TX Democrats leaving the state to deny quorum for Abbott's special session

[Nevilledog]

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Tweet text:
Sawyer Hackett
@SawyerHackett
BIG news: today Texas Democrats in the legislature are leaving the state to Washington, DC to deny quorum for the special session.

Republicans can’t pass their voter suppression bill or the rest of their culture war bingo card without them.

Thank you!!
9:49 AM · Jul 12, 2021

[dchill]

1. Excellent!

[Scruffy1]

26. Both my State Legislatures are getting checks from me this week.

Of course all of our state and local offices in El Paso are held by staunch Democrats. I don't think the laws will have much effect here locally, but they will stand up for what is right.

[Walleye]

2. 👏Yes! Is it going to work, though?

[FBaggins]

4. It's a game of chicken... and the governor doesn't have to sacrifice as much

They can no doubt stay out for the 30 day session... but he can then just call another one. They have to hide out of state for the duration.

[aggiesal]

28. The governor doesn't care ...

The problem is that the Texas legislature is a part time job and the representatives only make around $7K to $8K/Yr. (That's not a misprint), and the staff doesn't know if they'll get paid, because Gov. Abbott as a penalty for walking out, cut salaries from the staff budget.

As long as the (D)'s walkout, and until Gov. Abbott get's his way, staff may need to search for other work,
which will leave the Representatives without staff.

[lark]

3. What can Abbott do now that he's already stolen their paychecks?

Unless he pays someone to kidnap them, what's the next play? I can't imagine him backing down, he's afraid the base wouldn't like that and so won't support his upcoming presidential bid and fascist love is the only thing he care about.

[FBaggins]

5. What keeps him from just waiting?

If they reenter the state, they're subject to arrest.

[MoonRiver]

6. And as we've heard they all have outside jobs, cause TX pays them so little.

Doubt the Dems care much about the chicken feed Abbott is denying them!

[spooky3]

7. It's their staffers' not being paid that concerns them per

an interview I saw on MSNBC.

[MichMan]

8. How can they work their outside jobs if they are across the country?

[MoonRiver]

9. Leave time or distance working?

[Kingofalldems]

11. Nope.

I'm sure they planned ahead.

[Liberal In Texas]

10. That's awesome. Of course Abbott is probably going to try and have them arrested.

And forcibly bring them back. Of course how this could actually happen is problematic for Abbott since they'll be out of state.

[quakerboy]

19. Depends on where they go to

If they were to go to Florida, for instance, do you really think the gov there would hesitate to use law enforcement to send them home?

[Rstrstx]

23. In the article it says they're going to DC

They should be good there

[quakerboy]

29. That seems like a solid destination

I rather like that they are going to a place to do a thing, not just leaving to hide from responsibility

[lame54]

12. This is very Deja vu-ish

[calimary]

13. Fantastic!

[lagomorph777]

14. But the Teevee guy said they can't do that again.

I don't know his reasoning though.

[Jilly_in_VA]

22. They can if they want to!

Wisconsin Democrats did that once. (Hi, Mark Miller, are you here?) They made the GOPers in their state legislature the laughingstock of the nation.

[blogslug]

15. brb

heehee



https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/wisconsin-dem-senator-posts-brb-message-on-facebook

[pnwmom]

16. If they're going to DC, they're going to lobby. People like Manchin and Sinema

have to be brought on board.

[ShazzieB]

20. Yes!

I'd like to be a fly on the wall when Manchin and Sinema have to defend their obsessive devotion to the filibuster, even at the cost of Americans losing their voting rights, to this group of brave legislators who are risking so much to protect voting rights in their state.

Who knows, maybe being confronted by this group will have an impact. If nothing else, it ought to make them squirm.

[forthemiddle]

30. So they are "filibustering" to go lobby against the filibuster?

I am all for them leaving the state in protest, but it just seems silly to lobby Senators to kill a minority tactic, that basically they themselves are doing.

In the end, as someone else stated, this is a game of chicken. Abbott already said he will have them arrested as soon as they are back on State soil, and they will be brought immediately back to the Statehouse to vote. So the question is how long do they hold out?

For now, Go Texas Dems!, make us proud, and bring attention to this bill!

[Warpy]

17. Good for them

What remains to be seen is what Texans do about it, whether they vote for more Democrats to oust crooked Republicans, or they vote for more crooked Republicans so it won't matter if Democrats leave. I'd say it's a toss up because by November 2022, they'll have forgotten completely about nearly freezing to death in 2021 because Republicans are do nothing assholes.

[crickets]

18. Way to go, TX Dems! 💙

[rdking647]

21. shut the state down

iI wish dems across the country (especially in DC) had the balls to take strong action. The GOP has decared war on democracy. its time for the dems to realize that its war and act accordingly

[UTUSN]

24. Great but ABBOTT can crap out endless turd Special Sessions

[dalton99a]

25. Great news.

[Picaro]

27. Fabulous!

Absolutely fabulous. I live in Texas and you can’t imagine how impotent i’ve felt and how very, very happy this makes me. Wish I could give these stalwart patriots my vote. Unfortunately, I’m in a couple hard right Republicans (Angela Paxton of Ken Paxton fame) district. All I can do is vote against them.

To see this level of political ju jujitsu to hold these barbarians at the gates is enthralling. God, I hope this works.