Ted Cruz is a Symptom, not the Problem

Ted Cruz was the latest and most prominent politician to decide to travel south to a warm location despite the fact that the COVID virus makes it a bad idea and the fact that Texas is still in the throes of a natural disaster just makes it an even worse idea.

The fact he actually did this under these circumstances is a indication of just how out of touch the political classes of the developed democracies have become with regard to the people they would govern. This problem has been developing for some time, it is getting worse and it is having and will continue to have profound impacts on these democracies.

Senator Cruz took this trip because he knows he will not suffer any long-term negative impacts from it. By the time he needs to face the electorate again, in a little under six years, this will be behind him. So the impacts on his political career will be negligible. However, the impacts on American democracy will be more significant.

There are inevitable negative consequences when the ruling classes of a country lose touch with the people they rule. The French nobility literally lost their heads and while the Russian nobility kept their heads they lost everything else. The US is not an absolute monarchy so the idea that its government will be brought down by a revolution, as happened in France and Russia, is probably a little far-fetched but it cannot be completely dismissed. On the other hand, an unscrupulous political opportunist who recognizes and exploits the disconnect to gain and keep power is very much a real threat, which has already been realized in the US. 

This problem cuts across partisan lines and it is a problem for all of the developed democracies in the world. It is true that it is not as advanced in some of these democracies as it is in the US but all of them have this problem and it is not going away.

The triple pressures of the rise of China, climate change and automation are going to work to widen the gap between the ruling classes and the governed in the Western democracies. History has demonstrated that the gap has never been bridged and that it will eventually lead to a political breakdown. Maybe our democracies will not suffer the same fate but I would not count on it. 

Moving the Goal Posts

The media and Federal government critics before they imposed new travel restrictions and rules on Canadians who chose to travel abroad, eg. snowbirds: "How can the government allow this to happen? These people are going to one of the hottest spots on the planet for COVID and when they come back they may bring the virus with them."

The media and Federal government critics after they imposed new travel restrictions and rules on Canadians who travel abroad. This includes mandatory quarantine in hotels at the travelers expense: "The travelers were blind sided. They received no warning. How are they going to afford these new rules?"

It just goes to prove, once again, that in politics you can suck and blow at the same time.