Sunday, May 09, 2021
Friday, May 07, 2021
Mothers Day Weekend Collation from Far Left Texas
You should have already made arrangements to go see your mother, take her out for lunch or dinner, send her flowers, chocolates, or her favorite something. If you haven't, you had certainly better call her. This would be especially important if she is at the stage of life where her memory is receding. If she is no longer with you, celebrate your memories of her. And if any of that is too difficult or painful to do, then I wish you peace and strength to accept with grace the emotions you may be feeling.
Anyways, if you were still in the #txlege this morning around 3, that sound you heard was millions of amendment layouts and back mic questions suddenly crying out in terror before they were suddenly silenced. #SB7 #HB6
— André Treiber (@andrebttx) May 7, 2021
The Texas Legislature closed out a very long yesterday early this morning, passing the contentious voting restrictions legislation in a party-line approval after truculent debate, procedural delays, and more incompetence by the gaffe-prone chair of the statehouse committee in charge.
The 3 a.m. vote followed hours of debate as Democrats, with little means of stopping #HB6 in the GOP-controlled Texas House, deployed technical challenges and hours of questioning that Rep. @BriscoeCain appeared unprepared at times to answer. https://t.co/cB4GqyiOMW #TXLege
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 7, 2021
If you think you are not qualified or intelligent enough to run for office, please tune into the SB7 debate where Briscoe Cain is attempting to explain/defend his voter suppression bill, and go file your candidacy immediately. #txlege pic.twitter.com/2UYcHW3UDb
— nikki sumrow (@nikki_sumrow) May 7, 2021
Yesterday
All my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Unlike the Fab Four, I don't believe.
It appears Texas House Public Education Committee, chaired by @RepHaroldDutton will hold a vote on #SB29, the transgender sports bill, at 9 a.m. today https://t.co/sAuYX3bBHs #TXLege pic.twitter.com/qa2I18wdvg
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 7, 2021
Dutton, a Houston Democrat, may be a little PO'ed because -- as the elections bills were being poured over by parliamentarians for hours on a point of order before the chamber moved on -- his bill regarding the takeover of certain (read: majority Black) HISD schools by the state was killed by a p.o.o. from Rep. Alma Allen, also of H-town.
houston rep. alma allen (an educator) ~extremely not pleased~ with houston rep. harold dutton (public ed chair) and his bill HB 3270 on state takeover of school boards pic.twitter.com/oJdOafZ5KO
— Jen Rice (@jen_rice_) May 7, 2021
Update:
Chair Dutton just said that he doesn't know how many children SB 29 affects but his (unrelated) bill that was killed last night affects many more children. Apparently these two things are connected - his bill dying and him calling this anti-trans bill back up for a vote. #txlege
— Jessica Shortall🧂🥴 (@jessicashortall) May 7, 2021
*headdesk*
Friends, you don't often get to see a #txlege member speak so plainly about sacrificing children and families out of spite. @RepHaroldDutton: thanks for pulling back the curtain for Texas voters. #SB29 https://t.co/Z6IJkEuB2e
— Bee Moorhead (@BeeMoorhead) May 7, 2021
While TXGOP legislators are standing in solidarity, the House Democratic Caucus' fault lines are cracking wide open.
Texas House Dems who voted last night for bill that would ban homeless encampments in public places statewide: Anchia, Guillen, Herrero, J. Turner, Meza, King, Lucio (joint author) and Raymond https://t.co/wOcl45Er1R #HB1925 #txlege
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) May 6, 2021
Most of these Blue Dogs are Latinos representing RGV districts, scared to death of losing to a Republican next year in the rising Red Tide coming to South Texas. This is why TexDonks are in a world of hurt (among many other reasons, mostly of their own doing ... or not-doing).
Texans who will suffer most are those who have the least, as always.
