Not a lot of noblesse oblige in the Cruz family and circle was there? All chattering about which fun luxury vacation spot to hit while the neighbors they don't see were burning furniture or sleeping in cars.

Kind of saw this during the pandemic as well. The rich classes got their tax cuts and then... kind of abandoned us by and large. If America is to be a place where the rich can become so, where is the recipocral obligation?

You can see a very dirty dynamic at play here. It's the thing my brain has been working on. But it's really just rich, powerful people ginning up all of these various visions of greatness for the proles to swallow while they make out like bandits.

It was expressly in play with the Civil War South. "We just defend the Honor of our state and way of life that we have told you to aspire to! Now go off and die, rubes, and we'll be right back at our noble estates!"

And it's been so apparent in conservative world, especially southern, areas lately that I wonder if it ever really left the bloodstream. Donald Trump's Nationalism was just this. Some puffed up nonsense to make some insecure people feel good while his family got their cut.

Look at the scam Abbott,. Cruz, Rubio, Graham et al have been running. Just leave us our positions and we will make you rhetorical warriors in the clichéd fight against the Other Outsiders. Just like 1860 but with more veiled language.

I guess it's sort of basic Marxist criticism except capitalism isn't the issue. Are we just some place for a few climbers to exploit? There are certainly strong strains of that here. I don't know that it's dominant now. But it flares up and crises seem to highlight it.

The Coup attempt really killed any notion that these people are just selling tough facts of life ideas for the good of the nation. The good of the nation never crossed their minds.

Which brings me back to Ted Cruz. Most people, if they had the means, might have done what Ted did. Once in WV we considered driving to Florida to stay with family after the Derecho wiped out the place.

But with being a leader and a rich person to boot, we expect that when the chips are down, you won't let us starve. But no. Cruz types are the first to flee. And if a coup ever succeeded, they'd be the first ones on the planes out again too.