The Worst Senator You Know Just Made a Great Point

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Worst Senator You Know Just Made a Great Point"

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host(s): Tim Miller (with Lisa), Max Rose (guest), clip from Senator Ted Cruz
Date: September 20, 2025

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Overview

This episode centers on a rare bipartisan thread: the defense of free speech in the face of government overreach, with particular focus on Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s unexpectedly principled remarks against the FCC threatening to censor Jimmy Kimmel. Tim Miller breaks down why Cruz’s comments are significant, explores the limits of conservative support for free speech, and considers how these issues resonate with different segments of the American public in a moment of heightened political tension.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ted Cruz’s Statement on FCC Censorship ([06:29]–[07:12])

• Context: The FCC, with support from certain Republican figures, has threatened to take action against ABC and Jimmy Kimmel for criticism directed at Donald Trump.

• Cruz’s Take: Surprisingly, Cruz pushes back, insisting that government should not wield the power to dictate permissible speech, even when it's tempting to silence critics.

  “I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying, we're going to decide what speech we like and what we don't. …It might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel. But when it is used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it.”
  — Sen. Ted Cruz [06:29]

• Key Point: Cruz explicitly draws a line between denouncing speech as deplorable and leveraging government power to silence it.

• Notable: He does not directly mention Donald Trump, despite Trump being the driver of many of those threats.

Tim Miller’s Analysis ([01:01]–[03:57], [07:17]–[09:21])

• Consistency over Principle:
  Miller is careful not to overstate Cruz’s virtue:

  “I can't put the word ‘principled’ next to Ted Cruz, but at least consistent. …It’s noteworthy.”
  — Tim Miller [01:01]

• Silver Lining Among Trump Supporters:
  Many Trump voters—especially those who aren’t core MAGA loyalists—are uncomfortable with the idea of government censorship, even if they may have supported Trump for other reasons:

  “A lot of those folks, they look at this and wince. Not for them, it's not for them.”
  — Tim Miller [01:42]

• Standing Up to Authoritarianism:
  Miller argues that the only correct posture is to resist government threats:

  “I think that if right now, I think that the right posture towards this administration's aspiring authoritarianism is to stand up to it, say no. Okay, do it. Let's see. Try me.”
  — Tim Miller [05:18]

• Conservative Free Speech Defense—Selective or Sincere?:
  Miller acknowledges that for some conservatives, the free speech argument might have been opportunistic, but some do genuinely care, as seen with Cruz and those who pushed back against Pam Bondi's similar calls for censorship:

  “There's some conservatives for whom their use of arguing for free speech was maybe more of a political power play in retrospect. …But there are some conservatives who genuinely care about Free Speech, and they've gone after Pam Bondi, and now we've seen Ted Cruz rightly go after Brendan Carr.”
  — Tim Miller [07:32]

Cultural Resonance and Public Reaction ([08:41]–[09:21])

• Broader Appeal:
  Miller says the free speech issue is resonating beyond political junkies, including in comedy, podcast spaces, and even among parents at the bus stop:

  “It's kind of an American thing that is bipartisan, the belief that in this country we can say what we want, we can make fun of our leaders. This isn't China. It's part of American pride that a lot of people feel.”
  — Tim Miller [09:02] “There are definitely parents at the bus stop who I ordinarily do not see talking politics who were like, whoa, we're at a different moment now.”
  — Lisa [09:21]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cruz’s Consistency:
  “He didn't mention Donald Trump. None of these guys ever mention Donald Trump.” — Tim Miller [07:17]
• Acknowledging a Half-Measure:
  “We'll give him one clap for that, and I'm happy that he's out there saying it.” — Tim Miller [07:24]
• Tongue-in-Cheek Award:
  “You're giving the Nancy Pelosi State of the Union clap for that one.” — Lisa [08:26]

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:01] Tim Miller introduces the topic and sets up Cruz’s response.
• [03:57] Lisa transitions to segment with Tim, referencing Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and broader media criticism.
• [06:29] Ted Cruz’s full statement denouncing government censorship (audio clip).
• [07:17] Miller’s detailed reaction to Cruz’s comments.
• [08:41] Discussion about how this issue is resonating beyond hyper-political circles.

