Since the weekend, Texas and neighboring states have succumbed to a freak winter storm, bringing snow and the coldest temperatures in decades, if not longer. Millions haven’t had power in days; almost two dozen have died. And yet the Republican response to the disaster has been downright surreal. It was the fault of the Green New Deal — which hasn’t been voted on, let alone enacted — said Governor Greg Abbott and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert. And then there’s former Governor Rick Perry, who had an even more deranged response.
“Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business,” Perry was quoted saying in a blog post from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, as per The Houston Chronicle. “Try not to let whatever the crisis of the day is take your eye off of having a resilient grid that keeps America safe personally, economically, and strategically.”
Translation: It’s more important to stop the purported spread of socialism than to help people who are freezing. Socialism has been a popular bugaboo among conservative circles in recent years, as the oft-inhumane actions of the Trump administration forced people to see the inequalities in American life more clearly than before.
Will falling back on typical right-wing fearmongering work on people who’ve been forced to take sleeping bags out of mothballs just to stay warm at night? Only time will tell. But for now, many on social media took Perry — one of the most gaffe-prone presidential candidates in recent American history — to the woodshed.
You guys do realize that Rick Perry, the guy who presided over the deregulation of the Texas power grid in 2002 ran our entire Department of Energy under Trump, right?
— Alan! (o2bnobx on Threads) (@o2bnobx) February 17, 2021
It's almost like Texas has been run by George W. Bush, Rick Perry and Greg Abbott the last 25 years.
— BorderingOrder (@borderorder) February 16, 2021
Just reminding you once again that we went from an Obama Energy Secretary with a PhD in theoretical physics to Rick Perry, a guy whose transcripts show he got a D in a college class called "Meats." https://t.co/VGejSQsKW5
— Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) February 17, 2021
Texas Governors from 1995-2021:
George W. Bush
Rick Perry
Greg AbbottThe Texas state house and senate have been under Republican control every year since 2003.
But please… tell me again how the green new deal is the cause of the power outages in Texas. pic.twitter.com/2qkZplLH2P
— BrownKnowsBest (@Mr_Brown_34) February 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1361870983347523586
Rick Perry says that going without power is "a sacrifice Texans should be willing to make" to keep their power grid deregulated.
23 people have died.
Regulation keeps the power on and keeps people alive.
— Secret Agent Number Six (@DesignationSix) February 17, 2021
Its interesting that very wealthy politicians like Rick Perry are very willing to have everyday Texans suffer blackouts…..while they won't even suffer indigestion from eating their words. https://t.co/JyCXRgc8fW
— Alejandro Villegas #🟦 (@thecorpmex) February 17, 2021
Rick Perry: Going days without power is a sacrifice Texans should be willing to make
Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick: Old people should volunteer to die to save the economy
Different jerk, same energy
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) February 17, 2021
My grandmother in Austin had to drive to a nearby town to stay with relatives because even though their power is out, too, at least they have a fireplace to keep everyone warm.
Rick Perry can go to hell. https://t.co/JlDsXp6Exx
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) February 17, 2021
Rick Perry & Greg Abbott are willing to kill Texans to keep the feds out of the power market so they can continue to reap profits from their big oil lobbyists.
Texas, where grandma is either a popsicle or has a deadly virus, but at least a couple dozen millionaires profit. https://t.co/wX5QCHzsqE
— Russell Foster A New Texas (@RussellFosterTX) February 17, 2021
In the meantime, all the best to Texas and neighboring states dealing with a most unusual weather catastrophe.
(Via Houston Chronicle)