(02-20-2021 03:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  I guess I’m thinking of it this way.
Let’s say Cruz asked his staff “what can I do to help most in this situation?” Do you think they would answer “leave the country,” or would it be something else?

As I said above, I'm guessing you've never worked emergency relief. If I were the on-scene commander and he called me and asked that question, my answer would be, "Get out of the way and stay out of the way."

All of the "coordination" between mayors and governors and federales are nothing but dog and pony shows for political theater.

(02-20-2021 03:44 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 03:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  I guess I’m thinking of it this way.
Let’s say Cruz asked his staff “what can I do to help most in this situation?” Do you think they would answer “leave the country,” or would it be something else?

As I said above, I'm guessing you've never worked emergency relief. If I were the on-scene commander and he called me and asked that question, my answer would be, "Get out of the way and stay out of the way."

All of the "coordination" between mayors and governors and federales are nothing but dog and pony shows for political theater.

You didn't answer the question I asked.

Do you think the answer would be "Leave the country, Ted," or something else?

You seem to clearly believe he had no role to play, at all, in any level, with regards to FEMA (I still find that hard to believe given how familiar Cruz and his staff are going to be with the inner workings of Texas and how large FEMA is - you've criticized FEMA before for their response, so how could that insight hurt?).

But regardless, there are plenty of other disaster aid roles he could play.

(02-20-2021 04:00 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 03:44 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 03:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  I guess I’m thinking of it this way.
Let’s say Cruz asked his staff “what can I do to help most in this situation?” Do you think they would answer “leave the country,” or would it be something else?

As I said above, I'm guessing you've never worked emergency relief. If I were the on-scene commander and he called me and asked that question, my answer would be, "Get out of the way and stay out of the way."

All of the "coordination" between mayors and governors and federales are nothing but dog and pony shows for political theater.

You didn't answer the question I asked.

Do you think the answer would be "Leave the country, Ted," or something else?

You seem to clearly believe he had no role to play, at all, in any level, with regards to FEMA (I still find that hard to believe given how familiar Cruz and his staff are going to be with the inner workings of Texas and how large FEMA is - you've criticized FEMA before for their response, so how could that insight hurt?).

But regardless, there are plenty of other disaster aid roles he could play.

Sure he did.. He said 'get out of the way and stay out of the way'.

What Cruz can do to assist FEMA should happen OUTSIDE of an emergency. That seems obvious.

There are plenty of roles that ANYONE could play... but none that he is especially well suited to.... nor onw that needed his specific intervention... and certainly not his physical presence.

That's really the point about theatre... He could go hand out bottled water at the GRB or visit a taco truck giving away free food... but that is all theatre... and often causes more problems than it helps as a result of security and media.

My family and I were without power from Sunday at 10pm-Wednesday mid-day... We had a generator at my sisters... we drove 100 miles round trip for fuel for it... neighbors all providing gas cans... we offered what little warmth we had which was still more than others had... we cooked hot meals for the whole block with people bringing us their thawing foods... we kept in our freezer some of their more expensive frozen items. We made pancakes and eggs by the dozens, sausage by the pound and coffee and hot chocolate by the gallons.... We made soup and stew by the gallon... we had cocktails and played board games... we watched kids so that parents could nap... and we had TV on so people could be informed... and if ANY politician had shown up with a camera, I wouldn't have appreciated their presence one damn bit.

The optics on what he did were bad... but I don't really care much about optics. The only thing I care less about than optics is people who 'never let a tragedy go to waste'... like people who would insert themselves (with cameras rolling) into an area with someone else's (especially my) struggles.

I heard that AOC raised $1mm for relief... and that's great... but for the +/- 6mm people impacted its nothing. I'd rather she pass some legislation to fix the problems or help people with plumbing expenses or what have you.... and that can be done next week. Somoene (not on here) argued that this money could have bought generators or water or other such drivel... ignoring that banks were closed, generators were sold, you'd have to decide whom among those 6mm people got helped... and then you'd have to somehow inform them about the assistance...

