Each week Liberty Nation straps on its Personal Protective Equipment and dives into the TwitterZone to bring you the biggest news, the most outlandish arguments, and the real Zeitgeist of what is taking place in the internet’s wildest frontier.
A war has been brewing on Twitter in the social media echo chamber’s Hollywood hallways. Center stage are recent tirades by Seth Rogen against Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). The actor and Republican Tea Party Caucus senator have tussled on social media for years, though the tension has become increasingly hostile in recent weeks.
Rogen’s curse-laden tirades have brutally criticized Cruz’s attempt to contest in Congress the accuracy of 2020 presidential election results in several states. This war of words has been taking place on Twitter, observed by millions of spectators.
Cruz is no stranger to celebrity ire; he has feuded with the likes of Ron Perlman, Dave Bautista, and Alyssa Milano. Â In addition to Cruz calling for an investigation into some vote counts the 2020 election, speculation about his potential run for president in 2024 seems to have added vitriol to the fire. The chaos at the Capitol earlier this month may have provided cover for fringe liberals and leftists to oust rising stars in the Republican Party, as Cruz seems to be gaining support from conservative Americans seeking a politician who can continue the legacy of President Donald Trump.
However, the Twitter spats between Rogen and Cruz seem to be unpalatable to people on both sides of the political aisle. Cruz certainly has the right to defend himself from accusations of being a “fascist.” But do his responses to Rogen’s provocative attacks do him any favors? Cruz may be trying to emulate Trump’s counterpunch style, but he does not yet have the former president’s blistering skills. Rather than attacking crude rants against him on Twitter, Trump pointed out the hypocrisies practiced by influential media figures or Democratic Party members who went after him. Cruz’s manner of fighting back seems somewhat petulant and stoops to the unflattering level of Rogen’s.
Other Hollywood celebrities have gotten on the bandwagon to point out the connection between Cruz and the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a similar effort to deplatform the Texas conservative, who now has amassed an impressive following. Hollywood fears the rise of right-wing stars on social media who have a particular disdain for the elite ruling class in the entertainment industry.
The bone of contention on Twitter with Cruz seems to result from his influential status in the Republican Party. Although other high-profile Republicans, such as Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), have been targeted by the same big-box media and Hollywood elite for asking questions about irregularities in the 2020 election, the Democratic Party seems worried about Cruz’s rising status and presidential ambitions. Is the goal to take him down early before he successfully reunites the factions in the Republican Party that led Trump to victory in 2016?
Read more from Jose Backer.
