Ted Cruz illustrates what is wrong with American Politics

Texas was in a state of emergency. Large parts of Texas were without basic utilities like water and electricity while temperatures were below freezing. Texans were having to boil water - without electricity in many cases. Senator Ted Cruz, elected to public service, instead of serving his public, chose to go on vacation.

The details are damning. Ted Cruz’s home, just like the homes of so many other Texans, was without power and below freezing. Senator Cruz decided to abandon his duties to Texas and take the family to Cancun. The Cruz family planned to return the following Sunday, when temperatures in Texas were expected to rise. When news broke of Senator Cruz fleeing the situation, there was 12 hours of silence from Senator Cruz and his staff. Once caught, Senator Cruz then decided to move his return flight up, and flew back to Texas to help, allowing his family to remain in Cancun.

To be clear - I have no issue with Senator Cruz sending his family to a warm location when the family home is below freezing. I have no issue with any parent sending their children from harm’s way. I do have issue with Senator Cruz abandoning his duties as a public servant. He was elected to public service - quite literally his job is public service. When the public needed his service, he did not do his job, and instead chose to flee the country.

This should not be a party issue, but it has become one as conservatives have risen to the defense of Senator Cruz. The most common excuses are: “He was just getting his children to safety” or “What do you expect him to do? Hang power lines?”. To speak to the first, his daughter’s are 10 and 12, his wife traveled with them. We are not talking about infants or toddlers. I travel every week for work around our great country and my son is 5 - his mother handles the situation just fine.

As for the second, I expect him to serve the public during a crisis affecting his voters. I do not expect him to “hang power lines”, but he could have coordinated wellness calls to seniors in need of transportation to warm areas (like Beto O’Rourke) or ran a fundraiser for those in need (like New York’s Alexandria Ocasio Cortez). Senator Cruz could have coordinated with various city legislators around Texas to find out what they needed and how he could provide assistance. Senator Cruz could have worked in Washington to secure federal funds for the repairs to electrical and water infrastructure that were obviously going to be needed. Senator Cruz could have done his job, instead he chose not to.

Senator Cruz’s dereliction of duty should not be a party issue. Senator Cruz plainly abandoned his job duties when Texas was in need. My Conservative friends and viewers: Do not put party above country, and if you make excuses for Ted Cruz abandoning his duties, you are doing exactly that.