ANd the only way Cruz could have done that would be to leave the area, since he likely didn't have any more reliable cell service than I did.

So its theatre.

Unless someone had a specific job in this issue... by that I mean a first responder, a utility worker, a PUC official, a Mayor, A Governor (who might need to amend city or state policies to allow some help)... I don't begrudge them ONE BIT seeking whatever shelter they could find for themselves and their families, whether it be a friend's house, a generator, Louisiana, Missouri or Mexico.

His family not being here means one less family looking for gas or running a generator or dripping their faucets. Again, I'm not applauding him for what he did... but I see this as just an opportunity for the left to 'bash' one of the leaders of the right... and it likely plays well with those on the left, but means nothing to anyone on the right or even the undecided, unless they're stupid.

Just imagine if he had killed 1,000 people AND then gone to Cancun.

Some of the $$ from AOC is going to the Houston food bank to pay for meals. I’ll pass along the news to those who eat the meals that the money supports that the aid is “nothing.” It isn’t plumbing, but it directly supports a vital service people need when they have no potable water or can’t purchase food at a grocery store.

Cruz’s family leaving makes a ton of sense and there is zero issue there. But leaders should lead and shouldn’t cut and run in the middle of what will likely be the biggest natural disaster in Texas’ history. Cruz got caught sneaking away, it wasn’t even like he was absconding to get better cell reception to work remotely and do everything he could to help his constituents.

(02-20-2021 07:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Some of the $$ from AOC is going to the Houston food bank to pay for meals. I’ll pass along the news to those who eat the meals that the money supports that the aid is “nothing.” It isn’t plumbing, but it directly supports a vital service people need when they have no potable water or can’t purchase food at a grocery store.

Cruz’s family leaving makes a ton of sense and there is zero issue there. But leaders should lead and shouldn’t cut and run in the middle of what will likely be the biggest natural disaster in Texas’ history. Cruz got caught sneaking away, it wasn’t even like he was absconding to get better cell reception to work remotely and do everything he could to help his constituents.

You’re right, that’s worse than killing 1,000 people. Cruz bad, Cuomo not so bad. No wonder the MSM is concentrating on the horrible Cruz.

(02-20-2021 08:06 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 07:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Some of the $$ from AOC is going to the Houston food bank to pay for meals. I’ll pass along the news to those who eat the meals that the money supports that the aid is “nothing.” It isn’t plumbing, but it directly supports a vital service people need when they have no potable water or can’t purchase food at a grocery store.

Cruz’s family leaving makes a ton of sense and there is zero issue there. But leaders should lead and shouldn’t cut and run in the middle of what will likely be the biggest natural disaster in Texas’ history. Cruz got caught sneaking away, it wasn’t even like he was absconding to get better cell reception to work remotely and do everything he could to help his constituents.

You’re right, that’s worse than killing 1,000 people. Cruz bad, Cuomo not so bad. No wonder the MSM is concentrating on the horrible Cruz.

Impressive that you’re turning this into a whataboutism clinic, especially given how Cuomo has been treated.

But first, that is not at all what I’ve said - shame on you for putting those words in my mouth. You can go back to my post about Cuomo’s **** up if you want to see my thoughts on it.

The MSM has been covering Cuomo and not holding any punches - it’s fake news that they haven’t. Speaking of AOC, she has even publicly called for an investigation into the Cuomo admin’s handling.

(02-20-2021 09:28 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 08:06 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 07:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Some of the $$ from AOC is going to the Houston food bank to pay for meals. I’ll pass along the news to those who eat the meals that the money supports that the aid is “nothing.” It isn’t plumbing, but it directly supports a vital service people need when they have no potable water or can’t purchase food at a grocery store.

Cruz’s family leaving makes a ton of sense and there is zero issue there. But leaders should lead and shouldn’t cut and run in the middle of what will likely be the biggest natural disaster in Texas’ history. Cruz got caught sneaking away, it wasn’t even like he was absconding to get better cell reception to work remotely and do everything he could to help his constituents.

