Devin Nunes Tweeted About Straws and a Lot of People Decided His Take…Sucked

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., listens during the House Intelligence Committee hearing in July, 2018. Bill Clark/Congressional Quarterly/Newscom via ZUMA

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As the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls debate the merits of socialism versus capitalism, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) warned Saturday night that socialism has already taken over California. The evidence? A new law that requires restaurant patrons to ask for a plastic straw before one is served. The goal is to ease ocean pollution, but Nunes apparently sees a nefarious socialist plot behind the new environmental rule.

At restaurant tonight waitress asks if we want straws. Says she has to ask now in fear of “THE STRAW POLICE”. Welcome to Socialism in California!
— Devin Nunes (@DevinNunes) March 10, 2019

On Sunday, the congressman’s tweet was widely mocked on Twitter, both for its bizarre logic, and for the irresistible fact that Nunes used a literal straw to set up a straw-man argument.

The key thing people fail to understand about the STRAW POLICE is that, beneath the uniform, they’re just straw men. https://t.co/yQlQFQUcoN
— Tim Carvell (@timcarvell) March 10, 2019

Under socialism you will only get a straw if you want one, whereas under good freedom straws are mandatory. https://t.co/fgHMvBOYKV
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) March 10, 2019

Socialism: the form of political and economic organization in which everyone must specifically request a plastic straw if they want to use one. https://t.co/xZ7k8Go9C4
— Zach Carter (@zachdcarter) March 10, 2019

“Look there, Sancho Panza, my friend, and see those thirty or so wild giants, with whom I intend to do battle and kill each and all of them…””What giants?” asked Sancho Panza.”The ones you can see over there,” answered his master, “with the huge arms…” https://t.co/lMKOftwW2L
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) March 10, 2019

What a harrowing tale. Glad everyone made it out ok. https://t.co/Es9addE2ng
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) March 10, 2019