“The chasm between Texans and the #TXLege has never been more stark,” said Patrick Bresette, executive director of @CDFTexas. “The failure to so much as give that bill a hearing shows the dangerous disconnect between state leaders and their constituents." https://t.co/VxMvOiYPNW
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 7, 2021
Rural Texans will see their hospitals close, their doctors move away to make a better living, their loved ones get sick and die, and they will still vote a straight Republican ticket in 2022. Even my well-endowed empathy has its limits for that amount of ignorance.
More bad at the Lege:
ICYMI: Yesterday, the Texas House approved a bill to penalize large cities that cut their police budgets.
— Jolie McCullough (@jsmccullou) May 7, 2021
It was the state's strongest move against local actions taken after anti police brutality protests rocked the nation last year. https://t.co/buuy9YAHkq #txlege
@DrSchwertner said a gun is a God Given Right 🤔
— Carrie Vaccinated 😷🇺🇸💙 (@STEM_Gal) May 6, 2021
Raised So Baptist, I researched via my Bibles (diff studies): NO. NOT Old nor New Testament, NOR Apocrypha.
SO: U ignored God, Faith Leaders, Law Enforcement, Constituents.
Texas & TX Biz wont forget. #txlege #TXDeservesBetter https://t.co/MlCIH37Uld
Pretty sure any random atheist knows there is no mention of guns in the Bible. Not a good idea for a Christian to lie about what his god says.
Enough of this. Moving on.
A billion here, a billion there: pipeline giant Energy Transfer, controlled by billionaire Kelcy Warren, a huge donor to @GregAbbott_TX, scored $2.4 billion off the storm that caused the #Texas blackouts #txlege https://t.co/eUxhdB1N1N via @markets
— Jay Root (@byjayroot) May 6, 2021
Something rich richer something poorer something.
Texas Legislature advances bills to shield oil and gas from climate initiatives https://t.co/1SMls2yQUW #txlege
— KVUE News (@KVUE) May 6, 2021
And the environmental story of the week comes from Rolling Stone.
Great reporting on Exxon's massive new plastics plant. Otherwise known as Mordor Inc. https://t.co/CShx05nYGJ
— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) May 3, 2021
Abuse against female soldiers is not limited to Vanessa Guillen.
EXCLUSIVE: Texas National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Tinker, a decorated 17-year veteran, reported her captain last fall for sexual harassment. She gave testimony and text messages, and officials reprimanded the senior officer. Days later, the military turned on Tinker. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/hw7Jb2GkOB
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) May 6, 2021
Austin has a homeless problem for a very good reason.
Data confirms the rent is too damn high https://t.co/WeJkCf1YE4
— Austinist (@austinist) May 6, 2021
Rent in Austin increased 97% in the last decade. The biggest jump in the country. The Federal and State minimum wage in Texas has remained the same during that time, and state law forbids cities from setting their own
— Jordan (@AimIessFriend) May 4, 2021
What percentage of 'close enough' to herd immunity will it take to protect our lives, health, and freedumbs?
Because Texas is far from herd immunity, transmission of more contagious COVID-19 variants will continue to increase, said Bhavna Lall, assistant professor of adult medicine at the University of Houston College of Medicine. https://t.co/YOr7sNByc4
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 7, 2021
Bless their hearts, Texas Democrats are fighting back with everything they have. It's just that they don't have very much.
Houston Mayor @SylvesterTurner & Harris County Judge @LinaHidalgoTX no longer plan to hold their annual addresses w/ region's largest chamber of commerce because of its silence on proposed voting restrictions — some targeting Harris County — in #txlege: https://t.co/QPFSfPPeir
— Alexa Ura (@alexazura) May 5, 2021
The Lamar County Democratic Party is not accepting the resignation of its chair after he reportedly used the slur "Oreo" to describe U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who is Black, in a now-deleted Facebook post, according to a statement provided to The Texas Tribune. https://t.co/fg3gWx346L
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 4, 2021
Poor Q: Gilley's event venue in Dallas says they've pulled the plug on the upcoming QAnon convention featuring GOP chairman Allen West and U.S. Louie Gohmert. https://t.co/Wu1awe2W6y
— Dallas Observer (@Dallas_Observer) May 5, 2021
Kinda doubt the Gilley's folks are Democrats, but whatever; take the W where you can. Here's a Mockery Moment.