You’re right, that’s worse than killing 1,000 people. Cruz bad, Cuomo not so bad. No wonder the MSM is concentrating on the horrible Cruz.

Impressive that you’re turning this into a whataboutism clinic, especially given how Cuomo has been treated.

But first, that is not at all what I’ve said - shame on you for putting those words in my mouth. You can go back to my post about Cuomo’s **** up if you want to see my thoughts on it.

The MSM has been covering Cuomo and not holding any punches - it’s fake news that they haven’t. Speaking of AOC, she has even publicly called for an investigation into the Cuomo admin’s handling.

Well, the “fake news” was in an opinion article by the opinion editor at The Hill. It was not presented as news. But in you come with your what about Cruz.

You can go back to the post of mine, #69, in which the opinion was originally presented- not as news, fake or real. Just a comparison of how muted the criticism of Cuomo was compared to,the criticism of Cruz.

“The Cruz situation also is a classic example of how the outrage machine selectively works in our media today. While the senator should be roasted for his stupidity and insensitivity, those on soapboxes piously screaming the loudest about Cancun stay silent on other issues far more egregious out of fear that their respective audiences might be offended.”

And that is all anybody here has said, except you.

Done and dusted.

Lets focus on Cruz, and the equivalent scourge --- Austin mayor Steve Adler.

Steve Adler told all his constituents to 'stay at home' for Thanksgiving. Interestingly he proclaimed this missive *while* bolting for elsewhere, in fact *from* elsewhere. That is true hypocrisy.

We have heard even here how Cruz's actions are 'hypocrisy'. Can anyone point us to Cruz having local authority to proclaim anything? Or, perhaps, can anyone tell us where Cruz has told anyone 'not to travel' at this time? Further, what orders, actions, or edicts could Cruz do about the Texas weather situation? I would pissed if it were Abbott or Patrick or the head of the PUC bolting to Mexico in the midst.

When you want to parrot (yes, I mean to use that specific verb) the 'shot de jure' of 'hypocrisy', how exactly is Cruz's actions either: a) hypocritical, or b) any dereliction of duty?

That is the problem with parroting the pol blogger's 'attack de jure'.

(02-20-2021 07:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Some of the $$ from AOC is going to the Houston food bank to pay for meals. I’ll pass along the news to those who eat the meals that the money supports that the aid is “nothing.” It isn’t plumbing, but it directly supports a vital service people need when they have no potable water or can’t purchase food at a grocery store.

Cruz’s family leaving makes a ton of sense and there is zero issue there. But leaders should lead and shouldn’t cut and run in the middle of what will likely be the biggest natural disaster in Texas’ history. Cruz got caught sneaking away, it wasn’t even like he was absconding to get better cell reception to work remotely and do everything he could to help his constituents.

What duties did Cruz 'sneak away' or 'cut and run' from, lad?

What official duties must Cruz perform for the state of Texas that he 'cut and run' from?

(02-20-2021 10:05 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 09:28 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 08:06 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 07:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Some of the $$ from AOC is going to the Houston food bank to pay for meals. I’ll pass along the news to those who eat the meals that the money supports that the aid is “nothing.” It isn’t plumbing, but it directly supports a vital service people need when they have no potable water or can’t purchase food at a grocery store.

Cruz’s family leaving makes a ton of sense and there is zero issue there. But leaders should lead and shouldn’t cut and run in the middle of what will likely be the biggest natural disaster in Texas’ history. Cruz got caught sneaking away, it wasn’t even like he was absconding to get better cell reception to work remotely and do everything he could to help his constituents.

You’re right, that’s worse than killing 1,000 people. Cruz bad, Cuomo not so bad. No wonder the MSM is concentrating on the horrible Cruz.

Impressive that you’re turning this into a whataboutism clinic, especially given how Cuomo has been treated.

