In case you missed the news, Ted Cruz and Seth Rogen are fighting. In what has got to be one of the oddest Twitter feuds in modern history, the two have been exchanging insults ever since Sen. Cruz made a boneheaded remark about President Biden rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement.
“By rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, President Biden indicates he’s more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh,” wrote Cruz on Twitter. “This agreement will do little to affect the climate and will harm the livelihoods of Americans.” The “Pineapple Express” actor replied with a brief statement of his own: “F*ck off, you fascist.”
Things escalated from there when Cruz, refusing to simply ignore Rogen, took a screenshot of his response and said, “Charming, civil, educated response. If you’re a rich, angry Hollywood celebrity, today’s Dems are the party for you. If you’re blue-collar, if you’re a union member, if you work in energy or manufacturing…not so much.” Rogen clapped back with another expletive-laced tweet.
Eventually, the fight died down for a few days but picked back up over the weekend when Cruz responded to another tweet from Rogen saying that everyone who made Cruz’s favorite Disney film (it’s “Anastasia,” btw) would hate Cruz. “They’re all dead. So I think we’re good. And Walt Disney was a Republican,” tweeted the sitting senator. “Even though you behave online like a Marxist with Tourette’s (screaming “F U! F U!” is really, really clever), your movies are typically pretty funny.” Rogen, who actually has Tourette’s Syndrome, and many others responded to the tweet criticizing Cruz for using the neurological disorder as an insult.
The two men then engaged in a bit more name calling which culminated in Cruz tweeting, “All jokes aside, @Sethrogen is a moron. It’s your party that believes in govt power: to shut your business, to oppress your faith & to censor your speech. Anyone who disagrees, they try to cancel. BTW, a lot of folks in Hollywood are conservative—& muzzled by the fascist Left.”
On the one hand, Sen. Ted Cruz and Seth Rogen being in a Twitter feud is surreal and hilarious. On another, it’s worrisome in that it’s indicative of a larger attempt by Republicans to paint anyone who doesn’t agree with them as a radical fascist, a member of antifa, an anarchist, etc.
During the recent impeachment trials, Sen. Ken Buck (R-CO) also lashed out at Hollywood when he referenced Robert De Niro, Madonna, and Kathy Griffin and blamed them for their role in inciting violence for their anti-Trump statements. “[T]he socialists in Hollywood joined their allies in Congress,” the senator argued. “Robert De Niro said he wanted to punch the president in the face. Madonna thought about blowing up the White House. Kathy Lee Griffin [sic] held up a likeness of the president’s beheaded head and nothing was said by my colleagues at that point in time.” (The obvious problem with Sen. Buck’s logic here is that no one on the left took Madonna or Kathy Griffin at their word and led a violent insurrection on a federal institution that left five people dead, but I digress …)
To be clear, Hollywood and the movie industry has always skewed liberal, and attacking liberal celebrities has been a popular strategy among the right since the McCarthy era when the The House Committee on Un-American Activities blacklisted hundreds of actors for allegedly having ties to the Communist party. But just because a strategy is historic, doesn’t mean it isn’t reckless. If the Trump presidency taught us anything it’s that baseless lies and accusations have consequences. Also, that politicians should probably tweet less. So please, Sen. Cruz, for the sake of our democracy, shut up.
