An American Inquisition

Our partisan factions' hunt for political heretics is growing more mainstream.

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Last month, John Cornyn took the stage at the Texas state Republican convention. Over the course of 37 years of service, Cornyn has served as district court judge, associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court, attorney general of Texas, and for the last 20 years—U.S. senator for the Lone Star State. Cornyn has been a loyal Republican, acting as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2009 to 2013, and as Republican whip from 2013 to 2019. During President Donald Trump’s tenure, he voted with Trump’s legislative agenda 92.2 percent of the time. He holds a lifetime Heritage Action rating of 71 percent, which places him higher than Sens. Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Last, but certainly not least, he holds a coveted A+ rating from the National Rifle Association.

Yet, when he took the stage at his party’s state convention, he received boos and vitriol. What caused the party faithful to turn on one of their favorite sons? His role in the development of bipartisan gun safety legislation in response to the Uvalde school shooting in May. The convention formalized his fall from grace with the following resolution: 

“We reject the so called ‘bipartisan gun agreement,’ and we rebuke Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) … ” 

As right-wing provocateur John Cardillo tweeted, “@JohnCornyn is learning just how much normal Americans, especially his Texas constituents, hate Democrats and DC elites like him who sell out to leftists. There is no compromise. You give the left nothing, ever. That is the only option.” 

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  1. Jim Sneeringer

    Your analysis is insightful, helpful, and well-reasoned. Thank you, Jacob!

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  2. PatThomson

    What I find interesting is that the "right-wingers" condemning Kinzinger to hell are usurping the seat of Jesus. And they don't know it. They actually think they are pronouncing God's judgement on him and his family. Have they even read the Bible?

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    DougAz

    You do know that the Depraved Reprehensible Senator Cornyn said to Scotus....

    "Now do Brown".

    To return to Separate but Equal.
    Fuck Cornyn.

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    1. Dan C

      That's not at all what he said.

      It wasn't directed to SCOTUS, but in response to Barack Obama complaining that the Supreme Court overturned nearly 50 years of precedent, Cornyn said "Now do Plessy vs Ferguson/Brown vs Board of Education" and followed it up with "Thank goodness some SCOTUS precedents are overruled."

      It's telling that you had to misquote him to make it look like he was calling for a return to the "Separate but Equal" standard.

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      1. Geezing Harry

        Thanks for this, Dan. While it can prove inconvenient at times, depending on your desired outcome, proper context, transparently displayed, always sheds light. Many logical fallacies--on both political sides--stealing oxygen today would wither and die if their adherents had to actually account for the broader context lying just out of sight behind the smokescreen of their insistent yelling.

        We as a People used to be smarter than this. If someday social media goes dark, maybe we can start our way back to where the crazies (again, on both sides) can only impact their neighbors and those reading their local newspaper letters to the editor.

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        DougAz

        That's bullshit.

        He could have picked any case. The SOB picked THE case of the 20th Century that allowed ongoing racism...to reply to a black man.

        A. He may cover it up
        B. It's a deliberate racist dog whistle to racist white Texans.

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        1. Dan C

          There seems to be some confusion here ....

          Cornyn picked the 20th century's most famous case for combating segregation (not "that allowed ongoing racism") as an example of a good decision overturning an old and bad precedent. Plessy v. Ferguson, which established "separate but equal" was decided in 1896 and overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, more than 50 years later. Barack Obama complained that the Supreme Court overturned a decision that was nearly 50 years old. Cornyn was pointing out the hollowness of the argument that Roe should survive because it is old.

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          1. Jim Sneeringer

            Thank you for the clarification. Your analysis is absolutely correct and concisely stated.

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    Synchronize Your Dogmas (Bill B)

    You have an entire ideological cohort that has been brought up to hate government so much they want to drown it in a bathtub. They think it's the "American" way. The expectation that the republic can survive them when they own one political party in a two party system is not a bet I'd take.

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    Synchronize Your Dogmas (Bill B)

    Well, why not? Get jiggy enough and it's tax free and if they come and arrest you for sending threatening letters you can cry religious persecution.

    "The FRC(Family Research Council) is one of a growing list of activist groups to seek church status, a designation that comes with the ability for an organization to shield itself from financial scrutiny. Once the IRS blessed it as an association of churches, the FRC was no longer required to file a public tax return, known as a Form 990, revealing key staffer salaries, the names of board members and related organizations, large payments to independent contractors and grants the organization has made. Unlike with other charities, IRS investigators can’t initiate an audit on a church unless a high-level Treasury Department official has approved the investigation."

    Focus on the Family and other groups are also now religions.

    https://www.propublica.org/article/family-research-council-irs-church-status?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

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  6. Mary Stine

    An excellent reminder that this particular madness has seized other cultures before us.
    Thank you for this. I wish the people who truly need to read this could take off their bias filter lenses and do so.
    I'm 72, but never before in my life have I watched so many grifters operating simultaneously in the political arena. The fact that many are also the self-styled "religious" is even more revolting.
    This is a very scary moment. Always before respected leaders, journalists and thinkers could bring reason to the forefront and people would finally listen and agree to compromise, for the common good. "Common cause and common good" are no longer respected terms or goals.
    There is no reasoning with fanatics and those deluded by grifters. The grifter will twist any truth to his/her favor, thus "proving" the delusion is true. Fanatics are immune to reason, diplomacy and compromise because they cling fiercely to their alternate reality.

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    MatthewRobin

    "
    As right-wing provocateur John Cardillo tweeted, “@JohnCornyn is learning just how much normal Americans, especially his Texas constituents, hate Democrats and DC elites like him who sell out to leftists. There is no compromise. You give the left nothing, ever. That is the only option.”
    "

    The most hardcore activist usually fail to understand that their activist base does not represent normal Americans.

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    Greg Williams

    Thank you for this article. I don't think we can hear too many calls to disarm in the face of so many calls from the looney fringes to arm for battle. I think we should all keep in mind that we still have the power to vote regularly at the ballot box and to vote daily with our dollars. There is a reason that this system of democracy the founders gave us has endured so many rounds of seemingly dire political upheaval in the past. Confidence in the foundation and structure of our republic can still be found by unbiased study of why we the people were intended to be the ones that hold the greater power, and how we have used that power to keep the republic thus far. Violence has never proven to be a lasting strategy toward any political goal in America. I think the majority of us still know that on some level.

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    Dusty

    Good bit on the French Revolution. There are definitely a lot of parallels. I find it comforting that there really is nothing new under the sun - gives me perspective and makes me feel grateful for everything that we do have today instead of lamenting everything wrong with the world.

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      Synchronize Your Dogmas (Bill B)

      Don't get too comfortable. 😉

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    BrettH

    Well reasoned piece, much digital ink has been spilled on the religious zealotry of our current political moment. It's the path toward political violence that nags at my conscience. I fear we will see some local and high level assassinations, or at least attempted assassinations (e.g. Justice Kavanaugh), the likes of the 1960's. The 2024 election is going to be rough regardless of who wins. If a Democrat wins by a narrow margin you know the right will say it was stolen. If a Republican wins, by any margin, the left will say the Electoral College is undemocratic. Riots and violence will likely ensue.

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