Cruz did not accept Swalwell's offer, nor did he engage in a good-faith negotiation of terms. Rather, he replied with one of the stalest jokes in the GOP arsenal. He quoted-tweeted Swalwell's post on Tuesday and simply said: "How about we bet a Chinese dinner instead?"
Cruz's response is a reference to Swalwell's history with a woman accused of being a Chinese spy, and it's about as tired as the "I identify as an [insert various unfunny item here]" joke that some conservatives love to make. But the biggest crime here isn't bad comedy.