On this date in 2014, 2015, as well as 2016, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted profiles of the U.S. House Representative from Texas’ 7th Congressional District, John Culberson, a particularly xenophobic Republican (and that’s saying something these days) who as far back as 2005 was claiming members of Al Qaeda were caught trying to sneak across the U.S./Mexico border, and in 2008 made the wild accusation that students at American universities from China were actually there to steal state secrets. Culberson has also proposed a plan to divide Texas up into smaller states to stack the U.S. Senate with more right-wing senators, told the public to “calm down” about the BP Gulf Oil Spill because it was a “statistical anomaly”, and proposed legislation to defund ACORN three years after it ceased to exist. Perhaps his tackiest moment, though, came during the 2013 Government Shutdown, when he said, “LET’S ROLL!” when it came time to vote, echoing the last known words from the passengers of Flight 93 when they tried to storm the cockpit of the hijackers. He more recently has panicked over Syrian refugees being resettled into the country, as well as attempting to defund Planned Parenthood over the hoax “sting” videos provided by the Center for Medical Progress.
Here’s our latest update on John Culberson’s joke of a voting record:
- February 16th, 2017: Culberson votes for HJR 69, to make it legal for hunters on wildlife reserves to kill several species of hibernating bears or wolves while they’re sleeping. Because… well, the logic really isn’t there as to why, it’s just awful.
- March 16th, 2017: John Culberson votes for HR 1181, which would allow veterans deemed mentally incompetent to continue to own firearms, and not have them taken away without a judge’s written order. We feel safer already.
- March 28th, 2017: Rep. Culberson votes for SJ Res 34, which allowed internet providers to sell the data information of their customers’ internet usage to businesses.
Well, so much for privacy.
- May 4th, 2017: Culberson votes for the House GOP’s healthcare plan, that would kick roughly 24 million people off their health insurance plans, allow up to 28,000 more people to die a year, give $50,000 in tax breaks to millionaires, and would eliminate coverage for pre-existing conditions which would include such medical conditions as pregnancy (current or past), postpartum depression, or prior sexual assault. Oh, and a provision in the bill would make sure that Culberson would be allowed to keep his healthcare plan as it exists under the ACA, which be repealed for the rest of the country. He and his Republican compatriots threw themselves a beer bash to celebrate taking away healthcare from millions and then gloated about it with Donald Trump at a White House press conference, as well.
- June 8th, 2017: John Culberson votes for HR 10, the GOP’s attempt to repeal Dodd-Frank financial reform, because what the country really needs is to allow the big banks to make the same mistakes that imploded the economy only a decade earlier.
- October 3rd, 2017: Culberson votes for HR 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, that would try to create an unconstitutional ban abortion at 20 weeks (even though medical science tells us fetuses do not have the capability to feel pain until 29 weeks).
- December 19th, 2017: John Culberson votes for HR 1, the GOP’s $1.7 trillion tax cut to benefit the wealthiest Americans and corporations permanently that coincidentally also removes the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate and kicks 13 million people off their health insurance.
The latest session of Congress has not gone well for Culberson back home, and as early as February of this year, his attempt to meet with wealthy donors at a local country club was met with a massive protest, and his town hall did not go much better for him. After several constituents asked him questions that he seemed unable to answer, only being able to respond with a vague “freedom” answer on issues, and was booed when he affirmed his support for repealing the Affordable Care Act. One constituent asked him about net neutrality, which he showed even less understanding of. Culberson attempted to end the town hall early and exit out a side door to avoid further confrontation, but wandered right into a legion of protesters outside, causing him to flee even faster.
Culberson is currently trailing in fundraising to his Democratic opponents in the 2018 elections, and he should be nervous, as Texas’ 7th District only has a +7 partisan lean, which many pundits are saying is within the reach of a generic Democrat on the ballot in a predicted Blue Wave year. An upset could be in the works.