In politics, there are a few unwritten rules that every good politician adheres to. Don't compare any situation to Nazi Germany. Don't get out of step with your party base. And perhaps most importantly, when things go sideways for your constituents, don't go on vacation.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz broke that rule this week when he and his family were spotted hopping on a plane to the resort town of Cancun, Mexico, amid a devastating winter storm and subsequent power grid failure in his home state that has left millions in dire straits.
"I can't believe I have to say this, but: if you're an American pol whose state is enduring a crisis of Katrina-like proportions and instead of going to help your constituents in even a basic, performative sort of way you FLY TO ANOTHER COUNTRY'S BEACH TOWN, you're doing it wrong," tweeted Sonny Bunch, a conservative commentator living in Texas.
That is, of course, exactly right.
No one expects Cruz to fix the problems with Texas power grid. (As I explained on Wednesday, the issue with the grid has its roots in Texas' long-standing belief that it is an independent nation-state, operating entirely apart from the federal government's reach.)
Cruz isn't a power grid expert. Nor, as a senator, does he have any ability to effect immediate change in the way the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which runs the Texas grid, operates. (ERCOT is overseen by the Texas state legislature and the state's Public Utility Commission.)
But in moments of crisis -- and there are millions of Texans in crisis right now -- people look to politicians for comfort and reassurance. And they do it even if they know that no one particular politician has the ability to help them out of their current problems. They do it because, in theory, our elected officials are leaders in our community and, therefore, are responsible for bringing the community together in moments of tragedy or catastrophe.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz broke that rule this week when he and his family were spotted hopping on a plane to the resort town of Cancun, Mexico, amid a devastating winter storm and subsequent power grid failure in his home state that has left millions in dire straits.
"I can't believe I have to say this, but: if you're an American pol whose state is enduring a crisis of Katrina-like proportions and instead of going to help your constituents in even a basic, performative sort of way you FLY TO ANOTHER COUNTRY'S BEACH TOWN, you're doing it wrong," tweeted Sonny Bunch, a conservative commentator living in Texas.
That is, of course, exactly right.
No one expects Cruz to fix the problems with Texas power grid. (As I explained on Wednesday, the issue with the grid has its roots in Texas' long-standing belief that it is an independent nation-state, operating entirely apart from the federal government's reach.)
Cruz isn't a power grid expert. Nor, as a senator, does he have any ability to effect immediate change in the way the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which runs the Texas grid, operates. (ERCOT is overseen by the Texas state legislature and the state's Public Utility Commission.)
But in moments of crisis -- and there are millions of Texans in crisis right now -- people look to politicians for comfort and reassurance. And they do it even if they know that no one particular politician has the ability to help them out of their current problems. They do it because, in theory, our elected officials are leaders in our community and, therefore, are responsible for bringing the community together in moments of tragedy or catastrophe.