
Bush didn’t vanquish terrorists or bring back those who had died at their hand in New York.īut they were there. Obama didn’t change the racial problems in this country by being in South Carolina, or the trend of mass shooting. Bush to the pile of rubble left in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York City. It’s this spirit that brought Barack Obama to Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015 to deliver the eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, one of the people killed in a racially motivated mass shooting. 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. And they do it even if they know that no one particular politician has the ability to help them out of their current problems. Click to subscribe!īut in moments of crisis – and there are millions of Texans in crisis right now – people look to politicians for comfort and reassurance. THE POINT - NOW ON YOUTUBE! In each episode of his weekly YouTube show, Chris Cillizza will delve a little deeper into the surreal world of politics. (ERCOT is overseen by the Texas state legislature and the state’s Public Utility Commission.) 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. ( 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.)Ĭruz isn’t a power grid expert. No one expects Cruz to fix the problems with Texas power grid.

“My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas.” “Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon,” he said in a statement. “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.Ĭruz sought to frame the trip as a necessary dad moment on Thursday. 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. And perhaps most importantly, when things go sideways for your constituents, don’t go on vacation. Don’t get out of step with your party base. Don’t compare any situation to Nazi Germany. In politics, there are a few unwritten rules that every good politician adheres to.
