John Dingell Congratulates Iowa Winner Ted Cruz On Twitter, Drops Mic
By Christy Strawser
LANSING (CBS Detroit) In the Internet world, that moment when someone verbally slaps an opponent in a way that prevents a quick recovery is called a mic drop.
It's also called throwing shade and retired Democratic Congressman John Dingell, 89, just gave us a master class in it.
Dingell "congratulated" Ted Cruz, the winner of the Iowa Caucus on the Republican side, for beating Donald Trump and Marco Rubio in what turned out to be, essentially, a three-man race. Cruz took 27 percent of the vote to Trump's 24 and Rubio's 23 percent.
But Dingell congratulated him in such a way that it stung, comparing him to former winners Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee. They were both Iowa victors who quickly scuttled off the political stage when things heated up in their respective election cycles.
A saucy Dingell kept up the sarcasm, noting this morning the way candidates were twisting their respective finishes.
Holding the title as the longest serving member of Congress, Dingell's is not the first name that would pop to mind when contemplating who's likely to start a Twitter war. He was first elected in 1955, when sock hops and greased hair were fresh and poodle skirts were flashy.
Dingell served 29 terms, announcing last January he would not seek his seat for a 30th time.