.@KenPaxtonTX unblocks nine Texans on Twitter after lawsuit claiming he violated First Amendment https://t.co/XMUPsDqAdf #TXLege #OpenYourEyeKen
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 6, 2021
Paxton has a lazy eye. Ted Cruz has a lazy everything.
.@SenTedCruz wanted to see who was trolling him on Twitter in order to troll someone on Twitter ... but forgot to crop out his Twitter search history https://t.co/9oTld953mL #GetARealJobTed
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 7, 2021
Sometimes these guys are funny; most of the time they are not.
Apparently, Texas state reps don't have email. https://t.co/YlQSt7EMTW
— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) May 6, 2021
Closing with the lighter side.
Such a strange Texas story, wonderfully and endearingly told by @MHurstKENS5 https://t.co/iHr8iwkXB2
— David Lynch (@RealDavidLynch) May 6, 2021
Like #Astros icon Reggie Jackson once said, “Fans don’t boo nobodies.”
— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) May 4, 2021
Can a photo have too much Texas soul? Augie Meyers had his 80th birthday party 2 weeks ago and @raybensonaatw and @BillyFGibbons showed up to play. Legendary journalist Sam Kindrick took this photo and said I could post it. See Sam's great website here: https://t.co/8JqfO56JgJ pic.twitter.com/S9COlt28Q6
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) May 5, 2021
Wednesday, May 05, 2021
Hump Day Bad Lege Round-up
Today the Republican-controlled statehouse moved quickly to outlaw a woman's right to make her reproductive choices, and to criminalize the actions of those who would assist her in doing so.
BREAKING: The Texas House just voted to pass #SB8, one of the most extreme abortion restrictions in the nation. The bill would ban abortion at 6 weeks, before most people know they’re pregnant.
— Progress Texas (@ProgressTX) May 5, 2021
The fight over this unconstitutional ban is far from over. #txlege #TXDeservesBetter
The bill is designed to be challenged at the SCOTUS, in a direct threat to Roe v. Wade with the new conservative justices -- installed by a corrupt US Senate process and its former leader, Mitch McConnell -- standing by, ready to strike it down.
When the previous president outsourced judicial selection to the Federalist Society, everyone understood that McConnell's long game of blocking Obama's bench appointments had paid off. And Senate Democratic leadership declined to pay it back, allowing Moscow Mitch to pack the courts, which included ram-rodding the abominable Amy Barrett onto the Supreme Court just a few weeks after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Barrett's well-known beliefs on this issue is the linchpin.
Their scheme is coming to fruition. There have been many players and many circumstances that got us to this point, but do not discount the subtle, conservative extremism of the still shiny-new Speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan.
A number of states have already passed six-week abortion bans, only to see them struck down -- including by conservative courts such as the Fifth Circuit, which last year threw out a Mississippi law banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. “All agree that cardiac activity can be detected well before the fetus is viable,” the court wrote, adding: “That dooms the law.” Under Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court held that women have the right to an abortion prior to the point of viability.This is Phelan's agenda. His role -- appointing the chairs and members comprising the House committees who carry this water -- has been key.
Pro-life groups in Texas are trying a different tack. SB8, as passed by the Senate, would leave enforcement to individuals by creating a private cause for action. Such a law might not pass constitutional muster, but it can’t be challenged via the same litigation strategy that has thwarted all the other statewide six-week bans passed to date.
“It’s legally clever in some ways,” conceded Blake Rocap, the legislative director for Avow, the nonprofit formerly known as NARAL Pro-Choice Texas.
