The Surprising Reason Miller Lite Is Trending On Twitter

While a YouGov poll of the 20 most popular beers in America didn't exactly rank Miller Lite as one of the top ten beers in the country (it is currently ranked 15th as of this writing), the beer is making waves on social media for an unorthodox reason. In a bid to prevent the Texas Legislature from voting on a bill that has raised the eyebrows of civil rights groups and voting rights advocates (via The Texas Tribune), House Democrats decided to leave the state and fly to Washington D.C.

The reason, explained Texas state Rep. James Talarico, was simple. "My Democratic colleagues and I are leaving the state to break quorum and kill the Texas voter suppression bill. We're flying to DC to demand Congress pass the For The People Act and save our democracy," he tweeted. He continued, "We're prepared to stay out of Texas for the rest of the session. This decision wasn't easy. Many of my colleagues left kids, elderly parents, & sick loved ones. Many are risking their day jobs & their seats in the House. But we won't sit by & watch democracy wither on the vine."

But the GOP derided the move to break the legislature's quorum; one social media user retweeted a photo of the group in a bus, which revealed a case of Miller Lite occupying one of the seats with the caption, "This is some propagandistic nonsense. Hope you enjoyed your beer-fueled, maskless road trip though!"

Others who criticized the Texas Democrats' unscheduled and unannounced departure included Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick who tweeted a photo of Texas' House Dems with the caption: "Smiling House Dems fly off to DC on a private jet with a case of Miller Lite, breaking House quorum, abandoning their constituents, while the Senate still works. It's my hope that Senate Dems report tomorrow to do what they were elected to do. We will vote on #SB1" to which Rep. Lloyd Doggett replied, "Better Miller Lite than 'Democracy Lite'."

While the flight with Miller Lite might have made Texas GOP members irate, there were cheers from those on the other side, with one Twitter user saying, "I applaud them all. Thank you for your efforts and for beig human having Miller Lites doesn't preclude them from working." Another sent a bit of love their way as well, tweeting, "Love those Texas Democrats!" And then there was the social media user who looked ready to applaud the move, but wasn't quite on board with the representatives' choice of in-flight beverage, saying, "Wish they would've at least picked a Texan beer."