Hurricane Harvey was so powerful it uprooted palm trees and apparently gave us a new side of Sen. Ted Cruz the country had never seen. The New York Times wrote that the "forecast has changed" in terms of Cruz's politicking, ever since his home state of Texas was hit by an unprecedented hurricane. The most hated senator, according to the Gray Lady, is now likeable.
Yet the Times provided little evidence to show how exactly Cruz has evolved. Sure, Cruz offered his help after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston. He toured the flooded city and consoled families who lost their homes. He also celebrated the "ripped" first responders and fed chili to the homeless.
The side of Cruz as a consoler was definitely different from 2012, when he refused to send federal aid to New York and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy.
Indeed, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Cruz a liar for his reasoning to vote "no" on a disaster relief bill in the Senate.
“He was trying to be the most conservative, the most fiscally conservative, person in the world," Christie told MSNBC's Chris Hayes last month.
In an interview with the Times on Wednesday, Cruz showed no remorse for his ruthless legislating four years ago. In fact, he doubled down on his decision, saying he was “quite confident that nobody in Texas gives a flip what Chris Christie has to say.”
“And it seems not many people in New Jersey do either,” Cruz added, an apparent nod to Christie’s low approval ratings. “Chris should go back to the beach.”
All of this afforded Cruz a favorable piece in the Times, which has gone out of its way recently to normalize abnormal politicians, such as Cruz and President Donald Trump.
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