Ted Cruz campaign baffles Texas by calling Beto O'Rourke a 'Triple Meat Whataburger liberal'


Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) supremely Texan insult is sure to destroy his Senate competitor Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) — if anyone can figure out what it means.
O'Rourke, the increasingly popular Democrat vying for Cruz's Senate seat, has a campaign logo that looks suspiciously like a package of spicy ketchup from Texas fast food chain Whataburger. When asked for a response to the similarities, Cruz's spokesperson gave the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this intriguing answer:
Unlike the spicy ketchup, when Texans unwrap the O'Rourke packaging, they are definitely not going to like what they see underneath. He's like a Triple Meat Whataburger liberal who is out of touch with Texas values. [Cruz spokeswoman Emily Miller, via the Star-Telegram]
And unlike your average play-on-words political insult, this winding metaphor gives Texans a lot to swallow. It begins as a saucy slam on O'Rourke, but unwisely savages the chain's massive signature item as "out of touch" and suggests Cruz dislikes the beloved business as a whole.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Then again, Texas Monthly suggests "Triple Meat Whataburger liberal" means O'Rourke is too elite, like Cruz's tweet blasting Stephen King as a "limousine liberal." That option, however geographically relevant, still disparages the Texas staple.
Or perhaps the super stack is just a substitute for "big," and O'Rourke is just a big 'ol liberal. But that would imply O'Rourke is just a normal guy, seeing as everything is bigger in Texas.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show