Over the years I’ve occasionally heard the following mentioned as an epithet, that is, negatively:
Never let a crisis go to waste.
But I don’t think of it as an epithet. Let’s take the current Texas crisis. Steve Benen notes the reaction of Senator Cruz (R-TX), already exposed for running from the state when the crisis began, whose reaction is not unique within the Texas Republican community:
Rather, Cruz is playing a deceptive political game. Having been roasted for fleeing his state while his constituents suffered, the GOP senator is trying to work his way back into his party’s good graces — not by tackling energy policy in a serious way, but by pretending Republicans’ ideological foes should be blamed for a breakdown they had nothing do to with.
The New York Times‘ Jamelle Bouie explained a few days ago, “Faced with one of the worst crises in the recent history of the state, Republicans have turned their attention away from conditions on the ground and toward the objects of their ideological ire. The issue isn’t energy policy; it is liberals and environmentalists…. Amid awful suffering and deteriorating conditions, Texas Republicans decided to fight a culture war.”
And here’s the thing: engaging in honest leadership would benefit his constituents, and the result would accrue to his credit. By standing out from his fellows, he’d increase his chances of winning the GOP Presidential nomination.
And that would be not letting a good crisis go to waste.
Cruz may believe he’s taking advantage of the crisis, but in this case he’s letting it go to waste. You want to be known as a leader? Be one.
And that’s why I don’t consider Never let a crisis go to waste to be an epithet, an insult. There’s just doing your job and being incompetent.
