I’m not sad to see U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz bow out of the Republican Party presidential primary contest.
He got shellacked Tuesday in Indiana, which would have been his last chance at derailing Donald J. Trump’s march to the GOP nomination.
As New York Times columnist Frank Bruni notes, the Cruz Missile likely will make another run for the presidency down the road. He’ll now “rest in peevishness,” Bruni writes.
Here’s a thought for Cruz to consider, though, as he licks his wounds and ponders the future.
He ought to simply go back to work in the U.S. Senate and start governing on behalf of those who sent him to Washington in the first place.
Cruz might not be wired to actually legislate. He ran against the institution in which he has served since January 2013. He has burned a bridge or three among his colleagues. He called himself an “outsider” despite working from the “inside” the legislative branch of government.
The state has some issues that need federal attention. Cruz pulls down 175 grand annually to represent the state. Taxpayers aren’t paying his salary to grandstand and promote his next search for higher political office.
The coastline needs protection against hurricanes. We need to invest in alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar; surely, Sen. Cruz is aware of the abundant quantities of both of those commodities out here on the High Plains of his state. Our highway infrastructure needs attention. Oh, yes, we need to shore up our border against illegal immigrants.
This is going to require Sen. Cruz to try a new tactic. He’s going to have to learn how to legislate and actually govern.
Cruz has had his shot at stardom. He fell short.
However, he’s got a pretty good, well-paying day job awaiting him on Capitol Hill.
Get back to work, Sen. Cruz.
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PS: Here’s an interesting Texas Tribune analysis on how Cruz might seek to resume his actual job.
https://www.texastribune.org/2016/05/03/how-does-ted-cruz-return-senate/