But first, that is not at all what I’ve said - shame on you for putting those words in my mouth. You can go back to my post about Cuomo’s **** up if you want to see my thoughts on it.

The MSM has been covering Cuomo and not holding any punches - it’s fake news that they haven’t. Speaking of AOC, she has even publicly called for an investigation into the Cuomo admin’s handling.

Well, the “fake news” was in an opinion article by the opinion editor at The Hill. It was not presented as news. But in you come with your what about Cruz.

You can go back to the post of mine, #69, in which the opinion was originally presented- not as news, fake or real. Just a comparison of how muted the criticism of Cuomo was compared to,the criticism of Cruz.

“The Cruz situation also is a classic example of how the outrage machine selectively works in our media today. While the senator should be roasted for his stupidity and insensitivity, those on soapboxes piously screaming the loudest about Cancun stay silent on other issues far more egregious out of fear that their respective audiences might be offended.”

And that is all anybody here has said, except you.

Done and dusted.

Yeah, except I started a conversation about Cuomo’s cover up when it first came up in the news. You could have missed that (I frankly don’t remember what thread it’s in), but then the Texas disaster and Cruz’s Cancun vacation took over the news cycle.

(02-20-2021 11:07 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 10:05 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 09:28 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 08:06 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 07:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Some of the $$ from AOC is going to the Houston food bank to pay for meals. I’ll pass along the news to those who eat the meals that the money supports that the aid is “nothing.” It isn’t plumbing, but it directly supports a vital service people need when they have no potable water or can’t purchase food at a grocery store.

Cruz’s family leaving makes a ton of sense and there is zero issue there. But leaders should lead and shouldn’t cut and run in the middle of what will likely be the biggest natural disaster in Texas’ history. Cruz got caught sneaking away, it wasn’t even like he was absconding to get better cell reception to work remotely and do everything he could to help his constituents.

You’re right, that’s worse than killing 1,000 people. Cruz bad, Cuomo not so bad. No wonder the MSM is concentrating on the horrible Cruz.

Impressive that you’re turning this into a whataboutism clinic, especially given how Cuomo has been treated.

But first, that is not at all what I’ve said - shame on you for putting those words in my mouth. You can go back to my post about Cuomo’s **** up if you want to see my thoughts on it.

The MSM has been covering Cuomo and not holding any punches - it’s fake news that they haven’t. Speaking of AOC, she has even publicly called for an investigation into the Cuomo admin’s handling.

Well, the “fake news” was in an opinion article by the opinion editor at The Hill. It was not presented as news. But in you come with your what about Cruz.

You can go back to the post of mine, #69, in which the opinion was originally presented- not as news, fake or real. Just a comparison of how muted the criticism of Cuomo was compared to,the criticism of Cruz.

“The Cruz situation also is a classic example of how the outrage machine selectively works in our media today. While the senator should be roasted for his stupidity and insensitivity, those on soapboxes piously screaming the loudest about Cancun stay silent on other issues far more egregious out of fear that their respective audiences might be offended.”

And that is all anybody here has said, except you.

Done and dusted.

Yeah, except I started a conversation about Cuomo’s cover up when it first came up in the news. You could have missed that (I frankly don’t remember what thread it’s in), but then the Texas disaster and Cruz’s Cancun vacation took over the news cycle.

And yet within that conversation you started you embedded a healthy portion of 'Orange Man made him do it' or 'Orange Man made him exacerbate it' iirc.

(02-20-2021 11:07 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 10:05 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 09:28 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 08:06 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-20-2021 07:38 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Some of the $$ from AOC is going to the Houston food bank to pay for meals. I’ll pass along the news to those who eat the meals that the money supports that the aid is “nothing.” It isn’t plumbing, but it directly supports a vital service people need when they have no potable water or can’t purchase food at a grocery store.

Cruz’s family leaving makes a ton of sense and there is zero issue there. But leaders should lead and shouldn’t cut and run in the middle of what will likely be the biggest natural disaster in Texas’ history. Cruz got caught sneaking away, it wasn’t even like he was absconding to get better cell reception to work remotely and do everything he could to help his constituents.