That’s right: under SB8, anyone in the country could sue a Texan who “performs or induces an abortion in violation of this chapter” or who “knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the performance of an abortion” -- or, for that matter, who “intends to engage” in such conduct. [...] It would be absurd to be sued for such a thing, of course. But sillier lawsuits have been brought. And in addition to everything else -- and in stark contrast to the state’s general approach to frivolous lawsuits -- SB 8 would protect the litigants in such a situation, no matter how vindictive their motives or ridiculous their arguments: if you successfully defend yourself from such a lawsuit, you can’t even recoup your legal fees or other costs. [...] That may not be sufficient to thwart SB8’s passage in the House, or to prevent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott from signing it; he has declared abortion restrictions a priority for this session. Advocates are curious to see if it’s amended on the House floor -- and pessimistic about their chances of stopping the bill’s passage outright, given that the chamber is controlled by Republicans, more than 60 of whom have signed on as sponsors or cosponsors.
They will brag about this for years to come. They will fund-raise on it. They will gerrymander their seats so they can remain in Austin and Washington to do more and do worse, and they will restrict and suppress the votes of those who oppose them.
It's what they do. Who's going to stop them? Texas Democrats?
In other bad Lege news:
Brave new world? Or bad old days?
— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) May 5, 2021
'Cover as many lives as possible?' Or 'destroy the market?'
Team @DadePhelan advances bill letting Texas Farm Bureau sell health coverage exempt from insurance laws. @MorrisReports has the deets. #txlege #ACA https://t.co/1vx2rw5G1I
FYI, lawmakers in Texas are about to pass a bill that will make "activism" in public schools illegal, including having students contact their elected representatives: https://t.co/2AJXXt05mO pic.twitter.com/8QoptMQeWe
— Dr. but not the useful kind Susan Schorn (@SusanSchorn) May 3, 2021
That's a great civics and First Amendment lesson for the kids, isn't it?
It is with a heavy heart that we watch what is happening in Texas. Legislators have been hoodwinked into a "bail reform" bill that is illegal and expensive, that will separate tens of thousands of families, and that will mean more deaths on cold jail floors. (1)
— Alec Karakatsanis (@equalityAlec) May 4, 2021
Update: The House permitless carry bill, HB1927, is being jammed through the Senate, courtesy Charles Schwertner, as I write this.
With enough votes needed to suspend the rule, Senate is now in a “new” legislative day. Will vote to give final passage of #HB1927 today with some changes. @FOX4 https://t.co/PqjC8HVW55
— Steven Dial (@StevenDialFox4) May 5, 2021
I don't have the tolerance for any more today. I'll have a catch-up post on Friday. I need to go long on the "calm-me-downs", previously assembled.
Something special for tonight's Texas music: the entire Super Black Blues LP from the immortal T-Bone Walker. T-Bone was from Linden, Texas, released this gem. You can't be vaccinated against the blues. You can quote me on that. https://t.co/lHQO5B31f7 via @YouTube
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) May 5, 2021
"I love NY, but I live in Houston now," 50 Cent reveals! https://t.co/fQz80kHeRW
— FOX26Houston (@FOX26Houston) May 4, 2021
'One of the greatest': Austin rock 'n' roll critic and historian Ed Ward has died at age 72 https://t.co/XFd3P27TPs via @austin360
— Michael Barnes (@outandabout) May 4, 2021
Dallas Museum of Art will be only U.S. stop for ‘Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity’ https://t.co/15PwlNhA8Y
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) May 4, 2021
Republicans will rally, fund-raise this weekend to seal hold on Texas for 2022, '24
Wake me from this nightmare.
The big attraction: a 2020 donor appreciation event in Austin where members of the Texas delegation will interview the potential 2024ers. The lineup there:
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) April 30, 2021
- Pence
- Christie
- Cotton
- DeSantis
- Pompeo
- Rubio
- Tim Scott
- Rick Scott https://t.co/U0WxD67OsZ
The event is this Friday.
