3d ago

Texas Republicans vote to arrest Democrats stalling redistricting vote

www.bbc.com

Texas Republicans have voted to track down and arrest dozens of Democratic legislators who have fled the state to block passage of a partisan redistricting plan.
The vote passed by 85 to 6, following Republican Governor Greg Abbott's threat of bribery charges against the absent Democrats.
After the vote, the governor ordered state troopers "to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans".

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2d ago

Texas Republicans vote to arrest more than 50 Democrats stalling redistricting vote by leaving the state

www.bbc.com /news/articles/c93dkwnx94ro

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3d ago

Texas Republicans vote to arrest Democrats stalling redistricting vote

www.bbc.com /news/articles/c93dkwnx94ro

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3d ago

Texas Republicans vote to arrest Democrats blocking plan to re-draw electoral boundaries

www.bbc.com /news/articles/c93dkwnx94ro

113 comments

The irony of a Republican lawmaker trying to make this point is unbelievable...
- Ugh, Ken Paxton. I didn't think there could be a worse senator from Texas than Ted Cruz, but Paxton is sure gonna try.
Naturally setting precedent for when Republicans do the same?
- They don't plan on having fair elections anymore, they will never get the chance. If they can rig/win the midterm it's basically game over for the US.
  
  Cheeto man did say that we wouldn't need to worry about elections again. Many didn't understand and they cheered. Many understood, and they cheered too.
Texas Democrats should tell Piss Baby Abbott that they all went to Cancun cause of their families. Worked for Rafael Cruz.
Too bad they don't have a quorum...
Hopefully, Texas police realize they’re being given an unlawful order and arrest the dickweed who issued it.
LOL. Texas police don’t have brains.
- More importantly, they don't have jurisdiction.
Y'all are one Reichstag fire away from invading Poland
- Hi from Canada, we're likely Poland in Nazi Boogaloo 2.
  
  Is it you all or Greenland right now? I honestly can't keep up anymore.
  
  All I'm saying is that Canada and Mexico are going to need to step up their border defense game, just in case
  
  Y'all-qaeda is going to have to get through us northerners first, and there are some of us who have been preparing . 🔫🫡
  I for one am not going to let my country's army take a meter of my extended family's homeland as long as I'm above ground. Also good luck on suppressing and insurgency in Chicago before heading north.
Who exactly has abandoned their duty to Texas? The people eroding democracy in Texas. Abbot you fuckhead!
- Fleeing to another state, one that is HEAVILY gerrymandered to avoid a vote on redistricting because "They're going to Gerrymander"! is peak irony and hypocrisy. They were also elected to represent their constituents, not abandon their duties and flee when things don't go their party's way. Not their constituents way, their PARTY'S way.
  
  It's pretty irrelevant where they go. As long as they prevent the erosion of democracy they are acting in the interest of their constituents.
So. That just means they still won't vote in redistricting I dont think they thought that through
- They'll arrest and force them to attend the vote to achieve quorum, and then it'll pass. They don't need the votes, just the people.
  Honestly, at this point they could just break the rules and pass it anyway. Who's gonna enforce the law?
  
  Youre probably right about them breaking the rules. They may pull something clearly illegal like appoint temporary members of the state legislature just for the vote. But this is going to be like burning down chernobyl. Texas was already gerrymandered into oblivion.
  There are significantly more registered democrats in Texas than Republicans. Proportionately greater than California. The fact that they are dominated by Republicans shows how lacking in democratic values the state is. Sad that they are going to throw away the last remaining bits.
  
  It's more symbolic to force your enemy to bend the knee.
- The gerrymandering bill has enough votes to pass. Democrats can’t do anything about that.
  If enough representatives don’t show up, there’s not enough quorum to even hold a vote.
I like it when basement dwellers say Democrats don't do anything while they're literally having arrest warrants issued for them because they're trying to prevent fascists from seizing more power.
I also like how these basement dwellers are completely unaware of any of the bills Democrats have passed that have massively helped average Americans because their goal is to whine, not educate themselves.
- Passing bills is not enough. You need to “bring a knife to a knife fight” and Dems themselves say they’ve been bringing pencils up till now.
  I love this new more feisty Democratic Party but it’s a new thing.
  
  Passing bills is not enough.
  How about having an arrest warrant issued for you and having to go into hiding?
  Also, a lot of those bills were big deals to those who were paying attention.
  It's really frustrating being someone who pays attention and watches as millions of people abandon the only party that is willing to do ANYTHING for Americans, in favor of felon rapist pedos who have never done a single thing for average Americans.
  The Dems could be better, but we need people to stop whining like children and start actually paying attention.
- I particularly like when trolls doi't cite their sources.
- If redistricting in a way that benefits your party is "fascist" then I have news for you. The Democrats do it WAAAAY more. For example, this is Illinois. Look at how it's carved out to benefit Democrats. Or is it (D)ifferent when Democrats to it?
  
