good joke is not going to go over really well.

- don't say anything about minorities unless it's absolutely necessary, because as a party, we always ** that up no matter what our intent.

And to Ted Cruz specifically:

- don't say anything about anything. Period.

[Danno 1,228]

I hope he doesn't either. Less votes for the Republicans.

For all those who did not look at the numbers.....

The GOP lost because their own base said -"You are more like the Left than the Right, why bother to vote."

The GOP does not need to get the vote of any fruit cake who would see this joke as offensive.

They just need to get their own party to the polls.

(6 million fewer showed up for Romney than for Bush).

[Dakine10 5,452]

For all those who did not look at the numbers.....

The GOP lost because their own base said -"You are more like the Left than the Right, why bother to vote."

The GOP does not need to get the vote of any fruit cake who would see this joke as offensive.

They just need to get their own party to the polls.

(6 million fewer showed up for Romney than for Bush).

The current actions of the GOP shows they are not looking outside their base. Not sure how effective that will be in the future though. Their traditional base is not projected to increase.The strategy of taking your ball and going home can't work when the time comes that you're not even in the game.

[Darnell 8,478]

Obviously it was offensive to some people of Nigerian descent. Nobody likes negative associations about there culture.

When A Nigerian (anywhere, anytime, anywhen) stands up and turns over 10 Nigerian Email Scammers to Interpol,

lets have this talk again.

[Dakine10 5,452]

When A Nigerian (anywhere, anytime, anywhen) stands up and turns over 10 Nigerian Email Scammers to Interpol,

lets have this talk again.

While I understand the scope of the "Nigerian" scams, we are actually all at a much higher risk of being the victim of fraud because of US based scams going on. So how many American scammers have you turned over Darnell? If you aren't keeping track of the actual number, is it closer to ten or zero?

Anyway, I just don't understand a politician making a joke that has no relevance to the subject matter at hand, no real chance of being funny, and a lot of potential for blowing up in his face. You'd think they would learn by now.

[Darnell 8,478]

me? before I retired, was about 20 to 25 per quarter, for about 10 years. I even have a book of my take-downs. What does that get me, with you ? Nothing. Right?

OK - I've counted 'mine'. Pull the other one?

Edited October 27, 2013 by Darnell

[Danno 1,228]

The point is, Jokes are not based on anything other than perception.

Everyone is familar with getting letters with such fables which seem laughable that anyone would fall for.

THIS! is the grease for humor.

Nothing more, trying to turn it into a political thing is silly.

[Dakine10 5,452]

me? before I retired, was about 20 to 25 per quarter, for about 10 years. I even have a book of my take-downs. What does that get me, with you ? Nothing. Right?

OK - I've counted 'mine'. Pull the other one?

So you're saying you turned in 100 people a year for fraud. Good job, although I guess I have to take your word for it! I'd still bet the number turned in by the average person rounds down to zero.

Not sure what "pull the other one means". You turned in 100 people a year but you don't believe there's much fraud going on here?

[Danno 1,228]

While I understand the scope of the "Nigerian" scams, we are actually all at a much higher risk of being the victim of fraud because of US based scams going on. So how many American scammers have you turned over Darnell? If you aren't keeping track of the actual number, is it closer to ten or zero?

You might be overlooking the obvious and that is, the only emails I have ever gotten which pro-ported to be from someone who was from africans with some tale of wiring money or Some 19 year old babe who is just looking for a good husband and age is not important.

Thats it, so surely there are other scams but not in this "story telling format." and not with such regularity.

I did have a fake Pay-pal one which looked just like the web-site a few years back,

so be careful of rushing to change your pass word due to dubious the recent breach.

Anyway I don't think anything compares to the Nigerian scammer notoriety.