OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Another Republican lawmaker has been assaulted in the lead-up to midterm elections, during which the party is expected to do well, according to most polling.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was reportedly struck by a beer as he took part in a victory parade for the Major League Baseball world champion Houston Astros on Monday, reports said.
“HPD made one arrest during today’s victory parade,” the Houston Police Department said in a statement. “A male, 33, threw a beer can at U.S. Senator Ted Cruz as the Senator was on a float in the 2400 block of Smith St. The beer can struck the Senator in the chest/neck area. The Senator did not require medical attention.”
“Nearby HPD officers arrested the male without further incident,” the statement continued. “He was taken to jail and faces assault charges. We will release the suspect’s name and booking photo here when formal charges are filed.”
WATCH:
Beer flies at Ted Cruz during Astros World Series Parade pic.twitter.com/lRALgyXCe2
— Alien Truther Wildwest (@wcgroovy) November 7, 2022
The Daily Wire noted further:
The can of beer that was thrown at Cruz did not appear to be opened, meaning it would be considerably heavier than an empty can, as a thud could be heard once it feel into the back of the military Hummer that was Cruz was riding in. Cruz’s young daughters were standing next to him when the attack happened.
A video showed Cruz on the back of the truck reacting as a beer can came flying toward him. He and a staffer both reached up at the same time, attempting to deflect the can away with their hands, but it did strike Cruz. The staffer then pointed into the crowd, showing police and parade security officials where the offending beer can had come from.
“As always, I’m thankful for the Houston Police and Capitol Police for their quick action,” Cruz noted in a statement to the outlet. “I’m also thankful that the clown who threw his White Claw had a noodle for an arm.”
The latest act of violence against a GOP lawmaker comes amid increasingly volatile rhetoric from President Joe Biden, Democrats, and left-wing political commentators who claim Republicans are threats to “democracy.”
“We must be honest with each other and with ourselves,” Biden said during the speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in September, under red lighting with a pair of U.S. Marines in the background. “Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
“MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution,” he claimed without context or explanation. “They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people. They refuse to accept the results of a free election.”
“And they’re working right now, as I speak in state after state, to give the power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies, empowering election-deniers to undermine democracy itself,” Biden continued.
“MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards. Backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love. They promote authoritarian leaders and they fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country,” the president said.
Then, to mark the occasion of the 9/11 attacks, Biden took the opportunity to swipe at political opponents again.
“It’s not enough to gather and remember each September 11th those we lost more than two decades ago,” Biden said in his remarks. “Because on this day, it is not about the past, it’s about the future.
“We have an obligation, a duty, a responsibility to defend, preserve and protect our democracy,” Biden added. “The very democracy that defends the right to freedom that those terrorists on 9/11 sought to bury in the burning fire and smoke and ash. And that takes a commitment on the part of all of us.”
“American democracy depends on the habits of the heart of we the people,” he continued. “It’s not enough to stand up for democracy once a year, or every now and then – something we have to do every single day.”
