
Of course, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is a Republican.
That puts him in proximity with guns and gun posters, as seen in this picture from Associated Press photog Charlie Neibergall, more often than Democrats.
Still, imagine a similar situationa U.S. Senator campaigning for Presidentand instead of a pro-2nd Amendment event, its a pro-gun control event. Imagine this Senator is standing in front of a giant poster of a pistolone meant to demonize the weapon rather than promote it.
Imagine that this same AP photographer, instead of shifting a foot to the left or the right, framed a picture with the Senators nose almost touching the barrel, as a closer crop makes clear.
Imagine that this photographer, even though he took a few shots with this silly setup, took many more without it. Imagine that his editorunnamed and insulated from public backlashchose not one but twobut three of those photos to distribute to APs clients.
Imagine this scenarioand how would the world respond if the name on those photos read:
Bernie Sanders?
Hillary Clinton?
Even excluding 2016 candidates, what about:
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)?
Gabrielle Giffords?
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), again, is a Republican, and of course his feelings wont get hurt. Hes a big boy.
But imagine the outcry were he a Democrat. How many think pieces about violent imagery and responsible reporting would we see? How many more if he were a woman?
Keep this in mind for the 2016 campaign. This is the playing field.