This Actually Makes Ted Cruz More Relatable

Whether it's the mayor, governor, president, whomever, a politician is elected to represent the public, and the voters choose him or her because they assumably think that candidate is some sort of respectable, upstanding citizen. Right? But politicians are constantly under scrutiny for their behavior, and for good reason. The communities they serve should know what kind of person is representing them. Well, a not-so-revolutionary report was released that proved Republican Ted Cruz once was ticketed for possession of alcohol as a minor. The news, which shocked no one, prompted many to discuss similar crimes on Twitter using the hashtag #TedCruzCrimes.

Yes, Cruz is special brand of political crazy, but the fact that he did what many teenagers do is actually making him more relatable. There are much worse crimes he could have committed, like bribery, tax evasion, perjury, abuse of power (looking at you, Bob McDonnell, Michael Grimm, Rod Wright and Mitt Romney). But instead he merely had a unopened case of beer in his car when he was a teenager in 1987. Cruz told Buzzfeed News:

Teenagers often make foolish mistakes, and that certainly applied to me as well.

Too true, Ted. Now, let's be real; the actual crime here would be if Cruz, who is seriously considering running for president, somehow made it to the Oval Office. But before we get to that point, let's enjoy some of the funny crimes people on Twitter had to offer.

Conservatives also used the opportunity to talk about all of their favorite Cruz moments, while liberals used the hashtag to post crimes they feel Cruz actually committed. But, guys, a politician having unopened alcohol in his car when he was high-school aged is hardly grounds for alarm. President Obama admitted to smoking pot as a young person, so let's cut Cruz a break. After all, I think elected officials with a little life experience in them have a lot more to offer than any self-proclaimed perfect politician.