Yesterday, the Republican outrage industrial complex went into overdrive over gas stoves. Several Texas Republicans, including Congressman Ronny Jackson, were adamant that the federal government and Joe Biden were coming after gas stoves.
Not that it’s ever stopped Jackson before, but that claim is not even remotely true. Instead, it’s another notch in a long cycle of conservative bedwetting over things that aren’t happening.
But how did it start?
The apoplectic fury from Republicans came from reports that show that one member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wanted to discuss the potential for regulating the use of gas stoves. The other four members of the commission did not share his views and so the matter was not brought up at their latest meeting.
The rightwing media chamber, however, latched onto the notion that somewhere one person wanted to regulate gas stoves. And from there a new culture war was born. Many conservatives, including Jackson, went to social media to blast President Biden for something he is not doing.
Cruz also got in on the outrage action. He quote-tweeted an image of Dr. Jill Biden cooking in front of a gas stove in 2020 with the caption “rules for thee but not for me.”
Jackson also quote-tweeted that same image of Dr. Jill Biden and added quotations around “doctor.” (Jill Biden has a Doctorate of Education from the University of Delaware). Jackson’s tweet also had a link for a fundraising website with an image of a gas stove under the caption “Stop Biden From Banning Gas Stoves.”
The member of the CPSC that inspired this new rightwing panic, Richard Trumka Jr. went to his own Twitter account to push back on the false claims from Republicans. Trumka Jr. is the son of the former president of the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor union, which also likely makes him a prime target for rightwing fury.
While Trumka Jr. is right to push back on false claims about gas stove regulation, his idea to potentially curb their usage is not out of left field. New research has shown that over ten percent of asthma cases in children are tied to the pollution emitted from gas stoves. Approximately a third of American households are equipped with gas stoves.
For Jackson, who is the former White House physician, ignoring medical or scientific research has become a daily part of his new life as a congressman. Two years ago, he claimed the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was a democratic hoax. He also has been highly critical of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Health. But now, he has a new conspiracy to latch on to and from the looks of his social media, he intends to milk this for as long as possible.
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
