{"id":11678,"date":"2021-02-18T06:29:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T14:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=11678"},"modified":"2021-02-18T06:29:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T14:29:34","slug":"cruz-says-he-has-no-defense-for-mocking-californias-past-power-outages-as-texas-grid-falters-amid-historic-freeze-the-dallas-morning-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=11678","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Cruz says he has \u2018no defense\u2019 for mocking California\u2019s past power outages as Texas\u2019 grid falters amid historic freeze&#8221;, The Dallas Morning News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Tom Benning, Feb 17, 2021<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018A blizzard strikes Texas &amp; our state shuts down,\u2019 the Republican wrote on Twitter. \u2018Not good.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<section class=\"row lg_justify-between\">\n<div class=\"column small-12 large-expand xlarge-8\">\n<figure class=\"app_featured-image_figure__3e396 border-b border-gray-light pb-3 mb-9\">\n<div class=\"app_img_imgContainerCentered__16-RW flex items-center justify-center app_img_imgContainerGray__1ZtPi bg-gray-light app_img_imgContainerwider_1660__EhEeO app_img_imgContainer__sCJXX w-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"app_img_image__1ZeoR max-w-full max-y-full w-auto h-auto text-white app_img_imgContainerImage__2WzHh\" src=\"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/Wt0pIzuJv0jFtRathAK4cEx9f9k=\/1660x934\/smart\/filters:no_upscale()\/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com\/dmn\/ODL42GX6QRDFLPA3VHOSW47CFY.jpg\" alt=\"Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had just last year mocked California for having power outages during a severe heat wave. (Photo by Alex Edelman \/ AFP) (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN\/AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"1660\" height=\"934\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"app_image-elements_caption__2oqXz secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-10 mt-3 text-gray-medium\">Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had just last year mocked California for having power outages during a severe heat wave. (Photo by Alex Edelman \/ AFP) (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN\/AFP via Getty Images)<span class=\"app_image-elements_credits__2guee pl-1\">(ALEX EDELMAN \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"app_trinity-ai_trinityAi__2lTha\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"body-text app_body_bodyText__1RXys mb-8\">\n<section>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Confronted with his mocking last year of California over that state\u2019s power outages during a heat wave, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz late on Tuesday said he had \u201cno defense\u201d for his past criticism as Texas\u2019 power grid falters amid a historic winter storm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cI got no defense,\u201d the Republican wrote on Twitter, quoting <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/news\/539038-texas-lawmakers-tweets-mocking-california-power-outages-resurface-amid-winter-storm\" target=\"_blank\">a news story about others highlighting his jabs at California<\/a>. \u201cA blizzard strikes Texas &amp; our state shuts down. Not good.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"ds_cpp\" class=\"ds_cpp\" data-dvp_dockspec=\"tr\/400\/225\" data-dvp_docktrigger=\"oov\" data-dvp_closescope=\"pageview\" data-dvp_closedelay=\"10\" data-dvp_title_trim=\"100\" data-dvp_desc_trim=\"100\" data-dvp_dockavoidwidth=\"1024\">\n<div class=\"ds_cpp_inner\">\n<div id=\"ds_body\" class=\"ds_body\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Cruz and other Republican leaders in Texas have come under an intense spotlight during the ongoing power failure, which has left millions of Texans without electricity for hours and even days as the state deals with dangerously cold temperatures and icy conditions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\" data-oembed-type=\"twitter\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=dallasnews&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1361833252567179266&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dallasnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F2021%2F02%2F17%2Fcruz-says-he-has-no-defense-for-mocking-californias-past-power-outages-as-texas-grid-falters-amid-historic-freeze%2F&amp;siteScreenName=dallasnews&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=889aa01%3A1612811843556&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1361833252567179266\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>That scrutiny has come, in part, over some Republicans\u2019 past responses to disasters in other states.<\/div>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Cruz, among others, received criticism for his opposition to certain federal aid to states hit by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The senator also earned blowback for the taunts he aimed at California last year, when that state endured power outages during a severe heat wave.<\/p>\n<div class=\"app_presets_nativoArticleInline__3tgHh w-full py-6\">\n<div id=\"native-article-1\">\n<div id=\"ntv1047205-423457-84149\" class=\"ntv-moap px-3 pb-3 ntv1047205-423457-84149 noskim\">\n<div><\/div>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cCalifornia is now unable to perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity,\u201d the Texan said then, accusing President Joe Biden and other Democrats of wanting to \u201cmake CA\u2019s failed energy policy the standard nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"teads-inread sm-screen\">\n<div class=\"teads-ui-components-adchoices\">\n<div id=\"teads1\" class=\"teads-player\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">While Cruz often relishes engaging in social media scuffles, he\u2019s declined to do so over the outages. His Twitter feed, like many other Texas politicians\u2019, has focused on weather and energy info in recent days; Cruz, in his \u201cno defense\u201d Tweet, urged Texans to \u201cstay safe\u201d amid the polar blast.