Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) appeared to display a highly questionable understanding of climate change on Twitter, and promptly got dragged over the coals.
The lawmaker on Friday was widely ridiculed for the way he responded to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) call for action on the climate crisis. Schumer had tweeted about July 2019 being “the hottest month ever, of any month, on record” and described climate change as “the greatest threat facing our planet.”
Cornyn replied: “It’s summer, Chuck.”
It’s summer, Chuck https://t.co/ccZdMtTD31
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) August 16, 2019
Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee and actress Patricia Arquette were among those to fire back at Cornyn’s post, with many people explaining the difference between climate and weather to the senator.
Your grandkids will grow up in a decimated planet & they’ll know YOU were a direct cause of it. To protect the wealthy fossil fuel barons who donate to you.
— Melissa Jo Peltier (@MelissaJPeltier) August 16, 2019
I doubt they’ll ever forgive you.
It's not just "summer," it's the hottest summer ever, and it's just getting worse, like @SenSchumer said.
— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) August 16, 2019
If that's too complicated for you, then how about this: your grandchildren won't be able to grow the crops that your parents did, it'll be too hot in Texas for them. pic.twitter.com/adIhqK8XbI
It's the climate crisis, John. https://t.co/jhCuucffWk
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) August 16, 2019
John Cornyn must have studied science at Trump University.
— Trumpy Trumpy (parody) (@outofcontroljb) August 16, 2019
This may be one of the most ignorant tweets I've seen from an elected official. https://t.co/2hQQ21jWmC
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) August 16, 2019
In which a sitting US senator is not ashamed to reveal in a three-word tweet how utterly, despicably, proudly ignorant he is of the greatest environmental threat to face the planet. @JohnCornyn#climatechange https://t.co/7sPneYCDge
— Peter Gleick (@PeterGleick) August 16, 2019
We need to start having a basic science literacy entrance exam for the US Senate. https://t.co/jiSbJbTCPe
— John D. Burns (@johnburnsnc) August 17, 2019
Well, we found it. The dumbest tweet on this website. https://t.co/PczhY0FMp5
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) August 17, 2019
You call yourself a leader and you can't tell the difference between climate and weather. Are you that ignorant. Actually I think you're not. It's worse. You are willing to sacrifice the planet due to your devotion to corporations and Trump. You're a disgrace.
— Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) August 16, 2019
Greenland just went through an unprecedented melt, John
— Brooke Binkowski (@brooklynmarie) August 17, 2019
It is the hottest summer in the history of the planet. Let that sink in to your brain.#ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency #ClimateChangeIsReal #OneVoiceEarth #BetoForTexas#VoteBlue#Democrats2020 #VoteBlueNoMatterWho2020
— 🌊❄️🏳️🌈Dexter 2.0 (@Texas_Dex) August 17, 2019
Less tweeting, more reading, John.
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) August 16, 2019
Once more for those in the back- July 2019 was the HOTTEST MONTH EVER, OF ANY MONTH , ON RECORD. GET IT? It was the HOTTEST MONTH EVER on Record! Even though we have had many July’s before none have EVER been this hot . 🥵
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) August 17, 2019
This really is a dumb tweet.
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) August 16, 2019
When we vote you out you're definitely not going to be able to get a job in the field of science.
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) August 16, 2019
Wow, your ignorance is stunning.
— Dawn Ellen (@DawnEllen69) August 17, 2019
Right, this is the first July that ever happened in summer, so it's unfair to compare the record heat this July to the temperature in past Julys, right, that definitely makes sense, right.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) August 16, 2019
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