Sen. Ted Cruz is under attack for flying to Mexico while Texas is facing severe winter weather and power outages. Cruz explained why he went there:

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. My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas.

If true (and I’m unaware of any reason to believe it isn’t), this is a complete defense to the attack on Cruz. Those who suggest that he was derelict in his duty as a Senator should explain what the Senator could have done to help his state, beyond having his staff in constant contact with officials, during the brief time he was on this trip.

As one emailer put it:

What the heck was Cruz supposed to be doing, taking a gas powered hair dryer to every frozen windmill in west Texas?

The reference to windmills calls to mind the debate over the degree to which wind farms are responsible for the Texas blackout. The New York Times rallies to the defense of renewable energy with this story called, "No, Wind Farms Aren’t the Main Cause of the Texas Blackouts.” The Times notes that wind farms make up only about 7 percent of the power mix this time of year.

[...]

As Kevin Williamson says, "when 7 percent of your expected power represents 40 percent of your lost power, that is a significant fact.”

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 04:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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