John Cornyn didn't exactly get a warm reception at the Austin Texas tea party.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn drew boos from a crowd outside the Texas Capitol this afternoon as he spoke at a “tea party” rally organized by the Texas office of Americans for Prosperity.

Cornyn was booed at the start and close of his remarks, which assailed actions in Washington; there were no boos while he awarded a Purple Heart to a Copperas Cove resident injured in Iraq in 2006.

“You’re the problem,” a crowd member hollered.

Another crowd member yelled that Cornyn voted for the initial federal bailout of Wall Street approved by Congress last year, the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Cornyn was the first elected official to speak, though Gov. Rick Perry and others are expected to have turns. UPDATE, 4:04 p.m.: Perry drew scattered boos, notably from crowd members aware of his advocacy of toll roads to relieve traffic congestion.

John Amato:

Heather posted this yesterday, but I wanted to front page it today. Teabaggers don't like Republicans much even though FOX News has been the #1 organizers of their psycho-protests and it makes me laugh when they try to capitalize on this freaky-deaky movement.