In a warped attempt to be funny, Cruz attributed to Sen. Durbin a frightening McCarthy line. Cruz told the ALEC members: "I was just at the Capitol and I was asked to pass along an inquiry from Sen. Durbin: 'Are you now or have you ever been a member of ALEC?'"
Cruz is wrong. Americans should be asking that question because they can't be sure their state lawmakers haven't sworn first allegiance to ALEC and thus foresworn their duty to first serve the citizens of their states and uphold the constitution.
ALEC claims 1,810 state lawmakers hand over - or get their state taxpayers to pay for them -- $100 ALEC membership dues. But that might be an exaggeration. For example, ALEC claims every single legislator in Iowa -- all 150 of them, Democrats included -- and every single legislator in South Dakota -- all 105 of them, Democrats included -- are members. This is an organization that describes its mission as advancing free markets, limited government and federalism. Those are the priorities of the Tea Party, not Democrats.
While some organizations have tried to compile ALEC membership lists based on leaked ALEC documents, some individual lawmakers on those lists, particularly Democrats, have publicly denied any association with ALEC.
Voters have a right to know where the allegiance of their lawmakers' lies. They should be asking if their elected representatives have sworn to serve ALEC first. And if so, those should be the first to go.
Follow Leo W. Gerard on Twitter: www.twitter.com/uswblogger
Reprinted from huffingtonpost.com
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