My Washington Post op-ed on SNL, and some basic rules for debating ideas

My Washington Post op-ed on SNL, and some basic rules for debating ideas

By Dan Crenshaw 
November 13, 2018 at 5:48 p.m. CST

Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, is a Republican representative-elect from Texas.

The past couple of weeks have been unusual for me, to say the least. After a year of hard campaigning for Congress in Texas and gradually entering the public sphere, I was hit by a sudden, blinding spotlight. But I have no complaints — it wasn’t as bad as some other challenges I’ve faced, like a sudden, blinding IED explosion. (See what I did there? “Saturday Night Live” has created a comedic monster.)

On the Nov. 3 show, SNL’s Pete Davidson mocked my appearance — “he lost his eye in war . . . or whatever,” Davidson said, referring to the eye patch I wear. His line about my looking like a “hit man in a porno movie” was significantly less infuriating, albeit a little strange. I woke up on the Sunday morning after the show to hundreds of texts about what Davidson had said. A lot of America wasn’t happy. People thought some lines still shouldn’t be crossed. read more – SNL mocked my appearance. Here’s why I didn’t demand an apology.

Thank You

Thank You

Texans are hard working, love their neighbors, love their country, and believe in the American ideal; the greatest set of ideas for a free people that the world has ever known.

As a team that was the message we spread for the last year, it became the dream that we shared and what we all voted on. You all became a part of that dream and it caught fire. People were reminded of the great things that make up the American spirit.

Thank you all for being part of that dream, thank you for your dedication and thank you for your trust. See you in Washington!

Response to the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board

 

To the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board,

I am writing you today to discuss your endorsement for CD-2. First, I absolutely respect your decision and harbor no hard feelings. While I am disappointed that you did not endorse my candidacy for the U.S. House, I am not surprised.

I am very surprised, however, that you chose to publicly mischaracterize my stance on family separation at the border. Given the detail with which I have addressed this particular issue, both on social media and in the interview with your board, it was shocking to read your claims that I “vehemently defended” the President’s policy of family separation.

I have always approached this particular issue with a great deal of nuance, I would hope your reporting would do the same. I always begin by stating that I do not support separating families. Most Republicans don’t. And then I explain, in detail, why this is happening and what we need to do to stop it. I called for the need to pass legislation that would override the Flores Settlement of 1997, and therefore enforce our laws while also keeping families together. This is exactly how I explained it while meeting with your editorial board. It is also how I have explained it on Facebook Live videos, which you are free to research.

The board also likes to point out that my opponent “speaks the language of Houston.” While you don’t define what that means, I am sure you would agree that the language of Houston should begin with honesty. Recently, my opponent – endorsed by your board – began running ads that knowingly lie about my position on social security and protection for pre-existing conditions. I support saving both, which is very clear from the statements I’ve made in the past (check website and social media). I hope that the Houston Chronicle stands up for a “language of Houston” that is characterized by truth and integrity, not partisanship.

I hope to continue to have a good relationship with the Houston Chronicle, but I admit this is off to a rocky start. In the primary, your board derisively referred to me as a “show horse”, and now you are deliberately mischaracterizing my positions in order to make a better argument for your preferred candidate. I think it would be best for the people of Houston if the city’s most prominent newspaper reported honestly about politicians on both sides of the aisle. I hope you will consider correcting this editorial, and attempt to cover my campaign with the same degree of nuance that I give to the issues.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Dan Crenshaw

Candidate for U.S. House, CD-2