Bashing Buzz Lightyear and Drag Queens, and Booing Common Sense Gun Safety Proposals: The Texas Republican Party Holds Wild, Extremist Convention (Too Extreme Even for Abbott, Who Was Relegated to Speaking Across the Street)

AUSTIN, Texas -- Over the past two days, Republicans have taken over the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston with what can only be described as a wild carnival of extremism – featuring all the greatest hits: draconian abortion stances, barely-coded racism, not-at-all-coded transphobia and homophobia – and even special new numbers, like bashing Buzz Lightyear, drag queens, and Secretary Buttigieg’s paternity leave.

Though Governor Abbott did not make the cut for this year’s circus, Senator John Cornyn did – and was all but booed off the stage for his work in Washington to make even incremental progress on bipartisan gun safety legislation.

Texas Democratic Party Co-Executive Director Jamarr Brown issued the following statement: 

“It is clear from the last two days that Texas Republicans have every intention of continuing to promulgate the extremist right-wing agenda of their party, no matter the cost to everyday Texan families. After a year of actively attacking healthcare and voting rights, refusing to protect our families from COVID-19, pushing forward failed policies at the border, and continuing to ignore the electric grid, Republicans are holding a party for themselves in Houston dripping with bad-faith misinformation that lauds nonexistent triumphs.

“And after doing nothing to prevent further gun violence, Texas Republicans continued their streak of offering no vision for a way to keep Texans safe from gun violence – despite the massacre in Uvalde having happened just a few weeks ago. In fact, they booed Senator Cornyn for offering even the mildest of gun safety legislation.

“What’s clear from this festival of mean-spirited, echo chamber culture warfare, is that Texas Republicans will continue to betray their constituents and leave them – both figuratively and literally – in the cold.

“Earlier today, Texas GOP Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick said that ‘liberals hate Texas.’ That couldn’t be further from the truth. We love Texas -- and that’s why we as Texas Democrats are going to fight for this state. We will send leaders to Washington ready to work for everyday Texas families, not far-right special interest groups. We will elect Democrats to the Texas Legislature who will overturn Abbott’s extremist agenda and work to address the issues hard-working Texans actually face. And we will elect a Governor who cares more about keeping the lights on in Texas than getting a pat on the back from Tucker Carlson.”

###