Badasses

By Zamboni

So now, after 19 little kids and two teachers have been gunned down in Uvalde, Texas, the media and Republicans are pearl-clutching over Democrats', shall we say, colorful metaphors.

We call it more badassery, and we are loving it.

It started with John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, who just won the Democratic Senate primary in the race to replace hapless Republican Pat Toomey. But now that Fetterman is resting up from his recent minor stroke, several other Democrats are taking up the baton.

Chief among them is Congressman Ruben Gallegos, the Iraq combat war veteran who stood on desks on January 6 to direct his House colleagues to safety during the Trump insurrection. Yesterday he tweeted the following love notes to a Texas Senator: "Just to be clear, fuck you, Ted Cruz, you fucking baby killer," and "Fuck you, Ted Cruz. You care about a fetus, but you will let our children get slaughtered. Just get your ass to Cancun. You are useless."

Parkland dad Fred Guttenberg was feeling similarly frustrated and profane. "I’m done," he said when Nicolle Wallace asked him about Republicans who oppose gun legislation. "They fucking failed our kids again. I’ve had it. How many more times are we gonna sit back? I’m gonna listen to that governor of Texas talk about why he pushed the fight for laws that made it easier for the guns to be had by those that want to kill? How many more times?"

But today's biggest badass has got to be Beto O'Rourke, who spoiled all the fun that Governor Greg Abbott, Cruz, and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick were having at their Uvalde press conference, where they tried to pretend that the problem is mental health, not guns. Crashing the presser, O'Rourke said, "This is on you until you choose to do something different. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will be continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday." Security threw him out.

Beto has nothing to lose with a gesture like this — he's an underdog in a state that has more Republican registered voters than Democrats, so he needs to peel people away from the complacent GOP baby killers. He sensed an opening today, and he was right. Moms across Texas (and America) who are nervous about sending their kids to school are doubtless taking note.

What we're wondering is, how did Team Abbott miss the fact that O'Rourke was there? At six-feet-four, the dude kind of stands out in a crowd. Betcha a now-former Abbott advance man is looking for a job with the Herschel Walker for Senate campaign. We cats PURR.