The group of high-profile Republicans are set to appear May 7 at an Austin resort where each will be interviewed by members of the Texas congressional delegation, according to a schedule obtained by The Texas Tribune. The group includes Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.
The event at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa (protest, anyone?) is being hosted by Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, and it is meant to serve as a show of appreciation to donors who raised millions of dollars last year for efforts to keep Texas red and register new GOP voters.
I don't suppose you noticed who's missing?
Had a great dinner tonight with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 5, 2021
He’s in great spirits! We spent the evening talking about working together to re-take the House & Senate in 2022. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/OdtUBxHGSn
I hear Mango Hitler needs a running mate for 2024. I'll go ahead and put down some early money on ^that^ being the ticket.
Take a moment if needed to purge your stomach of its contents.
Cornyn is set to be the delegation member who interviews Pence, while U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul of Austin will interview Pompeo, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio will interview Rubio, U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston will interview DeSantis, Rep. August Pfluger of San Angelo will interview Cotton, Rep. Roger Williams of Austin will interview Rick Scott, Rep. Kevin Brady of The Woodlands will interview Tim Scott and Rep. Beth Van Duyne of Arlington will interview Christie.
Abbott, who himself has not ruled out a 2024 White House bid, is expected to speak but may have to stick around the Texas Capitol, where the biennial legislative session is in its final weeks.
The big-name Republicans are using the Texas trip to also disperse across the state to fundraise for Take Back the House Texas 2022, a joint fundraising committee made up of the campaigns of the Texas GOP congressmen who had the closest races last year, according to a source familiar with their plans but not authorized to discuss them on the record. Pence will raise money for the committee Thursday in Austin, while Cotton will be in Fort Worth a day earlier. There will also be fundraisers Thursday with Pompeo in Houston, Rubio in San Antonio, and Tim Scott and Chris Christie in Dallas.
This is a full-court press right from the jump, and Texas Democrats, pantsed less than a week ago in local elections from the Rio Grande to the Sabine to the Red, are unlikely to have their drawers off the floor in time for anything approaching an effective response.
At this point only a vaccine-resistant COVID variant or a giant meteor is going to save us. I just don't believe that Matthew McConaghey or Beto O'Rourke have what it takes, but somebody please ... make it stop.
I'll have a regular Hump Day Round-up, with all the regular horrors, later today.
Monday, May 03, 2021
The Losers' Wrangle from Far Left Texas *w/updates
Congratulations to Texas Democrats, who sunk to a new electoral low over the weekend.
Democrats hoping for some encouraging signs in Texas did not find any on Saturday in a special election to fill a vacant congressional seat. Instead, they found themselves locked out of a runoff that will now see two Republicans battle for the seat in northern Texas.
Democrats who needed a strong turnout to be competitive did not get one. They were hoping for signs of weakness in the Republican brand because of the state’s disastrous response to the brutal winter storm in February or any signs of weariness with Trump, but they did not see that, either.
CD6 special
— Texas Election Source (@TXElects) May 2, 2021
Republicans Susan Wright (19.2%) and Jake Ellzey (13.85%) advance to a runoff. Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez (13.4%) misses the runoff by 354 votes.
That didn't stop Our Revolution Texas and Gilberto Hinojosa from trying to spin a sow's ear into a silk purse. Nobody was taking that ride, except maybe Chuckles Kuffner. It's truly comical reading what he blogs before an election and what he writes after it when the Donks get skunked. Hey, I get it; it's hard out here for a blue pimp in Tejas. But for us recovering Democrats, well, hate to say I toldja so, but...
Quite the #TX06 postgaming here. National Dems certainly didn't go all in, but Sanchez had multiple national endorsements, and @NuestroPAC in particular was disclosing spending in the race weeks before this group did. pic.twitter.com/K2jA0EhKzX
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) May 2, 2021
Update: Sanchez weighs in.
