The Houston Chronicle on Thursday night published an editorial targeting Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in a call for him to resign for bailing out on his constituents in a time of need to take a trip to sunny Cancun, Mexico. Millions of Texans suffered through power outages and a loss of running water amid the deadly winter storm, so Cruz sprang into action by taking a vacay during the weather crisis.
“Texans’ anger with Ted Cruz right now could power an entire electrical grid,” the op-ed begins.
“While it’s not Cruz’s job to shovel the coal, and the crisis is the handiwork of state officials, not federal, we expect leadership and perhaps a little solidarity from a man whose re-election campaign heavily rested on claims of his compassion and advocacy for suffering Texans after Hurricane Harvey,” the Chronicle continued to say.
The editorial board noted that Cruz campaigned on standing up for Texas when the hurricane hit, but “Not this time,” the paper says, adding that “He plopped himself down on a direct flight to paradise and left us to fend for ourselves in this frozen hell.”
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
“Cruz quickly announced plans to fly back and defended his tone-deaf travel as a gallant act of good parenting,” the editorial states. “He released a statement saying his daughters had asked to go on a trip to Mexico with friends since school was canceled for the week and he had merely accompanied them on their flight.”
The outlet wasn’t buying it.
“Cry us a Mai Tai,” the piece continues. “Good parents all over Houston are modeling resilience for their kids as they struggle to make do without enough food or water or the lesser comforts of civilization such as iPhones and Netflix.”
“Take our advice, senator, and resign,” the editors wrote. “Seems like you could use a break, and we could, too, from an ineffective politician who, even in crisis, puts his personal itinerary before the needs of Texans.”
When the going got tough, Cruz went to Cancun. The Texas Republican has been blasted for his trip while his constituents are suffering. Oh, and his family booked a room at the Ritz Carlton. Very fancy, Ted!
Featured image via Gage Skidmore/Flickr, under Creative Commons license 2.0