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\" data-oembed-type=\"twitter\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-1\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=dallasnews&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1296134869320380419&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dallasnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F2021%2F02%2F17%2Fcruz-says-he-has-no-defense-for-mocking-californias-past-power-outages-as-texas-grid-falters-amid-historic-freeze%2F&amp;siteScreenName=dallasnews&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=889aa01%3A1612811843556&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1296134869320380419\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"browsi_adWrapper_ai_1_ati_1_rc_0\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Some Democrats took note of Cruz\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cNot even Ted Cruz will defend Greg Abbott on this catastrophe,\u201d San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro wrote on Twitter, referring to the Texas governor, whom many Democrats have blamed for the crisis playing out in the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n<div class=\"teads-inread sm-screen\">\n<div class=\"teads-ui-components-adchoices\">\n<div id=\"teads0\" class=\"teads-player\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Another Democrat \u2014 Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona \u2014 said he hoped the ongoing disaster \u201cwill teach Texas politicians to stop dunking on other states when they are going through disasters,\u201d adding that \u201call Americans deserve help and empathy from fellow Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"app_presets_nativoArticleInline__3tgHh w-full py-6\">\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Cruz is far from the only Texas GOPer to be put on the spot, particularly after many have leaned into the false narrative that an overreliance on wind energy is chiefly to blame for the outages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">It\u2019s true that frozen wind turbines contributed to there being less power than the grid needed. But energy experts and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state\u2019s main grid operator, have said the far bigger factor was significantly reduced output from thermal sources like natural gas.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\" data-oembed-type=\"twitter\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-2\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=dallasnews&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1362041790665166854&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dallasnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F2021%2F02%2F17%2Fcruz-says-he-has-no-defense-for-mocking-californias-past-power-outages-as-texas-grid-falters-amid-historic-freeze%2F&amp;siteScreenName=dallasnews&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=889aa01%3A1612811843556&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1362041790665166854\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"browsi_adWrapper_ai_2_ati_1_rc_3\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Still, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who served as U.S. energy secretary under former President Donald Trump, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.republicanleader.gov\/whats-up-in-texas\/\" target=\"_blank\">said this week<\/a>that \u201cif wind and solar is where we\u2019re headed, the last 48 hours ought to give everybody a real pause and go wait a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Perry also suggested that the power outages are a worthy sacrifice for Texas to retain its unique status of having an independent electric grid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cTexans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business,\u201d he was quoted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.republicanleader.gov\/whats-up-in-texas\/\" target=\"_blank\">as saying in a blog post posted by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, also created a stir late Tuesday by saying on Fox News that the state\u2019s ongoing power struggles due to the winter storm show \u201chow the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Democrats in Texas and beyond responded with outrage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cThe elderly, children, and other vulnerable Texans are literally fighting for their lives amidst this monumental failure,\u201d said Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. \u201cAnd instead of working to get help to his constituents and save lives, @GregAbbott_TX goes on TV to lie to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"app_author_authors__2NZrN mb-8\">\n<div class=\"app_author_author__3tSpc flex lg_items-center pt-4 pb-4 border-t border-gray-light\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"app_author_text__b3RJU secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-20 mb-2\"><a class=\"app_author_link__2GkAw link-blue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/author\/tom-benning\">Tom Benning<\/a>. Tom covers the intersection of business and government in Washington. He came to D.C. in 2016 from The News&#8217; Austin bureau. He has also previously worked in Dallas, covering everything from City Hall to transportation to former President George W. Bush. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p class=\"app_author_text__b3RJU secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-20 mb-2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/politics\/2021\/02\/17\/cruz-says-he-has-no-defense-for-mocking-californias-past-power-outages-as-texas-grid-falters-amid-historic-freeze\/\">The Dallas Morning News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Tom Benning, Feb 17, 2021 \u2018A blizzard strikes Texas &amp; our state shuts down,\u2019 the Republican wrote on Twitter. \u2018Not good.\u2019 Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had just last year mocked California for having power outages during a severe heat wave. (Photo by Alex Edelman \/ AFP) (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN\/AFP via Getty Images)(ALEX EDELMAN [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11678"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11678"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11679,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11678\/revisions\/11679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}