OPINION
‘Figure It Out, Chump’: Ted Cruz Mocked as a ‘Fraud’ for Attacking California Now That Millions in Texas Have Lost Power

Texas politicians apparently love to attack other American states in their never-ending promotion of the Lone Star State as some kind of nirvana, wholly independent from the United States of America. Even their tourism advertising slogan makes clear Texas wants nothing to do with the rest of America: “Texas. It’s Like A Whole Other Country.”
Governor Gregg Abbott often attacks the Golden State, sometimes with strange declarations revealing a desperate rivalry, at least on the part of Texas:
I just signed a resolution that #Texas is the official hashtag of Texas. TAKE THAT #California. #txlege #toomanylaws
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 11, 2015
Texas beats California again: Toyota moving headquarters from CA to TX. I’ll keep TX the best place for business http://t.co/mJvWuix2nD
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 28, 2014
But it’s this tweet from Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz, still under fire for his role in the January 6 insurrection, that has many mocking him.
Last summer, California suffered from rolling blackouts that were the result of “an extreme heat wave caused by climate change.”
Rather than express sympathy, or say nothing at all, Cruz served up a mean-spirited attack on California for being “unable to perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity.”
California is now unable to perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity.
Biden/Harris/AOC want to make CA’s failed energy policy the standard nationwide.
Hope you don’t like air conditioning! https://t.co/UkKBq9HkoK
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 19, 2020
Millions of Texans are now without power in the middle of a winter storm that’s dropped snow and brought temperatures to below freezing. Dallas-Fort Worth airport saw a negative 1 degree temperature Tuesday morning.
Texas is in crisis and to be fair, the only ones who should be mocked or criticized are the ones who contributed to the failed political systems that contributed to this disaster, and refused to accept and respond to the reality of climate change. People in Texas are hurting, and some have died.
But now that tweet has come back to haunt Cruz.
Hey @tedcruz, why can’t Texas perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity? https://t.co/XktJ5M4ADp
— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) February 16, 2021
God you’re a fraud.
— Luke Zaleski (@ZaleskiLuke) February 16, 2021
This aged poorly, Ted.
We don’t have electricity all over the Great F**king State of Texas right now.
This is the first stretch of 30+ minutes of power I’ve had since I woke up today.
P.S. Climate change is real and catastrophic. Figure it out, chump.
— Jedi, Interrupted 🏳️🌈 (@JediCounselor) February 16, 2021
Hey Ted! It was 5 below when I got up this morning, it’s 7 above and snowing like crazy now here in Wisconsin and everyone has working electricity!
Tell us more about the paradise you call Texas…
— (((Daniel Timm))) (@dtimm53217) February 16, 2021
Do you have any more hot takes so the people of Texas might be able to heat their homes right now, Ted?
— BreakawayGreen (@MDryly) February 15, 2021
I think this means AOC is governor of Texas now https://t.co/bi9PRoIFFI
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 16, 2021
My parents hv been without electricity for almost 24hrs in Houston they are not even rotating power outages in Houston anymore. Looks like Republicans like you took energy for granted, and didn’t invest enough in the power grid in Texas.
— Cloudydays16 need PPE now (@cloudydays1971) February 16, 2021
The peril of karmic payback is it often boomerangs onto people who don’t deserve it–in this case the #disabled, elderly and chronically ill who are most impacted by the climate crisis weather in Texas. https://t.co/fagnPHYOiH
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) February 16, 2021
Wait till he hears how his own state is doing with electricity…
Glass houses and stones. Reality loves irony. https://t.co/0sLrJi5TaU
— Lee Crawford (@Vampire337) February 16, 2021
ted cruz is the only person in texas you’re allowed to be a smug shithead to right now.
Please direct all your annoying smug posts about the current situation here to ted cruz specifically. https://t.co/zP5dc2dkT7
— Install Lycanroc: Source! (@Growlithography) February 15, 2021
Ted still picking fights with @AOC. But didn’t your governor who called for cessation from the US last week, petiton support from Biden yesterday…? How about you actually work for your constituents in texas and stop fighting, spreading bullshit lies https://t.co/49JAxtRfIs
— Mr.Deezy Deezy|VisualAcrum (@ExpSevDavis) February 16, 2021
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