7 mo. ago • 99%

Ted Cruz, US senator mocked for flight to Cancún, seeks airport police escorts

www.theguardian.com Ted Cruz, US senator mocked for flight to Cancún, seeks airport police escorts

Republican senator, who flew to Mexico as Texas faced deadly cold snap, complains of ‘serious security threats’ to lawmakers

Republican senator, who flew to Mexico as Texas faced deadly cold snap, complains of ‘serious security threats’ to lawmakers

The Texas Republican senator Ted Cruz, who achieved viral infamy in 2021 when he was seen at Houston airport for a flight to Cancún even as his state faced a historic and deadly spell of cold weather, this week moved a step closer to securing police escorts for lawmakers at airports.

Under an amendment to the Federal Aviation Authority Reauthorization bill introduced by Cruz, members of Congress and other prominent officials, and some family and staff members, will be offered security escorts if they are deemed “currently … or previously … the subject of a threat, as determined by such applicable federal protective agency”.

If passed by the House and Senate, the bill will fund the FAA for four years.

But given Cruz’s scrape with viral fame over his flight to Mexico in February 2021 – a trip to join a family vacation he abandoned after one day, admitting his “obvious mistake” as tweets and memes proliferated – the senator faces criticism and mockery over his attempt to secure security guards for future airport trips.

Interesting Global News @lemmy.zip Ted Cruz pushes bill seeking police escorts for US lawmakers at airports

54 comments

Way to telegraph your pussydom, Ted.

68
- He’s been doing that ever since the orange turd insulted his wife and then Rafael rimmed his ass
  
  24
You know who threatens lawmakers the most? Who sends the most death and rape threats? Who it is that's out for blood if an official deviates from orthodoxy?

Trump supporters.

Ted should just come out and say it. He's afraid of his boss' rabid proto-fascist fan base.

66
Ted, you stupid prick, hire your own damn security. We, the American people, owe you nothing.

42
A man of the people.

33
Shouldn't a big, tough Texas man just be able to whip out his gun and defend himself?

31
- No offense to Canadians, but a Texas man, cruz is not.
  
  26
  
  He is now. You even elected him. No sending that asshat here. He is Texan now.
  
  17
  
  locations of birth canals notwithstanding, I know transgender people who are more of a man than he.
  
  12
  
  Hey, now. He adopted pussydom when he left Canada, sure as hell is none here. It's too cold to be a pussy.
  
  3
- One of the reasons he doesn't need a security detail in an airport is that (at least in theory) they stop people from bringing guns into them.
  
  The chances of him being assassinated in an airport are very close to zero. The chances someone might come up to him with criticism, however...
  
  9
- Exactly, surely if he wants to feel safe at the airport he should try and get guns allowed in there.
  
  4
When legislating for your constituents: Regulations shall be written in blood (and lots of it!).

When legislating for yourself: Best err on the side of caution.

I mean did Cruz even try thoughts and prayers first? Shouldn't he hire a private security detail from the free market instead of embiggening the government and using people's taxes to pay for his protection?

30
"We must cut government spending, except that we must increase it wherever it benefits me."

24
We're out there trying to cut government spending and remove laws! Except this one. We need this one.

Speaking of hypocrisy, always remember that Republicans spent Obama's entire presidency arguing that he was born in Kenya so he can't be president. But didn't say fuck all when Canadian Ted ran. Want to know more about why I think you're racist?

18
- He was also the main push for increasing Congress' salary a few years ago because it was too expensive to maintain a house in Texas and one in DC. Despite how expensive it is, he is still able to afford frequent trips to Cancun.
  
  1
Piece of traitor shit surrounding himself with other pieces of traitor shit with guns. What a country!

16
Oh, Ted maybe if you weren't such a cowardly cunt people wouldn't hate you...

11
I don’t know how Republicans can continue supporting this spineless fool.

10
- Birds of a feather
  
  5
- Party over people. They'd rather freeze to death in a winter storm than vote for anyone who doesn't have an "R" next to their name on the ballot.
  
  5
  
  So if Democrat candidates create a registered trademark for their names and add ®, would the get more votes?
  
  Bernie Sanders® for president!
  
  2
While I doubt that things are actually more dangerous nowadays than before, Cruz has been very vocal about selling the narrative that things are getting worse. If he feels like his life is in danger, he needs to work to make it safer for everyone instead of just himself!

8
Coward

7
Awww, poor widdle Teddy-Boy! Those evil leftists are so mean! How heartless of them to hold poor Teddy accountable for his despicable shitfuckery!

6
Honestly this seems reasonable. Still funny that he is one of the sponsors though.

-34
- Fuck that. They should pay out of pocket if they want bodyguards. They get enough shit on the publics dime. He could also try not being a piece of shit and people wouldn't fuck with him.
  
  38
  
  This doesn't just apply to him. Plenty of legislators are expose to threats from both sides of the isle. And it isn't like they are going to get 24h coverage from this. This is walking around an airport for a couple hours.
  
  -6
- No it isn't. He's an elected public official. That means he shouldn't hide from the public.
  
  18
  
  We don't say the same thing about the president, right? At a certain point it would be harmful for the country if politicians were subject to physical intimidation. And while we might have feelings about assholes from other parties, what about people with the same views as us?
  
  3
  
  No one said you can't talk to them just because they have security.
  
  -4
- It's not. I actually commented on this before in a different thread. I saw him in a Texas airport last year and he already had a state trooper with him and not a single person was trying to talk to him as he walked. That man is in no danger because his persona is repellent enough to keep people away from him.
  
  11
  
  And, as I pointed out elsewhere, the TSA, something he decides the funding for, is supposed to stop anyone bringing weapons into an airport.
  
  At worst he's risking getting punched in the face.
  
  2
  
  This doesn’t just apply to him. Plenty of legislators are expose to threats from both sides of the isle. And it isn’t like they are going to get 24h coverage from this. This is walking around an airport for a couple hours.
  
  1
- It doesn't seem reasonable to need a security duty in a place that's already considered high security. People are screened for anything dangerous by the TSA.
  
  5
  
  In an ideal world that would be true, but if we were in an ideal world we wouldn't need the security there in the first place. You can do a lot of damage to someone with just your body and there are a lot of people that are violent out in society.
  
  -5
- Agree.
  
  Many politicians suck, and it's not good that they're insulated from public feedback. I think some people feel like harassing Ted Cruz at the airport is the only way he's ever going to hear what they have to say, so they don't want to have taxpayer money going to protect him.
  
  But for those people imagine the flip side: some Jan 6er assholes harassing AOC or Bernie at the airport. There are enough people from any walk of life or viewpoint to mob a politician at an airport.
  
  1
  
  But for those people imagine the flip side: some Jan 6er assholes harassing AOC or Bernie at the airport.
  
  I am absolutely fine with that. They are citizens. They should have the right to approach elected officials in public. Just because they say things I don't like doesn't mean those officials should be immune from the public.
  
  If you don't want people to talk to you, maybe politician isn't the right job for you.
  
  And I would not be at all surprised if that has happened to both AOC and Sanders more than once and they handled it with grace and aplomb. Do you really think they have security details? Does that sound like Bernie Sanders?
  
  2

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