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Ted Cruz told a joke about Joe Biden on Wednesday night while campaigning in southeastern Michigan. Speaking to a Livingston County Republican event in Howell, the Texas senator and 2016 hopeful dragged out what seemed to be a well-practiced line.

鈥淛oe Biden,鈥� Senator Cruz said, drawing faint laughter from the crowd. 鈥淵ou know the nice thing? You don鈥檛 need a punch line.鈥�

This isn鈥檛 by itself particularly stinging 鈥� it just draws on Vice President Biden鈥檚 long-established image as the Uncle Joe of the Obama administration, somebody who鈥檚 as prone to discuss the merits of shotguns for home defense as to talk about income equality in the US. But it鈥檚 problematic in current circumstances. Biden鈥檚 son Beau tragically passed away last Saturday. A former Delaware attorney general, the younger Biden left behind a wife and two young children.

The loss of Beau is a difficult bookend for Biden, whose national political career started amid tragedy. His first wife and young daughter were killed in a car crash after his 1972 election to the Senate, but prior to his swearing-in. For a time, he thought about quitting. But senior senators convinced him to carry on. His sons Beau and Hunter were injured in the accident. He was sworn in at Beau's bedside.聽For decades he returned to Delaware every night to keep his family together.

As to the joke, Cruz realized fairly quickly that his Biden reference was out of line, given the circumstances. He posted an apology on his Facebook page shortly after his evening appearance.

鈥淚t was a mistake to use an old joke about Vice President Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely apologize,鈥� .

What are the takeaways from this unfortunate incident? First, that politics can be a hard, even brutal game. Politicians become tropes, mere cartoons in opposing party鈥檚 descriptions. 鈥淯ncle Joe." 鈥淭ail Gunner Ted鈥� (That鈥檚 a Joe McCarthy reference used against Cruz.) 鈥淪hrillary." You have to have thick skin to run for office, but you鈥檙e still a person underneath.

Second, the campaign trail produces robotic behavior. Why did Cruz use that joke? Because he鈥檇 used it, or some variation of it, before. Probably dozens of times. It was embedded in his routine. Almost all stump speeches are a bunch of modules that can be mixed and matched according to mood and audience. This is why campaign reporters stop listening to actual candidate addresses and use the time to do other things.

But 鈥� and here鈥檚 the third point 鈥� this cycle can be broken. Cruz apologized, after all. He didn鈥檛 excuse himself. He said something that sounded heartfelt and moved on. Political consultants will tell you that apologies tend to extend a story about a gaffe. They鈥檒l say hunkering down is preferable,

鈥淐ruz said simply what so many others have not. It was a mistake. I鈥檓 sorry. Enough said,鈥� writes Ross.

Joe Biden himself may be unaware of the whole controversy. For him, it is not a time to care about the shiny objects that make up so much of daily political discourse. But would he care? Will he care if someone brings this up in weeks to come?

We doubt it. He seems a larger person than that.

鈥淵ou know Biden won鈥檛 hold a grudge against Ted Cruz for goofing on him,鈥� . 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of what makes Biden so Biden.鈥