A trip away from the awful cold and collapse of the power grid in Texas probably seemed like a good idea at the time. However, if you are the junior Senator, a former and possible future presidential candidate--one who over the years has repeatedly criticized others for taking vacations--the optics for Ted Cruz weren't going to be good . Especially after giving a radio interview 48 hours prior to departure urging fellow Texans to stay at home during the apocalyptic storm and hug their kids.
Yes, no matter how he tried to spin it, Mr. Cruz couldn't help but appear to be a hypocritical rat escaping from a ship sinking in deep, ice filled, waters.
Like many republicans now days the Senator spewed a rapid fire series of lies trying to explain his behavior then abandoned each one shamelessly as they were quickly exposed. He didn't hesitate to blame his children, Caroline and Catherine, plus a few of their friends. They were complaining about the house being freezing, he said, they wanted to get away. Obviously they weren't buying that stay at home and get hugs shit.
At first Cruz told the media he had always planned on staying for just the night, despite luggage which appeared packed for a much longer stay. It turned out the original return flight had been booked for Saturday, three days later, but was then rescheduled early Thursday morning for that evening. You know, after the shit hit the fan and Texas senior Senator John Cornyn was liking tweets which were saying he was handling the crisis better than Mr. Ted.
After returning, Cruz said, even as he was boarding the plane on Wednesday he felt it was wrong to jet off into the glowing Mexican sun while the rest of Texas froze stiff in the darkness. The media outcry wasn't the reason he came back, it was his sense of duty to the suffering citizens of the state.
The New York Times found a series of group texts sent by the Senator's wife, Heidi. They were breezy invitations to friends to join them in their escape from the mini ice age down to Cancun where the hotel rooms were, "only," $350 per night. It turns out Ted also invited his old college roommate, David Panton along for a few shots of tequila.
Ah, quite the sense of duty.
The truth is Brother Cruz made, as he later admitted, a huge mistake. In this age of smart phones and social media he thought he could sneak away for a few days of fun and sand unbeknownst to anyone. In the words of Bugs Bunny, "What an ultra-maroon."
Well he's back now. Not in Texas, but in Washington sitting in on the confirmation hearing of Merrick Garland. At last look he was accusing the Obama administration of nefarious stuff. In other words up to his old tricks while no doubt hoping the whole would be fiesta in Cancun will blow over.
At last count at least 20 Texans are dead from the storm while tens of thousands are still without potable water and power. Hundreds more are facing massive electric bills thanks to the state's dubious, "market price," energy policies.
Hey, who says capitalism and those like Ted Cruz don't care?
2-22-21
He will claim Obama made him do it and get re-elected by a landslide.
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