Senator Ted Cruz
Photo credit: Vulture.com
What was the accusation?
During the second week of February in 2021, a major winter storm moved across southern United States. Texas was significantly impacted with mass utility failures and power outages with over 4 million homes being left without power and millions more being disrupted with no water service. Millions of Texas residents were told to boil tap water before drinking as record low temperatures and power outages continued. While this crisis was leading all national news stories, Senator Ted Cruz had left the state with his wife and two daughters for a vacation in Cancun Mexico. Cruz cut short his trip and returned to Texas the following day saying the trip was a “mistake” and all he was doing was trying to be a good father and husband. The New York Times released text messages from Cruz’s wife Heidi that showed she had invited others to join them in Mexico. Cruz quickly became the subject of criticism and political backlash from Democrats, Republicans, and even a Saturday Night Live.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Shifting Blame, Bolstering
Video
Transcript
Good Day Interview:
On-set Reporter: “Senator Ted Cruz apologizing for leaving frozen Texas behind with his family to visit a luxury resort in sunny warm Mexico. What was obvious to nearly everyone is now obvious to him. Dan is live with the story.”
Remote Reporter 2: “Tim Senator Cruz said the initial plan was for him to work remotely from Cancun but he told reporters in hindsight the trip was a mistake that he wishes he hadn’t made. The senator is doing damage control about his ill-timed vacation while millions of his constituents were suffering with no power heat or running water. Cruz says he felt guilty almost immediately after boarding his flight Wednesday and decided to return the next day to help solve the crisis in Texas. He told Fox’ Sean Hannity last night that two days prior to the trip the power had gone out at his Houston home where he lives with his family.”
Ted Cruz: “And after a couple of days after the girls being really cold at being in the teens and the twenties outside uh our girl’s asked said look school’s been canceled for the week can, can we take a trip and go somewhere warm, and, and Heidi and I as parents, we said okay sure.
Citizen: “He shouldn’t be leaving the state on a vacation when the rest of us around here freeze I just got power on after 36 hours. I’m over it. We need some help.”
Remote Reporter: The backlash against Cruz was swift there were protesters outside his home as well as some at the airport when he returned and he’s taking plenty of heat on social media. On twitter he’s being referred to as flying Ted and Cancun Cruz and even Marie Antoinette with let them eat cake replaced by let them eat snow. The Texas Democratic party is calling for Cruz to resign or be expelled from the senate. Cruz does have some time for voters to forget about his trip to Mexico. He’s not up for re-election until 2024. No word yet whether he plans to once again seek the presidency. Reporting live, Dan Godwin back to Tim.
Cruz Tweet:
