What happened in Texas this past week is a once in a lifetime event. Unusual amounts of snow and ice led to the loss of power, electricity and running water. President  Joe Biden has gone as far to declare a major disaster for The Lone Star State. Also, the way Texas’s electrical infrastructure is set up only added more problems to the situation. One problem that was avidable was Ted Cruz boarding a plan with his family and flying to Cancún

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Now, I have been to Cancún before. It is a very nice place. I recommend it, if you have not been. However, the time to go to Cancún, if you are the senator of a state, is not when it was just hit by a natural disaster. Not a great move. Sub-optimal idea. The optics are not great. How a politician responds to a major natural disaster or tragedy is a huge part of that politician’s approval rating from the public. The public who voted for you is in need and expect you to respond appropriately to that event. The bare minimum is staying in your state and helping out. 

Cruz has been a senator for Texas since 2013, and this is far from the first time Cruz has done something that has been heavily criticized by news outlets and the public. By now, Cruz should be able to take a second and think about the choice he made and how the public would react to it. Or at least he would have a person who works for him that could call him out before he does something. Do politicians really have publicists?  Supposedly, they do. Cruz might need to invest in a different one. He needs someone that works with him, to be that voice of reason. Cruz needs Mike Novick. For those who do not know, Novick is the former Chief of Staff for President David Palmer on the show “24.” On top of that, he was the voice of reason for Palmer in that show. He helped Palmer make critical decisions but would also give him insight on how things might look for Palmer based on the decisions that were made. Cruz needs a Novick-like-person because clearly he does not have someone on his side who does that. If somehow Cruz already has that kind of person on his side, then they need to start doing their job before Cruz does something stupid because, wow, they stink at their job. Damage prevention is still a part of damage control. 

At this point, no one should be surprised that Cruz has done something stupid. It is the depth of the well that is surprising. 

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