Sunday, June 20, 2021
Sunday "Now Do Election Day" Funnies
The Pulitzer Board really did choose not to award a Prize for the Editorial Cartooning category in 2021. Please support the work of political cartoonists here.
Saturday, June 19, 2021
Texas Republicans Behaving Badly Round-Up *Updated
Far too long a post, y'all. Starting with yesterday's news and the latest from the worst governor in the long history of the Great State.
As retribution for Democrats walking out of the #txlege to block the GOP elections overhaul bill, @GovAbbott just vetoed funding for the Texas Legislature, its staff and legislative agencies.
— Rebekah Allen (@rebekahallen) June 18, 2021
House Dems "exploring" legal options
via @cassi_pollock https://t.co/yYJ7jBRrPE
Gov. Abbott not only defunded the legislature, he also vetoed these 20 bills: https://t.co/lDIhphn1Zc #txlege
— James Russell, vaccinated lightning rod (@jamesfortexas) June 19, 2021
In Texas, The Governor Has Essentially Unchecked Veto Power, by @DavidMartinDavihttps://t.co/N7z5xjKjCg #txlege
— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) June 19, 2021
.@GovAbbott has vetoed at least two bills from @DadePhelan's criminal justice reform agenda:
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) June 19, 2021
- #HB686, juvenile sentencing reform
- #SB281, restricting use of hypnosis in criminal investigations #txlege
@GovAbbott, WHY would you do this? As an animal welfare advocate and as your supporter, I welcome an answer that makes some sort of sense! I can’t imagine your not wanting to protect Pancake & Peaches…🤨🙁 #SB474 #txlege https://t.co/ysH5Gk0JDd
— Stephanie Arnold Long (@Steph77520) June 19, 2021
Update:
Gov. Abbott vetoes bipartisan anti-dog chain bill. Twitter responds with #AbbottHatesDogs. https://t.co/YmrOju590y
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) June 21, 2021
Abbott was determined to make this past week all about him and his Trump-ish agenda, and he didn't necessarily fail at that.
🤔Notable bills Gov. Abbott signed today: #txlege#SB4 Star Spangled Banner Prtctn Act#HB1927 Constitutional Carry#SB24 Law Enfrcmnt Transparency Act#HB1239 Freedom to Worship Prtctns#HB385 Removal Arbitrary Barriers to Probation#HB1280 Prohibit Abortion 'Trigger' Bill
— Jeramy D. Kitchen (@OpinionatedK) June 16, 2021
The same week that GOP Senators voted to make Juneteenth a Federal holiday, Gov Greg Abbott & the GOP #TXLege made it illegal for teachers to discuss, in public schools, why Juneteenth exists. #ThisIsTexas #RepresentationMatters https://t.co/NmI7Xt9d5m
— WoolridgeForThePeople (@CW4ThePeople) June 16, 2021
It's particularly insulting that this occurred as Juneteenth, a state holiday since 1979, finally became a national holiday.
"I see dead people."https://t.co/ea6mYRXrU5
— Free Dumb (@usaFreeDumb) June 16, 2021
He also managed -- along with several of his friends -- to show his ass at the gun bill signing at the Alamo, just prior to the start of Fiesta in San Antonio.
F'n Dan Patrick with the white power sign https://t.co/lJ4LLhkxXX
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) June 17, 2021
During a question-and-answer session, one reporter asked the governor about the timing of signing these bills after a recent shooting in downtown Austin that killed one and hurt 14 others. The crowd behind Abbott booed, and he remarked, “you must be from out of state,” at which the crowd cheered.
NEW: Austin police update on 6th Street shooting:
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) June 17, 2021
* 15 people shot or injured; 13 'stable,' one 'serious;' Tourist Doug Kantor died.
* The juvenile suspect is 15. He is charged with deadly conduct.
* 17-year-old Jeremiah Tabb remains in jail on aggravated assault charge.
Then there's his wall.
Since there’s a lot of talk around #Texas building its own #borderwall after @GregAbbott_TX announced his plans, I thought it would be a good opportunity to go over what @jinatx and I found last year via @texastribune @propublicahttps://t.co/Nb7Xoe6yLV
— Perla Trevizo (@Perla_Trevizo) June 17, 2021
Critics denounce Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick’s “invasion” rhetoric on immigration, saying it will incite violence https://t.co/OLqi2GfTb3 via @TexasTribune
— James Barragán 🌟 (@James_Barragan) June 17, 2021
He also made sure critics of the electricity grid's second potential failure this year clearly got his message: contempt.
.@GovAbbott: “Everyone who’s been trying to make a big deal out of the power grid over the past two days I found were the exact same people who called me a Neanderthal” for fully reopening Texas. "They were hoping there would be a power failure."
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) June 16, 2021
For the record, I don't think Abbott is a Neanderthal. I DO think he is a menace to society, a devoted plutocrat, and a self-loathing sociopath.
We're all taking steps to curb our energy usage, and @GregAbbott_TX is making us pay for it.
— Progress Texas (@ProgressTX) June 15, 2021
Texas ratepayers will ultimately be saddled with at least $37.7 billion in excess energy costs from our leaders' failure to fix our energy grid. #txlegehttps://t.co/w4f1E1AAMU
I know Greg Abbott’s mansion is not at 78 degrees right now.
— Jessica Mason for Congress (@JessicaMasonTX) June 16, 2021
Texas loses to Oklahoma on electric vehicle company Canoo’s ‘mega-factory.’ Power grid cited as one reason. https://t.co/fPsiGwFgR6
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) June 18, 2021
— Nurse Ratched (@veggie64_leslie) June 16, 2021
But Abbott wasn't alone in his atrocious conduct.
Senator @JohnCornyn said earlier this week at the Senate Judiciary Hearing on the Dream and Promise Act that it is radical to provide a pathway to citizenship to undocumented immigrants.
— America's Voice (@AmericasVoice) June 17, 2021
80% of voters disagree. https://t.co/DFfACoaQrm #WeAreHome #ItsNotRadical pic.twitter.com/34pDgkdm1S
you tried to overturn an election like 5 months ago https://t.co/bTpz7juiY7
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) June 17, 2021
Updates:
ICYMI: Texas Reps. Cloud, Gohmert and Roy vote against awarding Capitol police gold medals for actions on Jan. 6 https://t.co/csVU41Bg5n
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) June 20, 2021
Rep. Ronny Jackson: "We have redistricting coming up and the Republicans control most of that process in most of the states around the country. That alone should get us the majority back." pic.twitter.com/45U4dFyibh
— The Hill (@thehill) June 18, 2021
Sanford Nowlin at the San Antonio Current had the "Louie Gohmert, Space Cadet" news. And the Lege never fails to get in on the act, even out of session.
Oh look! We've even got a cartoon from Ben Sargent to sum it all up. https://t.co/IVQHJDM5M7 pic.twitter.com/iQSuzAhnn8
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) June 14, 2021
— Nathan Johnson (@NathanForTexas) June 14, 2021
Reform Austin also shined a light on the Legislature's lack of transparency. I would still like to do a separate post on Texas Monthly's Best and Worst listings, since they're always so good, and include some thoughts about Mark Jones' far right-to-far left rankings of the statehouse and Senate, but I still have an environmental and a criminal justice post to get to, so I'm not sure if anything I have to say about those will be timely. We'll see. You can enjoy them without my commentary.
As teased, lots more on the way.