I love a good act of political disobedience, especially if done by those we elect to represent us.
Texas House Democrats left the state and broke the Texas House quorum to stop a vote on a Republican anti-voter rights bill, among other items of Greg Abbott’s special session. It was a cause for a lot of excitement for Democrats around the country who are concerned about red states who are working on similar anti-voter bills.
Of course, Greg Abbott wants to round them up using law enforcement and imprison them in the state capitol building while he calls more wasteful $3 million special sessions to push a white supremacist agenda that only republicans love. And still avoiding important issues like a dying electric grid and dying sick people because of lack of insurance, especially as we seem to be heading toward another spike in COVID-19 cases. In case you didn’t notice, Abbott just wants to do to Democrats what he is doing to migrants with his sick and twisted border policies.
I’m with Kuff regarding his questions of what the end game may be. For now, if it boosts excitement within the Party, if it raises some funds for the fight, and if such a bold act stays in the minds of low-propensity voters that a political party is willing to stand up and fight for them rather than leaving them to do all of the civil disobedience, then great for the Democrats.
If it was the 90s, everyone would be hoping that republicans would make changes to the law to make it “not as bad,” but republicans are all about being hateful and bigoted now. They have the ability to pass the most racist and bigoted laws because that is what they have always wanted to do.
Sure, Abbott and the republicans will say the usual stuff, but it will be the same stuff they’ve always said about Democrats. One would think that Texans would get bored with such a dumb and hateful message that has been used since the 90s, but, then, I remind myself, we are in Texas. Land of the dumb because of the hateful. Some folks minds will just not be changed about Democrats. So, Democrats must be bold and do bold actions to get the attention of those that feel left out.
So, what’s next? Kuff has been doing a daily round-up of articles on the cause if you want specifics. Obviously, the Democrats are using the opportunity in DC to lobby US Senators and President Biden to reform the filibuster and pass federal voting rights legislation that would kill what Texas and other states are attempting. At least on paper. Some have doubts Texas would follow federal law because Texas still believes they are in the frontier days. But at least it would set things in motion for a real(er) fight in the courts.
President Biden’s speech on voting rights had the right message, but was missing the component about killing the filibuster. Either he doesn’t want to be so bold, or he doesn’t trust Senators Manchin and Synema to follow through. And let’s face facts, the Democratic track-record of some of their own not following through is well-documented.
One way or another, everyone involved needs to stop living the fantasy of “bipartisanship” and get the job done.
Texas Dems want to spend a very expensive month in DC–until the end of Abbott’s special session. Thus far, they have had a few newsworthy days, but how long does that last if there is no action on the US Senate’s end?
As far as the arrest warrant for the State Reps, Abbott is doing what he does to migrants on the border–setting up photo ops and press conferences. I wouldn’t be surprised if he would arrive personally to arrest them, place them in a TDJC bus, and kept them overnight at his empty immigrant prison in Dilley, TX. That’s if you want a show as wasteful as a bigoted special session.
Much like most labor unions, the United Farm Workers were opposed to immigrant labor because of how easy it was to exploit this source of cheap labor, thus making it easier to end the labor movement. While Chavez and the Union wanted fair labor practices and fair pay for what were mostly American citizen workers, it was people like Ronald Reagan and other Republicans who would have none of that and supported strike-breaking in the form of immigrant exploitation. Some things never change, much like the corporations that want to exploit immigrants today in order to avoid benefits like health insurance, equal pay, and simple worker protections. It really is an old Republican strategy of “divide and conquer.”
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