.@thejanasanchez, D who came closest to runoff in #TX06, says events like Jan. 6 & winter power crisis didn't turn out Ds like she thought they would.
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) May 4, 2021
"I'm sounding the alarm bell: If Democrats don't organize & prepare, 2022 could be a major setback to our gains of recent years"
Most ironic statement on #TX06 Dem lockout so far is from a candidate who raised $50,000, didn’t have a shot at runoff, and says Dems must “unify our party.” (Her vote total was about 11x the margin Sanchez got shut out by.) pic.twitter.com/ZW65wcLnV6
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) May 2, 2021
As Weigel further observed ...
"Lowest cost per vote of any candidate who engaged in fundraising" - I mean, that’s as good as winning
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the expert on everything MAGA, also tried to warn y'all. I don't blame ya for not paying attention to her, though. Update: And as sure as the sun came up on the east coast of Florida this morning, Trump took credit for Susan Wright's win. TXElects says he deserves it. And Living Blue in TX excoriated Arlington Dems for not turning out to vote.
In other Saturday election developments, liberals and liberal causes fared no better elsewhere in the state.
Austin voters just passed Prop B, fully reinstating the city's camping ban, which was repealed back in 2019. Here's a map. pic.twitter.com/LcVLSMMecX
— Eli (@elium2) May 2, 2021
More San Antonio residents voted in the Prop B race than for mayor...150,087 to 148,769.
— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) May 2, 2021
It was defeated by a 51 to 49 margin and was easily the most heated item on ballot. It would have repealed the police union's right to collectively bargain with the city. #KSATnews pic.twitter.com/WS9nP1VXTn
Small Wonder: Racist win big in city where the median household income is more than $230,000 and 74 percent of residents are white. https://t.co/VExDYRqhAu
— Xicano2nd2 (@Xicano2nd) May 2, 2021
Lubbock voters overwhelmingly approved a proposition that tries to ban abortion there, making it Texas’ largest “sanctuary city for the unborn.” The vote comes less than a year after Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in the West Texas city. https://t.co/fvtRcxMBRV
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) May 2, 2021
NEW: Votes still being counted in Dallas, but it looks like the mayor's gambit to eject two incumbents he clashed with was unsuccessful. https://t.co/7r7nVdiEcA
— Nic Garcia (@NicGarcia) May 2, 2021
Five City Council races have yet to be decided. The remaining candidates ponder election day results and their paths forward. https://t.co/PeFcw4kw2L
— San Antonio Report (@SAReport) May 3, 2021
Andrea Grimes, writing for the Texas Observer, ruefully points out that even if the Lone Star State did turn blue, there would remain some uncomfortable truths to confront. Don't worry, Andrea; it ain't hapnin' for quite a while longer.
There was a bright spot for Dems in Cowtown.
#FortWorth voters will chose either the city’s first millennial mayor or the first mayor of color, making the runoff between Mattie Parker and Deborah Peoples a historic race.https://t.co/HLe26LyYpg #FWTX
— Luke "Get Vaxxed" Ranker ☀️ (@lukeranker) May 2, 2021
Update: And also a ballot initiative in Austin that cleared voter approval: ranked choice voting.
There were several more despicable attempts to move the extremist agenda through the Lege last week; here's just a few beyond the Briscoe Cain debacle.
Most Texans don’t back permitless carry. Why do the state’s Republican leaders? https://t.co/hDYnyftvP9
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) May 1, 2021
Updated: Bill limiting liability for trucking companies passes Texas House, @mcohanlon reports. #txlege #trucks #highways #transportation #highwaysafety #tortreform https://t.co/WQ49hMhCMz
— John Gravois (@Grav1) April 30, 2021
And with RoofieGate quickly handled in typical Hillco most-influential-lobbying-firm way, the latest expose' from women who have to work in these conditions hits with a soft thud.
