This fella Cruz

The idea is that there are giant "tempests" in small spaces and this, like Cicero's storm in a ladle which, in the 18th century went to the "tempest in a teapot" of the British's Lord North origin referring to perhaps the tea party and/or the revolution. No matter.

The evolution of this fella Cruz from Texas to the potential presidency is all about that and as I have been in a funk of late about the future of our republic with the potential of being led by someone who is hazy about his convictions coupled with the firmness of leadership (Mr. Obama)  or the ascension of two wannabees who stand for either nothing or something abhorrent. This Cruz fella is in the abhorrent category.  I'll leave the empty suit stuff to Mr. Trump.

A long time past I was in a dorm room minding my own business when someone who reported to be a fellow student was working his way through college selling magazines and at special student rates.  I bought one, partly out of pity and partly because it was a golfing magazine.  I signed and gave him a check for something like $1.40 for the first year.  I thought nothing more of it, a couple issues came and I lost interest in the entire transaction until - of course, year two when I got a bill for some unimagined amount, well over what I could possibly come up with, an naive as I was, I contacted the company sure that there was some mistake. No mistake. I was going to get a bill like that for what seemed the rest of my life and they had a signed agreement (my $1.40 check) to prove it so pay up fella.  It was a mess and took a lot to undo but not before a guy showed up at my door demanding payment, in cash, right then.

I think of that episode, some 40+ years ago when I look at this fella Cruz.

Sen. Cruiz

  He is somewhat beloved by the teapot folks because he is going to stick it to the poor once and for all. It isn't any more complicated than that.  And he is going to stick it to the teapot folks when they find out that the money saved by sticking it to the poor will go out the door in caring for the disaster that sticking it to the poor always begets.  It is the timeless ounce of prevention/pound of cure thing and that is what drives me crazy about all this stuff.  It is cheaper to provide a kid with meals and health care then to care for him in a hospital after he gets sick. It just is.  I laugh and cry when Cruz says that to cut food benefits will force people to work and in the end it will be a good thing, forgetting of course that there are few jobs and when an applicant shows up for an interview literally starving, things usually don't break their way. He forgets that the time between "sorry, no more for you" and getting a paycheck makes desperate people do desperate things.

This fella Cruz frames stuff in very simple terms.  He speaks in the "now" not in the future. Folks say this fella Cruz is a sharp pencil and all that but he is really all snake and oil.  He cries Tempest but it is always in a Teapot. 

He is as far from Jefferson (Thomas) as genetics will allow, is the weirdest candidate I've ever seen emerge in a national party. His message is all storm in a little bitty space and we should know better.