ONUMBA.COM – Responding to questions concerning the devastating winter storms in Texas, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the Biden administration is working with local authorities to bring succor to those in need of it.
“Our focus is on working directly with leadership in Texas and surrounding states on addressing the winter storm and the crisis at hand,” she said. “Many people across the state are without power, without the resources they need.”
They were also without one of their elected public servants: Senator Ted Cruz.
While others were rolling up their sleeves to get out there and help coordinate relief for his storm battered constituents, Cruz hopped on a jet and skedaddled out of the state for the vacation paradise of Cancun, Mexico. Photos of him and his wife waiting to board a United Airline flight at the George Bush International Airport were punted around the internet.
It was awful, not just from the optics of it, but also from the actuality of Cruz being a lout and misguided public servant. His flight nicely teed up a jab from Psaki who noted that “anyone in the state or in surrounding states who is elected to represent them” should be out there helping.
Apparently, ‘elected’ Senator Cruz didn’t see it that way.
For him, jetting off to Cancun was a better deal, leaving behind a concourse of his hapless constituents shivering in cold with no water, in a state where most homes lacked heating infrastructure to withstand the kind of winter storm that pummeled it.
Cruz obviously screwed up big time, but somehow he found a glib slant to spin his bad judgment , saying he was only being a loving and protective father.
“With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends,” said Cruz.
“Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”
True, Cruz flew back to the United States, but only to be engulfed by a burgeoning firestorm that had erupted over his decision to flee the state as his fellow Texans moaned and groaned in despair. As anger deepened and criticism sharpened, he quickly backpedaled from his earlier acrobatic spin about his trip being to placate his daughters, now conceding he had all along planned to stay there for the weekend with his family, not one night as he initially said.
Gilberto Hinojosa, Texas Democratic Party chairman, wasted no time pouncing on it.
“This is about as callous as any politician can get,” said Hinojosa, adding, he was shocked but not surprised by Cruz’s international excursion: “He’s a politician that really has never cared much about anybody but himself.”
Former House Speaker John Boehner from Ohio, who once called Cruz “Lucifer in the flesh,” unleashed a harsher whack, telling Cruz to “Go F— yourself.”
Cruz now regrets his decision to travel to Cancun, calling it a “mistake.” But his constituents are still livid, prompting one critic to bring in a Mariachi Band which performed in front of his house, to recreate an entrainment staple common in the resort city of Cancun.
But Cruz got some love from Don Trump, Jr. who leaped to his defense by declaring that it is not a senator’s job to “manage crisis.” Blame it all on the ‘Democratic’ Governor of Texas Gregg Abbot, he said. Oops. Hey Don, Governor Abbott is a full-throated Republican.
There’s more to Cruz’s foolishness. By jetting off to Mexico, Cruz, who admitted it was a pleasure jaunt, flubbed the CDC guidelines against non essential travel aimed at holding the spread of COVID-19 at bay.
For me, Cruz, even outside of his recent bout of imprudence and selfishness, has always exhibited vexing and nauseating traits of a towering milquetoast, cluck and coward. He has habitually displayed fine qualities of a classic liegeman, ignoramus, which was vibrantly reflected in the absurd and dizzying height of fealty and fawning for Trump —— who, in case you forgot, once insulted his wife as “ugly,” said his father murdered JFK, and saddled him with the besmirching moniker ‘Lying Ted.’
Cruz has a new albatross: “Flying Ted.” Perhaps you prefer, “FledTed.”
But back to the matter of being a vassal and obsequious, Cruz is not alone. He, along with Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina shamefully constitute an axis of ignominy —— they form a cabal of spineless and mollycoddling creatures —– a squad of shameless sycophants that backed former President Trump during his chaotic, unhinged, toxic and destructive presidency that culminated in the deadly January 6 Capitol attack.
Citing unconstitutionality of the exercise, all three voted to exonerate him.
Let’s call it what it really was, shall we? A constitutional copout.
