TX Repubs Don't Have a Quorum

[NJCher]

Anyone else watching this? Gina Hinojosa informing us of this on The Last Word now. Jonathan Capehart is subbing.

Colin Allred is introducing a bill to prevent the election subversion.

[Mersky]

1. Yes. Whoa.

Must watch that segment again.

Just posted about it to the Texas group - https://www.democraticunderground.com/107855715

[madville]

3. What's the long term plan?

Sooner or later they have to come back, I doubt they can stretch it to the next election. It is bringing awareness to the issue for sure though.

[Mersky]

4. Texas House finally makes quorum, but Democrats say Republicans cheated to get there

Texas Tribune
BY PATRICK SVITEK AUG. 20, 2021 6pm CT

There were 99 members registered as present Thursday evening, the exact number needed to end the 38-day Democratic quorum break over the GOP’s priority elections bill. But not all of those members were physically on the floor.

There were 99 members registered as present Thursday evening, the exact number needed to end the 38-day Democratic quorum break over the GOP’s priority elections bill. But it quickly became clear that some of the 99 members were not physically on the floor and instead marked present by their colleagues.

That means that the House could be operating with a tenuous quorum in the coming days, even if more Democrats start returning — though none were giving any indication of that Friday.

While some Democrats conceded Thursday night that the quorum bust was over, others were less willing to admit defeat.

“Based on numerous media reports, it seems evident there was not a true quorum present today — ironic, given this entire session is premised around Republicans preaching about so-called voter integrity,” Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a statement.

A group of 34 House Democrats released a statement Friday that called it a “questionable quorum” and warned that Republicans “will lie about the number of legislators present at the Capitol to establish quorum, keep Texans in the dark, and bend the rules to get their way.”

In a follow-up interview, Turner said the apparent lack of a real quorum was “of grave concern.” He declined to speculate on whether the Democratic presence on the floor would grow when the House nexts meets on Monday.

-snip-

[/https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/20/texas-house-quorum-democrats/

[crickets]

5. No bar too low.

[Mersky]

7. Constantly going lower. Every session this year. Slime and maneuvers the whole way.

Must see how the TxDems respond. Looks like an early morning for me, checking in on the what’s happening in the lege.

I am so sick and tired of being harangued by the GQPers in Texas.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. For this thread

Link to tweet

[qazplm135]

8. they write the rules

so they say they do, and that's what's going to happen.

I knew there was no way the entire group could maintain it. You were always going to have a few go back for various reasons.

We have to figure out why RGV Hispanics are voting republican. Figure that out, and we have a real shot in Texas, regardless of what they do.

[Mersky]

9. Hinajosa said it went against the rules in the Tx Constitution

We’ll see how this unfolds. They’re gonna put up a litany of US Constitution violating garbage. But based on what? False legislating. The bait and switch in the senate at the end of the regular session was insane. Now, they’re doing this?

Yeah, my going around the state got interrupted by the COVID year. Need to get a feel of RGV, has been too long. I get reports from family, but it’s just not the same as being in person. Will fix that, and get down there, soon.

[NJCher]

10. Thanks for posting

That article. It clarifies quite a bit.

I hope Rhiannon or one of our other posters who do so well with video clips post that section of the show. Just watching it for gina’s facial expressions alone is worth it.

There have to be cameras or some other way of proving it because Gina was quite certain in her statements.

One thing that occurs to me is that if the republicans proceed on shaky ground and continue, dems can pull out the tape for a judge and this again sets the republicans’ move back.

[onetexan]

11. oh i hope that last bit you mentioned is true. We are so sick of the GOP here but unfortunately not

enough sensible ppl here vote to throw them out.

[Mersky]

12. Okay, I'm not losing it

I was reading her expressions, too. Went into a screeching halt from cooking a late dinner to watching that segment. Was dealing with a migraine yesterday, and hadn’t followed the turns in the lege.

Will definitely rewatch that segment. They need our support as they are forced to make turns through the dastardly traps and cheating ways.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

13. Republican caucus of the Texas House of Representatives feigned a quorum

Link to tweet

[FBaggins]

15. Many courts don't even consider quorum challenges to be justiciable

It certainly wouldn’t be enough to show a video of the floor proceedings and ask the judge to count heads.

We’re a court to entertain the challenge… the first thing it would do would be to say “did someone suggest the absence of a quorum and insist on strict enforcement (which would require a roll call vote)? - if not, why are you here?”

[NJCher]

16. a few questions for you

a) it goes without saying (or should, anyway) that this is part of the preparation before it goes to a judge

Why would you think the Texas Dems so lazy or stupid that they would say, "Hey judge, take a look at this." Those are Trump tactics, not ours.

b) “did someone suggest the absence of a quorum and insist on strict enforcement (which would require a roll call vote)? - if not, why are you here?”

That remains to be seen. We don't know that the question was or wasn't asked.

What's your source? "Many courts." What kind of courts do and what don't? Are you a licensed, practicing attorney?

[FBaggins]

17. Answers

a) it goes without saying (or should, anyway) that this is part of the preparation before it goes to a judge

It isn't going to go to a judge. There hasn't been a vote on anything beyond unanimous consent to send the various proposed legislation to the relevant committees. There's nothing to overturn even were a court inclined to consider that request (they aren't).

Why would you think the Texas Dems so lazy or stupid that they would say, "Hey judge, take a look at this." Those are Trump tactics, not ours.

I don't think they're either lazy or stupid. As I said above, I don't think they're going to even try to involve a judge unless some of the returned democrats are convinced to change their minds (which doesn't appear likely). My comment was in response to your "dems can pull out the tape for a judge and this again sets the republicans’ move back"

That remains to be seen. We don't know that the question was or wasn't asked.

Nope. As I said, it would have only taken one Democrat to object in order to force strict enforcement of the rules. The time to do was was Friday or never... so we've already "seen". There are some Democrats who feel betrayed by the handful who returned - who are now raising a stink... but that's all they can do.

What's your source? "Many courts." What kind of courts do and what don't?

Experience mostly… but here’s a source that doesn’t involve you taking an anonymous internet poster’s word for it.

https://www.cga.ct.gov/2020/rpt/pdf/2020-R-0284.pdf

[NJCher]

18. OK, thanks, I'll read that

eom

[FBaggins]

20. Some much clearer reporting

On Thursday, the House tally showed 99 members present out of 148, meeting that requirement. But several of those lawmakers were not in the chamber.

All of them had been present at some point during the second special session, and lawmakers often vote for absent colleagues on routine votes. But lawmakers can always call on the chamber to verify lawmakers’ presence, which no Democrat did Thursday.

That upset Democrats who wanted to continue the quorum break. And the inaction by Democrats on the floor to call attention to the absence of lawmakers was another sign of the division within the caucus.

Ramos said she’d asked several Democrats on the House floor, including Talarico and John Turner of Dallas, to request that verification, but no one did. “The only way to help our efforts if you’re going to show up is to call that out. Why be silent on something so obvious?” she said.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/20/texas-democrats-divided-quorum/

[LetMyPeopleVote]

14. For this thread

Link to tweet

[area51]

19. k&r n/t