by Penny Gross

Exclusive to the Falls Church News-Press

Senator Ted Cruz (R-T) should be ashamed of himself. And Senators Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), too. The vote count for the Michigan Senate primary hadn’t even been certified when Cruz appeared on FOX television to denounce Dr. Abdul El-Sayed as a communist and an Islamist, invoking the type of hate speech that was rampant in the 1950s during Joe McCarthy’s (D-WI) “Red Scare” campaign. Cruz’ reprehensible comments are part of his usual pattern, demonizing people and denigrating issues. Respectful dissension is part and parcel of being a United States Senator in either party, but the emphasis should be on the “respectful” part. Responsible discourse demands respect, a virtue missing in current debates. 

Respect also was in short supply when 85-year-old Dr. Anthony Fauci was summoned to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in late July about his role in the global COVID pandemic six years ago. Sensing that committee chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) was setting a potential perjury trap, Dr. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment protections to every question, including cheeky questions from Senator Hawley about the day of the week, the color of his tie, the carpet, etc. Hawley wasn’t seeking answers; he was performing for the television cameras, using Dr. Fauci as his foil. It was a shameful episode with a brash younger man berating a renowned scientist almost twice his age, several times referring to Dr. Fauci informally as “Doc.”  

While Hawley’s routine was condescending and loud, Senator Moreno’s comments at the Fauci hearing were crude and vulgar. Maybe Moreno hasn’t been a Senator long enough to learn the rules of Senate decorum, but using four-letter words (f-bombs and s-words) in official Senate proceedings is a no-no. Had he uttered those words on the Senate Floor instead of a committee hearing, he might have been called out by other Senators for his use of language, and his words “taken down” (taken out of the written Congressional Record). In the late 1950s, Senator Wayne Morse (D-OR) termed Senator Homer Capehart (R-IN), who was rather portly, a “tub of rancid ignorance” about some long-distant disagreement. That comment on the Senate Floor elicited a brief tempest, but no rebuke to the maverick from Oregon who was well-known for his mastery of language and forceful comments, almost always said with a measure of respect for the audience or the witness.

Like it or not, election to public office automatically confers leadership responsibility.  Election makes you a role model, especially for young people.  Elected officials who squander the opportunity and responsibility may get some notoriety and more “clicks” temporarily, but the broader impact is on political attitudes and society in a race to the bottom. The only political context for many younger people has been the past ten years or so, as Donald Trump has coarsened the political dialogue and made lies and vilification – of women, the press, immigrants, disabled persons, other nations – the everyday coinage of his regime. Is it any wonder, then, that chaos and disrespect have become normalized in lieu of the respect and decorum that should govern discourse as well as disagreement? Senators Cruz, Moreno and Hawley should look in the mirror and ask, “Am I a good role model for children?”  That would be a useful question to ask ourselves, too.  

                                 August 13, 2026