Cornyn’s climate ‘humor’ draws ire
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn made a joke online over the weekend that landed him in hot water — and gave his political opponents an early opening to hit him on what will likely be a major issue in his reelection campaign: Climate change.
“It’s summer, Chuck,” Cornyn wrote on Twitter on Friday, seemingly dismissing the role of climate change in record heat this summer. Cornyn was responding to a tweet from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who wrote that “July 2019 was the hottest month ever, of any month, on record. Climate change is the greatest threat facing our planet.”
Cornyn’s tweet sparked a wave of criticism, including from actress Patricia Arquette and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat running for president.
Several Texas Democrats hoping to unseat Cornyn in 2020 pounced, providing a preview of what voters are likely to see as the race heats up next year.
“It’s climate change, John,” Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, an Austin-based advocate for workers and immigrants, tweeted. Former Air Force pilot MJ Hegar responded: “Winter is coming,” a reference to the HBO show “Game of Thrones.” Former Houston Rep. Chris Bell wrote: “Texas deserves better than a climate change denier as its Senator. While you joke, we’ll be the ones paying the bill.”
Cornyn — who has accepted $201,000 in oil and gas money in the 2020 cycle, second-most in the Senate, according to the Center for Responsive Politics — has previously acknowledged climate change is a problem. Earlier this year he said “the days of ignoring this issue are over.”
He also authored legislation aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions that passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last month.
“The reaction to this tweet proves the left/so-called progressives have zero sense on humor,” Cornyn later tweeted in response to the outrage.
The Texas Democratic Party retorted Monday: “Cornyn is out of touch with everyday Texans and the Americans who know that we have 10 years left to reverse climate change before it becomes an insurmountable catastrophe,” party spokesman Abhi Rahman said. “He can laugh his way back to Texas in November 2020.”