You’re right, that’s worse than killing 1,000 people. Cruz bad, Cuomo not so bad. No wonder the MSM is concentrating on the horrible Cruz.

Impressive that you’re turning this into a whataboutism clinic, especially given how Cuomo has been treated.

But first, that is not at all what I’ve said - shame on you for putting those words in my mouth. You can go back to my post about Cuomo’s **** up if you want to see my thoughts on it.

The MSM has been covering Cuomo and not holding any punches - it’s fake news that they haven’t. Speaking of AOC, she has even publicly called for an investigation into the Cuomo admin’s handling.

Well, the “fake news” was in an opinion article by the opinion editor at The Hill. It was not presented as news. But in you come with your what about Cruz.

You can go back to the post of mine, #69, in which the opinion was originally presented- not as news, fake or real. Just a comparison of how muted the criticism of Cuomo was compared to,the criticism of Cruz.

“The Cruz situation also is a classic example of how the outrage machine selectively works in our media today. While the senator should be roasted for his stupidity and insensitivity, those on soapboxes piously screaming the loudest about Cancun stay silent on other issues far more egregious out of fear that their respective audiences might be offended.”

And that is all anybody here has said, except you.

Done and dusted.

Yeah, except I started a conversation about Cuomo’s cover up when it first came up in the news. You could have missed that (I frankly don’t remember what thread it’s in), but then the Texas disaster and Cruz’s Cancun vacation took over the news cycle.

Exactly the point of the opinion piece - the relatively unimportant Cruz piece took over for the relatively important Cuomo piece because it suited the needs of the reporters.

Ta-DA!

All AOC--and Robert Francis--really did was to start energizing their phone banks and donor bases for their next political runs. It's a fairly cheap trick. You get to build up your political databases under the guise of doing good.

Democrats are masters of this. Republicans don't have a clue about it. I'm really tired of one team going for the jugular and the other team standing by clueless.

(02-21-2021 10:06 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  All AOC--and Robert Francis--really did was to start energizing their phone banks and donor bases for their next political runs. It's a fairly cheap trick. You get to build up your political databases under the guise of doing good.

Democrats are masters of this. Republicans don't have a clue about it. I'm really tired of one team going for the jugular and the other team standing by clueless.

I would love for any nationally-known Republican to raise those level of funds for Texas orgs right now. If political posturing also results in service to the community through wellness calls and direct donations to relief orgs, that is A-OK in my book.

Really hard to find any fault in someone donating $4MM in funds raised to a state they don’t represent.

(02-21-2021 10:06 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  All AOC--and Robert Francis--really did was to start energizing their phone banks and donor bases for their next political runs. It's a fairly cheap trick. You get to build up your political databases under the guise of doing good.

Democrats are masters of this. Republicans don't have a clue about it. I'm really tired of one team going for the jugular and the other team standing by clueless.

Given their stances on many issues, I would say it was the clueless team going for the jugular. I preferred it when when you characterized the GOP as playing for a tie.

(02-21-2021 10:25 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-21-2021 10:06 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  All AOC--and Robert Francis--really did was to start energizing their phone banks and donor bases for their next political runs. It's a fairly cheap trick. You get to build up your political databases under the guise of doing good.

Democrats are masters of this. Republicans don't have a clue about it. I'm really tired of one team going for the jugular and the other team standing by clueless.

I would love for any nationally-known Republican to raise those level of funds for Texas orgs right now. If political posturing also results in service to the community through wellness calls and direct donations to relief orgs, that is A-OK in my book.

Really hard to find any fault in someone donating $4MM in funds raised to a state they don’t represent.

Where was AOC when she told her organization to start the phone campaign? NYC? I am sure she didn’t make any calls herself. Maybe Cruz was going to do the same with a call from Cancun. What if Cruz had gone to NYC instead of Cancun? Same thing.

