Despite many more important things going on in the world this week, there's a lot of talk about former President Barack Obama's birthday celebration, especially from people critical of the event.
Madison Cawthorn, the Republican Representative of North Carolina, decided to wade into those waters himself. However, his comments didn't go over well, as people online shredded his comparison.
On Twitter, Cawthorn asked why there were different reactions to Obama's birthday party during a pandemic versus Texas Senator Ted Cruz's trip to Cancun during a record cold snap in February.
These are very different things, but Cawthorn acts like it's some kind of "gotcha."
Democrats were outraged when Ted Cruz took a trip to Cancun, but remain silent about Obama\u2019s birthday bash...funny how that works.— Madison Cawthorn (@Madison Cawthorn) 1628539201
Barack Obama, who is not holding public office or representing the people anymore, held his birthday party at his home in Martha's Vineyard on Saturday. The event was scaled back amid criticism of having it at all during a resurgence in cases across the country.
Black masks were offered to guests who were also confirmed to be vaccinated. The event was held outside, though with 400 guests in attendance for the former president's 60th birthday, it's easy to see why some thought it was an issue.
By contrast, Ted Cruz, who is still one of the senators for Texas, decided to try and jet off to Mexico as a major winter storm in the state knocked out power, leaving thousands without heat and killing 100 people. When he was caught, Cruz was shamed enough to return to the states and claim he never intended to stay.
Basically, the two events have nothing in common and no reason to be compared.
Barack Obama didn\u2019t abandon his constituents as they were freezing to death.https://twitter.com/cawthornfornc/status/1424822799219105794\u00a0\u2026— Miranda Yaver, PhD (@Miranda Yaver, PhD) 1628605413
"I was not outraged at Ted Cruz fleeing a crisis but I am big nad that Obama had a birthday party" isn't quite the own you think it is.— Reese (@Reese) 1628539861
Seems like a bit of a different scenario, Cruz was trying to escape a utility crisis instead of dealing with it for his constituents. Obama, no longer in office, was having a bday bash with vaccinated people. Do you not see the contrast?— WhyAren'tYouFreakingOut? (@WhyAren'tYouFreakingOut?) 1628558736
Apparently Madison did not watch enough Seseme Street... \n\n one of these things is not like the other... https://twitter.com/CawthornforNC/status/1424822799219105794\u00a0\u2026— amanda (@amanda) 1628595296
That's not to say there weren't reasons to criticize Obama's party.
There are just bigger issues to consider.
I think it was a bad idea for Obama to plan a big in-person thing right now, but comparing it to Sturgis is laughably absurd— shauna (@shauna) 1628463644
Can't wait to explain to my kids why Obama's birthday party dominated conservative news after the IPCC report came out— Jason Campbell (@Jason Campbell) 1628532859
For Obama's birthday I sent him a case of drinking water from Flint. He's going to love it.— beth, an alien \ud83d\udc7d (@beth, an alien \ud83d\udc7d) 1628099539
The media has given significantly more coverage to Obama's birthday party than to the upcoming expiration of unemployment benefits for millions of people.— Gravel Institute (@Gravel Institute) 1628453862
I said it was irrelevant, because deep cultural and systematic failures can\u2019t be offset by a small handful of government programs. And we had deep cultural and systematic failures that could not be addressed by one man and his administration.— Emily G (@Emily G) 1628491326
No one actually cares. It's Obama derangement syndrome and dishonest hacks. There's like 5000 events on the same day with much bigger crowds and lots of unvaccinated people. A vaccinated birthday party makes zero difference— Wild Geerters (@Wild Geerters) 1628457340
Cawthorn, the youngest member of congress and guy known for calling it a lifelong dream to visit Hitler's vacation home, should be used to making foolish statements and getting dragged for it online.
Aside from the aforementioned "vacation home" incident, Cawthorn has been a very vocal critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and one of the few authoritative voices in government providing solid advice since the start of the pandemic.
Lately, Dr. Fauci has warned about the possible dangers of the delta variant, which led to Cawthorn calling him a "punk" who "lied to the American people."
