Cornyn booed 'viciously' after taking gun control deal back to Texas GOP



U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) was loudly booed at the Republican Party of Texas Convention in Houston, where the state GOP adopted a resolution condemning the bipartisan gun control framework he has negotiated in the Senate.

As Cornyn took the stage to speak Friday afternoon, members of the audience chanted "no red flags" and "say no to Cornyn," drowning out his remarks with furious objections to the new gun control measures proposed by a gang of 20 senators in the wake of the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas.

\u201cUS Sen John Cornyn gets viciously booed during much of his speech here at the Republican Party of Texas Convention. Here\u2019s his closing remarks and the cascade of boos.\u201d
— Jeremy Wallace (@Jeremy Wallace) 1655492225

According to NPR's the Texas Newsroom, many of the people attending the convention called Cornyn a RINO — Republican in name only — for being the lead Republican negotiator on the gun deal, which would fund mental health programs and incentivize states to pass "red-flag" laws.

Gun rights activists oppose red-flag laws, which permit authorities to seek a court order to take an individual's firearms away if that person is believed to be a danger to themself or others, on the grounds that they have insufficient due process protections to prevent abuse. The bipartisan framework would not enact a federal red-flag law, instead it would provide financial incentives to state governments that choose to enact such laws. It would also expand background checks for gun purchases to include the juvenile and mental health records of people under 21.

Cornyn attempted to defend the bipartisan deal during his speech, telling Texas Republicans it would include "more mental health resources, more support for our schools and making sure that violent criminals and the mentally ill cannot buy a firearm," according to reporter Sergio Martínez-Beltrán. But the crowd was unwilling to listen.

\u201cAs Cornyn talks, folks are rowdy. Chanting \u201cno red flags\u201d and \u201csay no to Cornyn.\u201d\n\nWhen Cornyn talks about electing new leadership, folks scream \u201clike Cornyn!\u201d\u201d
— Sergio Mart\u00ednez-Beltr\u00e1n (@Sergio Mart\u00ednez-Beltr\u00e1n) 1655491050

Pictures posted on Twitter showed convention goers tossing lanyards with Cornyn's name on them into the trash.

\u201cTX GOP convention: red lanyards are @JohnCornyn lanyards. Friend wrote me: "People are throwing them away in droves to get a different one." \n\nNow Texans just need to throw him out of office.\u201d
— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@Pedro L. Gonzalez) 1655477901

Earlier on Thursday, the Republican Party of Texas' Platform Committee unanimously approved a resolution that condemned the gun deal Cornyn negotiated with Democrats and the other nine Republicans who are in favor of it, Texas Scorecard reported.

The text of the resolution reads:

Whereas those under 21 are most likely to be victims of violent crime and thus most likely to need to defend themselves.

Whereas “red flag laws” violate one’s right to due process and are a pre-crime punishment of people not adjudicated guilty.

Whereas waiting periods on gun purchases harm those who need to acquire the means of self defense in emergencies such as riots.

Whereas all gun control is a violation of the Second Amendment and our God given rights.

We reject the so called “bipartisan gun agreement”, and we rebuke Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).

As of yet, there is no draft bill for the gun control deal. Several Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have expressed reservations about throwing their full support behind the framework before seeing the legislative text.

Bette Midler says God is punishing Ted Cruz with deadly winter storm in Texas, implies Rush Limbaugh is in hell



Bette Midler used the unprecedented winter storm in Texas to attack Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. The Hollywood actress claimed that God is punishing the GOP senators from Texas with the deadly snowstorms that are believed to have a role in at least 35 deaths in eight states and left millions without power and heat this week.

Midler implied that the historic Winter Storm Uri is "payback" for Cruz and Cornyn previously questioning President Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election.

Her remarks replied to a random Twitter user who called Cruz and Cornyn "inept" for requesting disaster relief for Texas while both lawmakers voted against federal aid during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Both senators voted against the relief package because they said it had "billions in unrelated spending," including money for "things like repairing fisheries in the Pacific" and "Smithsonian repairs."

Midler argued that "inept" was the "wrong word" to characterize the Republican senators. Instead, she described the GOP senators as "hateful," "vicious," and "cruel."

"I feel for the people suffering thru this weather, but #God doesn't seem to like #TedCruz or #JohnCornyn," Midler tweeted. "These two also never recognized that #Joe won. If this isn't payback, I don't know what is."

"Inept" is the wrong word. "Hateful", "Vicious", "Cruel" might all apply. I feel for the people suffering thru th… https://t.co/wfuGHsvH9r
— bettemidler (@bettemidler)1613537478.0

Sen. Cornyn acknowledged Biden as "president-elect" on Dec. 9. Cornyn did not object to the certification of the Electoral College votes.

