Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, congressional Democrats to commemorate Mandela in South Africa

More than 20 members of the U.S. House, mostly Democrats, and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz will travel to South Africa to honor and commemorate former South African president and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.

House Speaker John Boehner tapped Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Illinois, to lead the official delegation of House members to South Africa for Tuesday's service. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Chairwoman Marcia Fudge, will join the official congressional delegation.

The group of 24 members of the House of Representatives and Senate will leave early Monday morning for the service Tuesday in Johannesburg at FNB Stadium.

Here's a list, which is subject to change, of the other U.S. lawmakers who will join the delegation, according to a senior Democratic aide:

Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan; Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York; Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia; Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Washington; Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Democratic delegate from D.C.; Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California; Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virginia; Rep. Melvin Watt, D-North Carolina; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas; Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland; Rep. Donna Christensen, Democratic delegate from the Virgin Islands; Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-New York; Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California; Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-North Carolina; Rep. Al Green, D-Texas; Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wisconsin; Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-New York; Rep. Karen Bass, D-California; Rep. Terri Sewell D-Alabama; Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio; Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida.

There is no better time than the opening of a new chapter to show diplomacy.

Too often these days conservatives feign outrage because its easier than stepping up and doing some heavy lifting. The tea party needs to show that we can do more than be angry.

For instance, the democrats are in a white hot rage over republicans and conservatives showing up in Detroit with ideas of how to fix Detroit and other economically wrecked areas of the country. They're enraged because they're afraid of conservative inroads being made.

I take my inspiration from one of the greatest political speeches of all time given in Detroit.

Never before in our history have Americans been called upon to face three grave threats to our very existence, any one of which could destroy us. We face a disintegrating economy, a weakened defense, and an energy policy based on the sharing of scarcity.

The major issue of this campaign is the direct political, personal, and moral responsibility of Democratic Party leadership, in the White House and in the Congress, for this unprecedented calamity which has befallen us. They tell us they've done the most that could humanly be done. They say that the United States has had it’s day in the sun, that our nation has passed its zenith. They expect you to tell your children that the American people no longer have the will to cope with their problems, that the future will be one of sacrifice and few opportunities.

My fellow citizens, I utterly reject that view.

The American people -- The American people the most generous on earth, who created the highest standard of living, are not going to accept the notion that we can only make a better world for others by moving backward ourselves. And those who believe we can have no business leading this nation.

I will not stand by and watch this great country destroy itself under mediocre leadership that drifts from one crisis to the next, eroding our national will and purpose. We have come together here because the American people deserve better from those to whom they entrust our nation's highest offices, and we stand united -- we stand united in our resolve to do something about it.

We need a rebirth of the American tradition of leadership at every level of government and in private life as well. The United States of America is unique in world history because it has a genius for leaders -- many leaders -- on many levels. But, back in 1976, Mr. Carter said, "Trust me." And a lot of people did. And now many of those people are out of work. Many have seen their savings eaten away by inflation. Many others on fixed incomes, especially the elderly, have watched helplessly as the cruel tax of inflation wasted away their purchasing power. And today a great many who trusted Mr. Carter wonder if we can survive the Carter policies of national defense.

Ronald Reagan 1980 Republican National Convention Acceptance Address delivered 17 July 1980, Detroit, MI

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