Ted Cruz has embraced an amped-up version of his usual fight against “tyranny” during the pandemic. He slammed a fellow senator as a “a complete ass” for wearing a mask, long after Cruz declared that the virus would disappear after election day (because he argued that the pandemic is a ruse meant to boot Trump out of office). The evaporation of the virus obviously did not happen, but the junior senator from Texas has continued to push back against COVID-19 restrictions, even as his state — especially in El Paso — has watched its morgues overflow as patients succumb to the virus.
Over the weekend, Cruz illustrated his thoughts on the CDC urging people to not travel for Thanksgiving (and to only mark the occasion with family members already in their household) with a Turkey meme that reads “Come and Take It.”
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 22, 2020
In doing so, Cruz drew a (misguided) reference to the “Come And Take It” flag that hails back to the Texas revolution. He’s appropriating the saying as in an attempt to place COVID restrictions into the “culture wars”… because he apparently thinks the Left is using the virus to attack Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Ted Cruz is the Harlan Hill of GOP elected officials. Desperate to fight in the culture wars but instead he just tweets out shitty clip art. pic.twitter.com/wL1naqaLCE
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) November 22, 2020
Iowa State professor Brian Behnken posted a useful thread about how the flag’s been previously appropriated by the right wing, including the Second Amendment crowd, for their own ends. He also points out how Cruz is “fixating on a manly, heroic moment in Texas history,” the Siege of Bexar, while completely losing sight of context. Instead, Cruz is rallying for his right to gather for turkey while food lines in Texas stretch for miles and his state is suffering from an unfathomable loss of life.
A little tidbit re the image used here by Ted Cruz (the turkey one has been around for at least half a decade btw). Like many of the ways the Right understands history, Cruz often cherry picks his data so he can come off as what he thinks is funny or tough or smart. Short thread: https://t.co/modCXTvga1
— Brian Behnken (@HistoryBrian) November 22, 2020
Beyond that though this meme fits into the Right’s broader fictitious culture wars that somehow some nefarious leftwing force is out to cancel Christmas or end Thanksgiving. The Come and Take It flag has also been used by the Right in 2A circles. pic.twitter.com/nZhyi2TK9u
— Brian Behnken (@HistoryBrian) November 22, 2020
Beyond that though this meme fits into the Right’s broader fictitious culture wars that somehow some nefarious leftwing force is out to cancel Christmas or end Thanksgiving. The Come and Take It flag has also been used by the Right in 2A circles. pic.twitter.com/nZhyi2TK9u
— Brian Behnken (@HistoryBrian) November 22, 2020
Doing so allows him to fixate on a manly, heroic moment in Texas history. In reality, the Mexican Army did come and take it, during the Siege of Bexar. Texians from Gonzales transported several cannons to San Antonio, all were lost to Mexican forces when they retook the Alamo. pic.twitter.com/G2fdKWrwiD
— Brian Behnken (@HistoryBrian) November 22, 2020
Now I know Cruz probably doesn’t care about this history and is content with getting attention w stupid ass Come and Take It turkey memes, and of course the broader reality of this history, which I think is more important, would be lost on him. But here is what I think matters:
— Brian Behnken (@HistoryBrian) November 22, 2020
In the aftermath of Cruz’s turkey dump, further roasting commenced, including this illustration from El Paso Artist Patrick Gabaldon, who posted his own drawing of a PPE-clad worker attending to a dead body set against the El Paso mountains and the saying, “Come And See It.” The drawing blasts those who refuse to take the pandemic seriously.
https://t.co/LI7w4UMGOk pic.twitter.com/irxxKWOs9g
— GabaldónArt (@gabaldonart) November 22, 2020
“Maybe if people see the devastation, maybe they’ll acknowledge it, and so you know when I see the come and take it with the turkey, I thought well you should come and see it,” Gabaldon told KTSM. “You should come and see what we’re dealing with and what our healthcare workers what our brothers and sisters and grandparents are dealing with.”
The roasting of Cruz’s dumb Turkey meme continued on Twitter.
Texans in food lines b/c they’re going hungry
•Ted Cruz:¯_(ツ)_/¯Texas spikes in COVID19 cases—causing mass death
•Ted Cruz:¯_(ツ)_/¯Texas calls Nat’l Guard to help w/morgues
•Ted Cruz:¯_(ツ)_/¯Texans asked to hold small Thanksgiving dinners
•Ted Cruz: Tyranny!— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) November 22, 2020
Is Ted Cruz…offering me a turkey? https://t.co/yqYsfjlEL2
— hbomberguy (@Hbomberguy) November 23, 2020
How is it that Ted Cruz just keeps finding new ways to be the worst?
— Schooley (@Rschooley) November 22, 2020
Ted Cruz is a fucking ghoul, part 2,489,129 pic.twitter.com/sf73oAOPzY
— Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) November 22, 2020
I’m dying at this ted cruz flag. What is he demanding I do? Come to his house to catch COVID and steal his turkey? and if I do he’ll…shoot me with a gun? what’s happening here? pic.twitter.com/cH0ETLXS9u
— kylie brakeman (@deadeyebrakeman) November 22, 2020
This Ted Cruz tweet is an example of what I warned about on @ReliableSources with @brianstelter: the dangerous consequences of turning public health into identity politics. More than 10,000 Americans died last week alone; will only get worse if this politicization continues. https://t.co/U6l8idVuZj pic.twitter.com/y3z3cL5oux
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) November 22, 2020
Ted Cruz is apparently a 12 year old https://t.co/RXhgutrl6K
— Jennifer Horn (@NHJennifer) November 22, 2020
400 Antifa supersoldiers emerging from Ted Cruz’s house with a single turkey https://t.co/aHRqQ0Dmhd
— Fred Delicious (@Fred_Delicious) November 22, 2020
And of course we got a Zodiac Killer recipe, one that’s well done.
ted cruz’s secret thanksgiving turkey recipe pic.twitter.com/pQPPK5YgXx
— Friedrice Nietzsche (@tinynietzsche) November 22, 2020