"There's good constitutional and other legal grounds to say: You had your day in court, 60 different lawsuits in state courts, you had a chance to appeal those to the Supreme Court, and as I read the law once a state certifies its electoral vote it's conclusive," Cornyn previously stated.

"That's sort of the nature of these elections. You got to have a winner. You got to have a loser," Cornyn told the Associated Press in December. "Joe Biden's on a path to be president of the United States."

Sen. Cruz called for the dispute of the certification unless Congress established a commission to conduct an audit of the 2020 presidential election.

The "Hocus Pocus" actress was also one of many noted leftists who viciously celebrated the death of broadcasting legend Rush Limbaugh. Midler, who has more than 2 million Twitter followers, seemed to hint that Limbaugh is in hell after passing away from lung cancer on Wednesday.

#RushLimbaugh has gone to his reward. Bet it’s hot.
— bettemidler (@bettemidler)1613598073.0

Midler has a history of tweeting hatred toward Limbaugh. The actress has called Limbaugh a "bully," "feral pig," "gobbler of OxyContin," "the Taliban," and said his massiively popular radio program was spewing "sewage." Following Limbaugh's stage 4 cancer diagnosis, Midler said she would offer "zero prayers."

Last week, Midler was one of many Hollywood celebrities who suffered complete meltdowns after the Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump in his secondimpeachment trial. Midler went on an unhinged rant, claiming that Trump "got away with murder."

"This lopsided vote is an American tragedy of monumental proportions., one we made all by ourselves," the singer alleged about the impeachment acquittal. "The consequences of this travesty have yet to be known, but I predict they will be uglier than even the last four years have been."

AOC melts down over coronavirus relief package stalemate, blames Republicans — so Ted Cruz schools her



Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Monday virally complained that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Republicans were preventing further coronavirus relief stimulus packages from passing.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), however, refused to sit back and watch Ocasio-Cortez spread what he apparently considered to be misinformation and quickly corrected her assertions.

What are the details?

As highlighted by the Daily Wire, Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to vent her frustrations on how COVID-19 has been impacting Americans, and blamed Republicans for a coronavirus aid package stalemate after Congress left D.C. for a weeklong Thanksgiving recess without having a deal in place.

"People across the country are going hungry, COVID is set to explode, and Mitch McConnell dismissed the Senate last week," she tweeted. "I don't know how these people can sleep at night. I really don't."

People across the country are going hungry, COVID is set to explode, and Mitch McConnell dismissed the Senate last… https://t.co/02eP79thj6
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)1606162661.0

Cruz quickly slapped back and pointed out that Republicans put forth a $500 billion relief bill that Democrats previously blocked.

"Why is your party filibustering $500 billion in COVID relief?" he wrote in response to her complaints. "And Joe Biden is cheering them on. Thinking that blocking relief somehow helps Dems win Georgia."

Why is your party filibustering $500 billion in COVID relief?And Joe Biden is cheering them on. Thinking that blo… https://t.co/J4Hi23nBrp
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz)1606168953.0

The New York lawmaker fired back, "The House doesn't have filibusters, @tedcruz. We also passed several COVID relief packages to the Senate that not only include >$500 billion, but also prioritize helping real people as opposed to Wall St bailouts the GOP tries to pass off as 'relief.' Nice try though."

She continued, "I hope someone else runs Cruz's Twitter account because it'd be pretty embarrassing if a US Senator didn't know this. Almost as embarrassing as when Sen. @JohnCornyn didn't appear to know that Puerto Ricans don't get to vote in the Presidential."

I hope someone else runs Cruz’s Twitter account because it’d be pretty embarrassing if a US Senator didn’t know thi… https://t.co/WI0XUjBpoI
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)1606172901.0

Cruz responded to Ocasio-Cortez, insisting that it seems apparent she doesn't realize that there are Democrats in the Senate.

".@AOC seems not to know there are Democrats in the Senate," he wrote. "Or that Joe Biden (also a Dem) is publicly calling on Senate Dems to continue filibustering COVID relief because he thinks it will help them win Georgia."

.@AOC seems not to know there are Democrats in the Senate. Or that Joe Biden (also a Dem) is publicly calling on… https://t.co/nezpSThOSu
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz)1606194213.0

According to Fox News, Senate Democrats have filibustered a vote on more than one occasion — and as recently as October — regarding a scaled-back GOP proposal.

"The bill, less than a third of the size of the $2.2 trillion figured back by Democratic leaders, included boosted federal unemployment benefits, another round of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, a key small business rescue program, money for schools, and liability protections for businesses," Fox News' Megan Henney reported.