Seriously, what a fucking moron:
Texas Senator John Cornyn was in a bar enjoying a cold Corona over the weekend as the spread of CORVID-19 intensified and the country began shutting down. The 68-year-old tweeted a photo of his beer in what looked like an otherwise empty bar as health officials have warned people to practice social distancing.
"Be smart; don’t panic. We will get us through this #coronavirus," he wrote alongside the photo. The tweet quickly got ratio'd to death with 25,000 replies and less than 2,000 retweets.
It came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put his chamber in recess for the weekend after the House stayed at work to pass a coronavirus economic bill.
And rightfully so, Cornyn got ripped on Twitter for this stupid fucking Tweet:
A celebrity chef, a fellow senator and both Democrats angling to face Cornyn in November criticized him for the tweet, glossing over other more substantive messages the Texas Republican has issued in recent days.
“We're not panicking. We're expecting leadership. Taking a long weekend to kick back with a beer while the Senate neglects to pass crucial #COVID-19 legislation is not it,” tweeted MJ Hegar, one of the Democrats seeking Cornyn’s seat.
The former Air Force helicopter pilot was referring to a coronavirus relief package that sailed through the House late Friday on a 363-40 vote. The legislation, negotiated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on behalf of the Trump administration, is expected to win Senate approval on Monday.
State Sen. Royce West, who will face Hegar in the May 26 primary runoff, called on Cornyn to apologize.
“#COVID-19 is no laughing matter and should not be the subject of cheap jokes by John Cornyn,” he tweeted.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent senators home for the weekend, and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, alluded to the weekend break, tweeting at Cornyn, “when you are finished with that beer, let’s reconvene.”
West, a Dallas Democrat, linked to criticism from celebrity chef José Andrés, who called Cornyn a “disgrace to the great state of Texas.”
It’s so fucking infuriating. Meanwhile, on Team Blue, get ready for a runoff:
Among the several run-offs now scheduled for May 26 in the Democratic primary, the one for the U.S. Senate nomination – to challenge long-term GOP incumbent Sen. John Cornyn – will generate the most interest statewide and nationally. The survivors of the 12-candidate first-round battle royale on Super Tuesday were front-runner MJ Hegar (22.3%) and state Sen. Royce West of Dallas (14.5%) – the latter's place in the run-off not confirmed until midday Wednesday, March 4.
Just behind in third was Austinite and Latina activist Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez (13.2%), who this week endorsed West, saying that his legislative record after nearly 30 years in the Texas Senate is a model of consistency in support of progressive causes "on every single issue that I care about." As we go to press, West is also expecting endorsements from former U.S. Rep. (and 2006 gubernatorial nominee) Chris Bell, D-Houston, Beaumont pastor Michael Cooper, and perhaps others among the remaining candidates.
Hegar and West might loosely wear the "moderate" label among the full field of Democrats in the race, as neither embraced Medicare for All or the Green New Deal – the Democratic policy litmus tests of this year's cycle. But on Monday, the distinctions made were about experience. Hegar campaign spokesperson Amanda Sherman described West as an "insider" and "establishment" candidate, and Hegar as an "outside the system" candidate "who took on bureaucrats in D.C." (e.g., by fighting for equality for women in the military). She said West has been "part of the establishment for some time, with more of an insider perspective," while Hegar believes we need someone "with experience outside of politics to make the changes we need." (It's worth noting that Hegar, who became a rising Dem star in 2018 when she nearly toppled TX-31 Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, was herself endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, undeniably an "establishment" organization.)
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MJ Hegar
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