  No, that is also wrong.
- The world does not care about your fucking parties anymore, they suck and have failed resulting in this (you know having legislators hunted and arrested). The Democrats have failed, the Republicans have failed, your stupid two party system has failed and your nation is in full on collapse.
  Yet here you are talking about how "basement dwellers" don't have a good enough opinion of Democrats, as if they have not been a willing partner in this clown show. As if there is any chance that ether (of the current two) parties will be able or willing to return to some sort of normal.
  Please from the rest of the world, Shut up or put up. Fix your shit or collapse already.
  
  Case in point ☝️
  
  The world does not care about your fucking parties anymore
  I don't care about the fantasy world you'd like to live in. I care about reality. You may choose to ignore that reality in favor of whining like a child, but the adults have to address that reality and work within it.
  The Democrats have failed
  In my lifetime alone Democrats have passed significant legislation to help average Americans. Their failures do not erase their accomplishments. You are unaware of those accomplishments because your goal is to whine, not educate yourself. Our situation is ALWAYS more stable under Democratic leadership. ALWAYS.
  As if there is any chance that ether (of the current two) parties will be able or willing to return to some sort of normal.
  Was any of this chaos happening before January? All you do is whine. I look at the reality of the situation. The reality being that for the foreseeable future we will continue existing in a two party system. In that system we have one party that offers general stability, does not assault our rights, does not violate our Constitution, does not ignore due process, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc. So yes, I will absolutely chastise the basement dwellers such as yourself that attempt to dissuade people from participating in the reality of their two party system. People like you helped prevent a lot of people from showing up last November and now we have a situation incredibly more chaotic than we had before. We need to help people understand that voting for the CLEARLY better option is the best thing they can do while trapped in a two party system. Not staying home. Not voting for a 3rd party candidate with absolutely no chance of winning. The system can be changed, but not by allowing a fascist party to win because you're upset with a two party system.
  Please from the rest of the world, Shut up or put up. Fix your shit or collapse already.
  Please, from an American, either help to promote the best possible outcome within the reality of our two party system or shut the fuck up.
From another article about this, oh the irony:
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, who fled his own impeachment hearings and refused a court order to release his travel records after speaking at the rally in Washington that preceded the January 6 insurrection, has described wayward Democratic legislators as “cowards”.
- Voters don't care, why should they act differently?
Only four states, TX, IN, TN, and OR, have rules like this that require 2/3rds of members be present for legislation to be passed. The republicans in Oregon have done it so often that the voters passed (with 70% of the vote) a law that states that any legislator with 10 or more unexcused absences from votes cannot run for office again.
Democrats in Texas have done this to stop redistricting that could result in a fascist take over of the country. Republicans in OR have done this six times since 2019. They did it to block legislation on gun safety, reproductive health, education funding, cap and trade, COVID-19 restrictions, and once on redistricting.
- Both sides are the same though amirite
- Does seem like a good idea that has been fully abused
Tx repugs are stupid beyond imagining
Arresting political dissidents lol
- Looks like the us is at that point. But I can't wait for the bunch of videos about how "this time trump is cooked/done/finished/over" or some other nonsense about how america is not actually at the place it clearly is.
Monday's vote was mostly symbolic, according to the Texas Tribune, as the warrants only apply within state lines.
The move empowers the chamber's sergeant-at-arms and state troopers to arrest the absent lawmakers and deliver them to the state capitol building in Austin.
They would not face any civil or criminal charges as a result of the warrant, the newspaper reports.
So basically it’s toothless posturing and only real consequences is that they get sent to the state capitol to go back to work.
- Only immediate consequences. The gerrymandering they want to pass has the potential to screw the state and country depending on how the gerrymandering works and is perceived to work. I'm afraid this may make our voting numbers go down even more.
  No telling what can happen if Republicans achieve their goal of solidifying a bigger majority in the US House. We've already seen that Texans are willing to keep Cruz in the senate, rather than spend 30 minutes voting.
  
  CRUZ is the GOPsenates necessary evil to maintain a majority, so was mitch until he realized the magats were turning on him, he bounced.
- Well, that serves their goal at the moment. That may change. After having so easily made this posturing move, next time, they will have this language available to them, with more severe and less legal consequences.
  In my head, I keep going back to that fascist guy that Medhi Hasan got sat down with. These fuckers would pick up the ball and run with it in a soccer game, chuck the ball in the goal, keep their own score and time, then jog off the field pumping up the 10% of the crowd that's on their side.
  It'd be funny if they were just deluded, but they are setting it up so they can deport or arrest anyone that doesn't cheer.
Gregg Abbott is un-American because he refuses to stand for the national anthem. And I also hear he’s a little piss baby.
Isn't this why they left the state in the first place? I fully expect Trump to employ ICE to track them down and bring them back, though and regardless of how illegal that is.
- this just in, fascists don't like their own methods! Lmao bunch of wusses.
After the vote, the governor ordered state troopers "to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans".
So which trooper is going to be brave enough to follow the governor’s orders and arrest him?
- Has Rafael fled to Cancun yet?
  
  as the zodiac killer, he also possess the ability to shapeshift, and travel at great speeds to a tropical environment.
- Yes arrest them for not helping subvert democracy to keep an illegitimate fascist in power. "States rights", party of "freedom", my ass. Bunch of nazi clowns.
  
