To whit.....
If Dewhurst had won, the Government would still be open. Peggy Fikac, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)
(this is an article behind the fire-wall so I'm only going to pull a small quote and encourage you to go read the rest of the article yourself. I hope the Chron finds this fair, as I believe it is well-within the terms of "fair use".)
St. Mary's University political scientist Henry Flores had only a "maybe" when I asked him to play the No Cruz, No Shutdown game, but he declared himself "flabbergasted" at Cruz's actions.
"He's a junior senator ... I don't know in the history of the United States Senate where anybody has ever done anything quite like what he's done," Flores said.
The idea, in America, that we are what our title declares us to be runs counter to the very meritocracy to which we pretend to adhere. In short, people are not what they are labelled (Jr Senator) but instead are rated based on what they DO. In Cruz's case, agree or disagree with him, he has taken on a leadership position with the Right. It's the idea of the ruling class, now espoused by the media who are supposed to have an ingrained distrust of them, that leadership by our "betters" is given through title, not acheivement. In many areas of the Country (Houston and [increasingly] Texas being among them) it matters not what you know but who you know. Being a leader is lesss about leadership and more about networking. It should scare you that many people are publically expressing the belief that advancement for some is not possible, nor desireable, and that political power is acheived through longevity, not talent. Hang around long enough and Flores could name you King.
Even scarier? Flores, the Gentlemen suggesting that Cruz is acting outside of his station, is teaching the American system of governance to our youth.
See, I told you this wasn't about Fikac's horrendous column.