Bottom line, nobody died as a result of Cruz’s misstep. But that’s not the coverage. The coverage is “ look over here. Ignore that man behind the curtain. Forget Cuomo.”

(02-21-2021 10:33 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-21-2021 10:25 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-21-2021 10:06 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  All AOC--and Robert Francis--really did was to start energizing their phone banks and donor bases for their next political runs. It's a fairly cheap trick. You get to build up your political databases under the guise of doing good.

Democrats are masters of this. Republicans don't have a clue about it. I'm really tired of one team going for the jugular and the other team standing by clueless.

I would love for any nationally-known Republican to raise those level of funds for Texas orgs right now. If political posturing also results in service to the community through wellness calls and direct donations to relief orgs, that is A-OK in my book.

Really hard to find any fault in someone donating $4MM in funds raised to a state they don’t represent.

Where was AOC when she told her organization to start the phone campaign? NYC? I am sure she didn’t make any calls herself. Maybe Cruz was going to do the same with a call from Cancun. What if Cruz had gone to NYC instead of Cancun? Same thing.

Bottom line, nobody died as a result of Cruz’s misstep. But that’s not the coverage. The coverage is “ look over here. Ignore that man behind the curtain. Forget Cuomo.”

The phone campaigning was Beto, not AOC.

You continue to try and deflect away from Cruz with Cuomo. Cuomo is getting dragged too - there is more than enough collective outrage to go around to criticize politicians for their mistakes and hold them accountable.

While Cruz could have worked remotely, it’s pretty clear he wasn’t planning to do that. He initially lied about his trip by throwing his daughters under the bus. Stop trying to defend Cruz and minimize his really bad decision to cut and run with no plan in place to work for his constituents remotely. If he had a plan he would have made that public.

Lad, once again, what duties did Cruz 'cut and run' from? What 'work for his constituents' can he do as a a US Senator? Please do tell.

What official actions did Cruz abdicate?

(02-21-2021 11:19 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-21-2021 10:33 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-21-2021 10:25 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-21-2021 10:06 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  All AOC--and Robert Francis--really did was to start energizing their phone banks and donor bases for their next political runs. It's a fairly cheap trick. You get to build up your political databases under the guise of doing good.

Democrats are masters of this. Republicans don't have a clue about it. I'm really tired of one team going for the jugular and the other team standing by clueless.

I would love for any nationally-known Republican to raise those level of funds for Texas orgs right now. If political posturing also results in service to the community through wellness calls and direct donations to relief orgs, that is A-OK in my book.

Really hard to find any fault in someone donating $4MM in funds raised to a state they don’t represent.

Where was AOC when she told her organization to start the phone campaign? NYC? I am sure she didn’t make any calls herself. Maybe Cruz was going to do the same with a call from Cancun. What if Cruz had gone to NYC instead of Cancun? Same thing.

Bottom line, nobody died as a result of Cruz’s misstep. But that’s not the coverage. The coverage is “ look over here. Ignore that man behind the curtain. Forget Cuomo.”

The phone campaigning was Beto, not AOC.

You continue to try and deflect away from Cruz with Cuomo. Cuomo is getting dragged too - there is more than enough collective outrage to go around to criticize politicians for their mistakes and hold them accountable.

While Cruz could have worked remotely, it’s pretty clear he wasn’t planning to do that. He initially lied about his trip by throwing his daughters under the bus. Stop trying to defend Cruz and minimize his really bad decision to cut and run with no plan in place to work for his constituents remotely. If he had a plan he would have made that public.

Bad, bad Cruz. Bad, bad, decision. Bad, bad, optics. Zero deaths.

But it appears he is not the only politician to make bad calls on optics.

Grisham

I wonder how much coverage the MSM has given THIS story of bad judgement.

The point made in the OP-ED I linked was the hypocrisy in deflecting from Cuomo by concentrating on Cruz. Nobody has excused Cruz.

Oddly, Grisham is one of the options I would have preferred when Biden was searching for a [minority female] to be his running mate. Maybe we dodged a bullet there.