Unwanted touching, late-night texts: Women at Texas Capitol describe culture of harassment https://t.co/jynDSgJ4Bf from me, @madlinbmek and @JohnnieMo via @statesman #txlege
— Nicole Cobler (@nicolecobler) April 30, 2021
Oil is up; the Comptroller told us Monday afternoon that tax collections are booming; it's bidness as usual. God Bless Red Texas. (The rest of you poor bastards can suffocate.)
Socratic Gadfly saw a mix of hypocrisy, unconstitutionality, and pander bear-ing from Texas Senate Legiscritters. Reform Austin -- they have really done the best work covering the session -- asks the right question: what happens if Medicaid does not get expanded? Hint: hope you don't live in the boondocks and get sick.
Texas is getting older while health care access in rural areas becomes more sparse. Texas legislators can take steps this session to fix this.#txlege #txhealthhttps://t.co/9rrU4TUXRR
— Texas 2036 (@Texas2036) May 3, 2021
Update:
Speaker Pro Tempore of the Texas House Joe Moody, D-El Paso, explained how one major legislative priority for Democrats will not pass this session. https://t.co/gAnG3pON4H
— KAGS News (@KAGSnews) May 2, 2021
As vice chairman of the House Calendars Committee, which helps decide the legislation that will make it to the House floor, Speaker Pro Tempore Joe Moody, D-El Paso, said Democrats' best chance in years of expanding Medicaid likely will not pass this legislative session.
“I think we’re losing an opportunity there, and I think it would certainly help. It would be good for Texas. It would be good for business to expand healthcare in Texas," he said on Sunday’s Inside Texas Politics. "Failing to do that for another session is certainly something we will walk away shaking our heads about."
The entirety of SB7, sweeping election law changes, was rewritten the evening Abbott said this. A governor engaged with the legislative process would be far more effective/know what he's talking about #txlege https://t.co/2nvjkxFNQ9
— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 1, 2021
Yeah, the governor may be ignorant about the bill but it's more likely he is just lying about it. SB7 prohibits early voting after 9 p.m., which would mean fewer voting hours in many counties that allow voting later, like Harris County for one. And it fails to codify the extra week of early voting that the state had in 2020, so there will be fewer days of early voting in 2022 than last year.
In early takes on redistricting, Kuff noted the state falling short of projections in getting only two more congressional districts from the 2020 census apportionment. David Beard also looked at how the early census numbers might affect future congressional elections.
Let me not slight the actual progress made last week under the Pink Dome.
Under this bill, all Texans with cancer, people with chronic pain and people with diagnosed PTSD would be able to possess marijuana.https://t.co/0GFMGCmxjr
— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) April 28, 2021
Reform Austin celebrated the rare good bill in the Lege. And the Austin Chronicle reported on an organized legal pushback against the latest wave of anti-choice bills.
May Day -- the international celebration of workers -- on Saturday last was cheered by ExxonMobil's refinery in Beaumont locking out their 600+ Steelworkers union employees. Right on the heels of their $2.7 billion first-quarter profit announcement. There is no greed like Big Oil greed.
I'm still appalled by the hubris of an oil company that announced a $2.7 quarterly profit and locked out its employees on #MayDay. https://t.co/JP5Bq1bfCu @steelworkers #XOM
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) May 2, 2021
With more of the latest Tex Trib polling to be Tweeted out today, along with a few of the usual suspects behaving badly, some COVID, environmental, criminal, and social justice posts still in the hopper, I'll pause here and save all that for later. Here's some of the lighter fare to close.
Texas Highways gives us 24 hours in the life of Buc-ee's.
It's been nostalgic seeing the rail trolleys back and testing around Downtown Galveston after being out of service for more than 10 years! 🚎🥰
— Galveston Island (@GalvestonIsland) May 2, 2021
Keep up with trolley updates at https://t.co/fzxOYdyl50#LoveGalveston pic.twitter.com/dQ7OnINZuo