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We’ve seen a new level of political hypocrisy
“Perceptions,” by Gerry Warner
Op-Ed Commentary
Hypocrite!
A person who pretends to be what he or she is not; one who pretends to be pious, virtuous, etc. without really being so. That’s a modern definition of hypocrisy.
How about an ancient definition going all the way back to the 13th Century? “Feigning to be what one is not, especially the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion.” I think you know where I’m going with this one.
Ted Cruz.
In light of the oft hirsute Texas Senator’s behaviour the past week, the dictionary makers have a new poster boy for hypocrisy. I mean what can you say about a man who blames his own children for his frequent-flyer trip to a luxury beach resort in Cancún, Mexico while his Texan constituents were shivering – and dying – in a record-breaking winter blizzard that blew down on the Lone Star State straight from the Canadian Arctic?
Oh my! What do you say in a situation like this when you’re caught up to your elbow in the cookie jar? According to an article in Vanity Fair last week, Cruz said quite a lot.
“This has been an infuriating week for Texans. The greatest state in the greatest country in the world has been without power. We have food lines, gas lines, and people sleeping at neighbours’ houses. Our homes are freezing and our lights are out. Like millions of Texans, our family lost heat and power too. With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”
Trouble is Cruz was caught in the airport terminal by the smart phone paparazzi dragging a luggage piece big enough to hold clothes for a week in warmer climes. His wife was also with him to look after the kids and he had apparently invited other family friends freezing in the dark to join them. But when pictures of Cruz and his sun-seeking friends appeared online, he quickly booked a new flight back to Texas to “help” his embattled constituents suffering nature’s icy fury.
No wonder politicians have such an unsavoury reputation! But Cruz is in a class of his own.
Remember what he said about former President Trump (oh how I like writing those previous three words) when he ran against him for the Republican Presidential nomination? He called Trump a “pathological liar, utterly amoral, a serial philanderer and a narcissist at a level I don’t think the country has ever seen.”
Phew! But you’ve got to give Cruz credit for one of the most accurate descriptions of Trump ever. I guess it takes one to know one. But if you were an American would you vote for Ted Cruz for president? Don’t laugh! Political pundits in La La Land say this is a distinct possibility in 2024.
One can only hope that President Biden – gee I like writing that – and the Democrats get their act together. Another narcissist and pathological liar in the Oval Office would be the last thing the world needs now.
– Gerry Warner is a retired journalist, who long ago gave up thinking he’d seen it all when it comes to politicians.