  Seems like the governor told the troopers to arrest people like the governor.
  
  "states rights" are just what people complain about when the federal government isn't doing what they want.
- The one who wants a promotion?
don't they lack quorum?
- Do you think that is honestly going to stop them?
  
  no but when you don't got the votes pound the rules and when you don't got the rules pound the table
  
  Gas chambers will be up and running before most of us even realize we're using fascism. Wish I could find like ab ubternenchen survival guide
Wow there’s no way the American people will stand for this.
lol j/k of course they will.
- Is this an appropriate time to say that not even Abbott stands for it?
  
  No, that would be making fun of a disability.
- Meh, texas ain't the first state to go through these motions. Oregon did similar but with the roles reversed a year or two ago. And they weren't the first either.
  
  Heck, Minnesota had something similar this year, and the Republicans still tied to pass multiple things without quorum. Dems got it all thrown out in court, though.
This dude wants to talk about duty to Texans? Wow man
How is the vote legitimate if there's no quorum?
- The rules specifically allow for either voting to adjourn and voting to arrest no attending members
Didn't this exact same thing happen some years ago? Dems went on the lam and were found in a hotel across the state line a few days later.
Edit: found it, 2021. https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/special-session/texas-democrats-leave-state-redistricting-quorum/269-6919f7c5-ec57-49a6-bc3a-ad7cf84aa683
- Definitely shouldn't look up OR and the six times Republicans have done this in the last few years.
- Also in 2003. In fact, that time was due to the GOP doing the same redistricting shit they're doing now!
How did they vote on this if they don’t have a quorum?
- Rule 8, Section 5.
  All absentees for whom no sufficient excuse is made may, by order of a majority of those present, be sent for and arrested, wherever they may be found, by the sergeant-at-arms or an officer appointed by the sergeant-at-arms for that purpose, and their attendance shall be secured and retained.
  And
  Until a quorum appears, should the roll call fail to show one present, no business shall be transacted, except to compel the attendance of absent members or to adjourn. It shall not be in order to recess under a call of the house.
  It does not require a quorum, it is a measure voted on by those present. This is the same thing in lots of State legislatures including the US House. There's usually a rule that allows whoever is present to be able to bring a motion to those present to force those who are not present to the floor. It's usually one of a handful of motions that don't require quorum.
  
  That language suggests that the only thing they can do is either order the "arrests" or adjourn, making the headline much less impressive...
Eat shit, fuckers.
What does arresting Democrats have to due with duty to Texans ?
- Their duty is to vote on legislation I guess
The beauty of the 300-year-old American federalist system is that states enjoy a wide range of special rights to be ultimately determined by the current makeup of the Supreme Court with absolutely no checks on their power. Supreme Court Justices are lifetime appointees who can be bribed publicly and are free to lie about it, and there is no mechanism to question their ethics or remove them from their positions outside of a full impeachment like with Trump.
The state supreme courts have a good deal of power, but only to the extent that the federal Supreme Court doesn’t take it away. I can’t imagine a more fertile ground for fascism to be experimented upon legally if people of conscience do nothing.
- There are checks built in. The fascists just control all of them.
  Multiple justices should not have been confirmed. At least one should absolutely, 1000% been impeached (by Congress), regardless of party. The justices should be checking the president. Respect for the rule of law should be putting a stop to most of this.
  We have voted for Team Fascists because we've decided team colors are more important than principles.
  Congrats. You're gonna turn your 100 billion dollars into 300 billion dollars and it'll be worth 600 billion rubles. All the numbers are bigger, just like you wanted. Good fucking work. Maybe you should have considered that 3 years ago 600 billion rubles were worth 8 billion dollars.
  You've played yourself (and the rest of us with you).
  
  There are checks built in. The fascists just control all of them.
  Which means they were never checks. Checks aren't checks if they rely solely on good faith.
Wouldn't it just have been easier to say - "we vote to say an absentee vote is counted as a 'for'"? No, no, they must show that they are a fascist dictatorship in the strongest way possible 'cus - 'Murica!!!
- The law there allows the redistricting to happen if there is a majority vote for redistricting. The law also requires at least 2/3 of members to be present to actually hold a vote. So, this is a tactic that can be used by the minority party to avoid a vote happening at all.
  Its a weird law. The democrats have only taken advantage of it a few times and, so far, only for votes relating to redistricting or vote suppression. They did this twice in 2003, once in 2021, and again now. All to stop redistricting or voter suppression votes.
  
  Thanks for the explanation! I am watching this from an outsider's perspective across the pond, so none of it makes any sense at all. It didn't really before Trump got in and now even less so that the MAGATs seem to be exploiting every possible way to get what they want
But how much lower does that vote even have, considering there was no quorum?
Members who ja e abandoned their duty to Texans? Weird they'd self own like that, but here we are.

113 comments