Texas GOP Excoriated For Tweet Likening Covid-19 Testing Lines to Voting, Responds: ‘Masks Are Dumb’

The Texas Republican Party put out an odd message on Twitter Friday that immediately sparked a wave of criticism.

The tweet, while unclear just how serious it was, read, “If you can wait in line for a covid test, you can wait in line to vote.” The Texas GOP employees behind the account took note of the fast reaction to the tweet and followed up with two replies.

If you can wait in line for a covid test, you can wait in line to vote. pic.twitter.com/Y8YrKEspYP

— Texas GOP (@TexasGOP) January 7, 2022

“Wow, this made the pronouns in bio people big mad,” read the first reply. “Masks are dumb,” was the second reply the Texas GOP sent out into the world.

Masks are dumb

— Texas GOP (@TexasGOP) January 7, 2022

The tweet appeared to be a defense of legislation Texas Republicans passed last year, Senate Bill 1, which limited absentee voting, banned 24-hour and drive-thru voting and stopped candidates from sending unsolicited mail-voting applications.

The Texas law also only allows “mail-in voting for residents who are 65 and older, sick or disabled, out of the county during the election period, or confined in jail but otherwise eligible to vote.”

While trolling on Twitter has become commonplace, even from elected officials and state parties these days, the tweet still raised a lot of eyebrows.

Journalist Aaron Rupar jested, “Pretty ballsy of the Texas GOP to run on an “f—k you” platform this year. We’ll see how it works out for them.” While writer Molly Jong-Fast, said, “Year 3 of the pandemic and the Texas GOP still mad about the masks.”

Pretty ballsy of the Texas GOP to run on a “f—k you” platform this year. We’ll see how it works out for them.

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2022

Year 3 of the pandemic and the Texas GOP still mad about the masks https://t.co/CVLT9Qp3WL

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) January 7, 2022

Political commentator Bryan Tyler Cohen, commented, “I see the Texas GOP has chosen to run on the very populist platform of ‘you should wait on long lines for everything.’”

I see the Texas GOP has chosen to run on the very populist platform of “you should wait on long lines for everything.” https://t.co/7KX9ZPRxsj

— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) January 7, 2022

Former Obama advisor Dan Pfeiffer noted the response is exactly what the Texas GOP wanted, “I would just say most of Twitter is reacting to the Texas GOP tweet in the exact way that the Texas GOP hoped people would react.”

I would just say most of Twitter is reacting to the Texas GOP tweet in the exact way that the Texas GOP hoped people would react

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) January 7, 2022

Here are some more responses:

Lol next thing ya know the Texas GOP will be promoting breadlines. https://t.co/90336auGpZ

— John Haltiwanger (@jchaltiwanger) January 7, 2022

I thought this was a fake account. Nope. This is the Texas GOP. They will further radicalize and weaponize. https://t.co/BElJ9u5xaM

— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) January 7, 2022

Pointing out the ways in which your state party makes life worse for its citizens then saying “Deal with it”

Quite the strategy from the Texas GOP… https://t.co/xXwZHwrHeZ

— Heather Gardner (@heathergtv) January 7, 2022

In terms of radical extreme views by Texas GOP, this is among their tamest which is baffling. They are anti-vaxx, anti-mask, anti-testing, pro-huge indoor superspreader events, believe that 1 million American deaths is rounding error, support bounty hunters on abortion providers. https://t.co/8Sn514rTuh

— Ben Meiselas (@meiselasb) January 7, 2022