When disaster strikes in Texas, there’s one thing residents can count on: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will be far, far away. Possibly somewhere warm. Probably somewhere scenic. Almost certainly lying about it.
This time, it was Greece.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
As Central Texas was being ruined by devastating floods that has left over 100 people dead and countless homes, businesses and lives submerged and ruined. Cruz was spotted vacationing in Athens. Not Athens, Texas.
While Texans clung to rooftops and trees and prayed for help, Cruz was climbing to the Parthenon, soaking in ancient history while his constituents dealt with water up to their necks. I just returned from Greece and visited the Parthenon in April, and I can tell you that getting up to the top is no small feat, and it's a good place to be if there’s flooding below.
However, Cruz had no reason to worry about drowning in Greece, because temperatures were scorching in the 90s, with little precipitation; however, his constituents were dealing with immeasurably worse conditions.
And Cruz being Cruz, when caught in Greece while Rhome (Texas) burned, he fell back on what he always does — lie. The one time in his life that Donald Trump was right, it was when he branded Cruz “Lyin’ Ted.”
Cruz claimed he returned to Texas “as fast as humanly possible.” But remember, Cruz is anything but human, so don’t take that at two-faced value. In reality, as The Daily Beast reported, he lingered in Europe long enough for the photos of his getaway to travel around the world. Cruz only flew back when public shame was starting to catch up with him..
This is, of course, his habit of giving the truth a vacation while he was on vacation. It’s just the latest act in the disappearance and not-so-sudden emergence of Ted Cruz when Mother Nature’s wrath strikes.
Who can forget February of 2021, when millions of Texans lost power and water in a historic winter storm. People froze to death in their homes. The electric grid failed. And where was the Waldo known as Ted Cruz? Headed to Cancun. A nice warm beach for the erstwhile Texas senator while his state literally froze to death.
At the time, Cruz blamed his daughters. (What kind of man blames little girls for acting like a little girl?) He said he was just trying to be a “good dad.” That lasted until he got caught, changed his story, and further humiliated himself by booking a return flight after most of America and all of Texas erupted in rage.
The optics of rolling a carry-on suitcase through an airport while your state is suffering was about as tone-deaf as you can get.
Cruz’s behavior raises several questions: Is Ted Cruz ever actually in Texas? And more importantly, is Ted Cruz’s shallow heart even into the deep heart of Texas?
Aside from his disasters in disaster response, Cruz has done little of actual substance for the people he represents. He talks a big game, all bluster and brimstone, but when it comes time to deliver, Cruz disappears. Or lies. Or does both — lies about disappearing.
And when he does show up? Texans get nothing but culture war talking points, and yes, a relentless barrage of lies. Lately, Cruz has latched on to Trump’s latest absurdity: the “big beautiful bill” that gutted weather forecasting. While communities across Texas rely on forecasting to prepare for floods, hurricanes, and drought, Cruz ensured that there were cuts to timely, government-issued weather alerts. Just what Texas needs, especially right now. It’s almost like Cruz was twistedly prophetic.
It’s a callous and dangerous move in a state already vulnerable to climate extremes. But Cruz doesn’t seem to concern himself with being rational.
Then again, why expect anything else from the most hated man in Congress? I even wrote about him being succeeded as the most hated on the Hill by the equally reviled former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz. Now that Gaetz is gone, the title returns to Cruz.
It’s practically a badge of honor Cruz wears in the Senate chamber. He’s the guy former House Speaker John Boehner called “Lucifer in the flesh.” Former Sen. Al Franken hilarously wrote, “I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz.”
Even Republicans can’t stand working with him. That’s why Cruz is perpetually isolated, mainly because of all his grotesque theatrics, and that’s what makes him legislatively ineffective. He doesn’t get bills passed. He doesn’t build coalitions. He doesn’t fight for meaningful resources for Texas. He just fights, usually with his own party.
If Cruz were a natural disaster, he’d be a Category 5 blowhard of a hurricane. He’s Texas’s own man-made catastrophe, a recurring event that drains public faith, contributes nothing but division, and leaves everyone worse off.
And yet Texans keep reelecting him. WTF?
Why? Name recognition? Partisan loyalty? Affection for liars? It’s anyone’s guess. But it’s clear that Ted Cruz benefits from Texas’s increasingly fractured political landscape, where outrage is more valuable than outcomes and brand management trumps basic decency.
If Texas likes things big, and Cruz is the biggest liar, then perhaps that’s why Texas loves Ted Cruz? IDK TBH.
It doesn’t have to be this way. If Texans want to make the state safer, more resilient, and more responsive to the people who call it home, the first step isn’t building better levees or stronger power grids, it’s removing Ted Cruz, the obstruction standing between Texas and progress and improvement.
If Cruz really wanted to help Texas, he could start by staying in Texas during an emergency. But maybe the best thing he could do is actually move to Cancun or Greece and never return to Texas.
Until then, next time the waters rise or the lights go out, don’t bother looking for Ted Cruz. He will most likely be at an exotic locale and lying about how fast he returned to Texas.
Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit Advocate.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.
Charlie Kirk DID say stoning gay people was the 'perfect law' — and these other heinous quotes