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Tone & Style

• Direct and Analytical: Miller is careful not to over-praise Cruz, analyzing motives and potential impact.
• Wry & Self-Aware: The hosts joke about who gets credit for standing up, referencing pop culture (the Nancy Pelosi clap).
• Civic-Minded: Emphasis on the foundational importance of free speech as a bipartisan American value.

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Takeaway

This episode shines a light on the rare occasion when politicians one might least expect stake out a stance worth applauding, however modestly. It’s a reminder that free speech remains a unifying, if sometimes selectively applied, principle—one whose defense transcends party lines and resonates with everyday Americans wary of authoritarian overreach.

Transcript

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[Tim Miller]

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I was on with Alicia Menendez sitting in for Nicole over on msnbc, and we were covering this Kimmel ground that obviously we've been following quite closely. There was one element of the story that I got into that we haven't yet covered on the feed, and that was Ted Cruz's surprisingly normal response. Surprisingly. I don't. I can't. I can't put the word principled next to Ted Cruz, but at least consistent. How about that? Consistent with past statements position from Ted Cruz. You'll be able to hear that clip in the interview I did with Alicia. But you know, I just, I think that one potential we're going to the weekend. I'm giving everybody one little silver lining. One potential silver lining of all this is that free speech is just such a universal principle that is so woven into the American identity that there are a lot of people who, how should I put this? They might have been drawn to Trump for cultural reasons or partisan reasons or dislike for elites. Whatever. There are a million reasons people were drawn to Trump, but fundamentally their identity is not maga. These are not talking about Fox News eight hours a day viewers. I'm not talking about people that have the red hat. I'm not talking about people that when you ask them their identity, they put Republican in their Twitter bio. I'm talking about Trump voters who were drawn to him for a variety of socioeconomic forces. A lot of those folks, they look at this and wince. Not for them, it's not for them. And it's a lot of prominent folks who feel that way and spread that message to their own supporters. And there are also a handful of even that old school Republican, even though I wouldn't call Ted Cruz old school, but even that more traditional constitutional conservatives that they call themselves, we can't, I think, laugh about how serious they are about that. But that crowd, this is, this is a little bit of a breaking point for them. So I analyze this deeper in this interview and I think that what Ted Cruz does, it's significant. It's not, you know, we don't need to start building any statues to him. Got some statues takes coming your way next week, by the way. We don't need to be building any statues to them, but it's noteworthy. And so stick around for a little bit more of my analysis on that. Subscribe to the feed. We ain't going anywhere. Nobody's canceling us. Nobody's canceling this show. So tell your friends about it. We'll be seeing you soon.

[Lisa]

Joining us now, host of the Bulwark Podcast, MSNBC political analyst Tim Miller. Max is still with us. Tim, when you get Jon Stewart on a Thursday night, you know that it is big consequential news. But let's start with that sound of the president on Air Force One. I mean, there's no subtext. He is telling us what this is about. This is about the mysterious 97% of bad coverage.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah. Who needs me on the show? Lisa, you could have just played the whole Daily show from last night. I considered it, Tim.

[Lisa]

I considered it.

[Tim Miller]

I'm gonna do my best to add to what those great comedians were doing. Look, it's a real threat. And so it's a serious threat. But it's also a good sign that all those guys were out there last night mocking him. I think that's the right posture towards treating Donald Trump. It's the thing that he abides the least, getting mocked. And when it comes to these other threats about how he might come for the licenses and the networks, there was some suggestion by Brendan Carr, I think that the View or Saturday Night Live and some of these other late night shows might be next. Those are real scary threats. They aren't with precedent in our lifetimes, at least coming directly from the government. And I think that the problem that I see, though is that too many people are folding to the fear. They haven't actually done anything. They've made threats. That's bad, it's inappropriate. Some of they should be taken to court, but nobody's licenses were gonna be taken away. They weren't Gonna the Brendan Carr can't take Jimmy Kimmel off the air. Bob Iger took him off the air. And I think that if right now, I think that the right posture towards this administration's aspiring authoritarianism is to stand up to it, say no. Okay, do it. Let's see. Try me. And, you know, maybe Donald Trump calls the bluff. Maybe Donald Trump tacos. But I think the most concerning thing for me right now, and I'm extremely concerned about Donald Trump, but the most concerning thing is the response to him, you know, and how easily people are folding in the face of these threats. That might just be bluster. I mean, the guy tweets out all kinds of crazy stuff all the time. You know, I don't know that people need to be quite so responsive to it.

[Lisa]

This afternoon, Republican Senator Ted Cruz addressed the FCC's pressure to censor Jimmy Kimmel. It is likely going to surprise you. So take a look.

[Ted Cruz]

I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying, we're going to decide what speech we like and what we don't. And we're going to threaten to take you off air if we don't like what you're saying. And it might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

But when it is used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it. And so, again, I like Brendan Carr, but we should not be in this business. We should denounce it. It's fine to say what Jimmy Kimmel said was deplorable, it was disgraceful, and he should be off air, but we shouldn't be threatening government power to force him off air. That's a real mistake.

[Lisa]

And we are back with Tim and with Max. Tim, your response to what we just heard from the senator.

[Tim Miller]

Well, should we start with the good or the bad? We'll start with the bad, and then we can compliment him on the backside. He didn't mention Donald Trump. None of these guys ever mentioned Donald Trump. And we've had the space of courage from people on the right. We should say not just Cruz, but a bunch of the right wing commentators spoke out against Pam Bondi last week when she said that the Department of Justice was gonna go after hate speech in the wake of Kirk's death. I think that obviously there's some conservatives for whom their obsession over free speech. Obsession's probably the wrong word. There's some conservatives for whom their use of arguing for free speech was maybe more of a political power play in retrospect. And they don't really care that much about it. But there are some conservatives who genuinely care about Free Speec, and they've gone after Pam Bondi, and now we've seen Ted Cruz rightly go after Brendan Carr. They always seem to, though, not mention Donald Trump's name. And Donald Trump has not only agreed with Carr, but said he should go further, and not only agreed with Bondi, but said she should go further. So I would need a little bit more from Ted Cruz to give him full kudos, to give him a standing ovation. But we'll give him one clap for that, and I'm happy that he's out there saying it.

[Lisa]

You're giving the Nancy Pelosi State of the Union clap for that one.

[Tim Miller]

A snap, maybe a snap.

[Lisa]

I've only got about 30 seconds left, but I do wonder if you think this is breaking through with folks who might not watch, you know, politics as closely as you and I do.

[Tim Miller]

I do think so. I think that, you know, obviously there are some MAGA folks who are disingenuous about their concerns about free speech, but I think that there were Trump voters, you know, particularly, you know, kind of people in the comedy space and the. In the manosphere space and the podcast space. Free speech is their business, you know, and I think that it's kind of an American thing that is bipartisan, the belief that in this country we can say what we want, we can make fun of our leaders. This isn't China. It's part of American pride that a lot of people feel. And so I do think this is breaking through. And I think that there are parts of Trump's coalition, maybe not in Washington, but out in the country, that are upset about this. And I think we've seen some of this if you watch kind of the barstool sports podcasts or some of the other comedian podcasts that are out there.

[Lisa]

I will say anecdotally, there are definitely parents at the bus stop who I ordinarily do not see talking politics who were like, whoa, we're at a different moment now. Tim Miller, Max Rose, thank you both so much for joining us today.