As predicted, the Texas Democrat legislators who fled to blue states to deny a quorum for redistricting have folded. Still, I’m not sure anyone expected them to fold this soon.
According to ABC News, the runaways who claimed to be saving “democracy” are heading back to their home state early, claiming to have accomplished their goal of raising “awareness” about gerrymandering. That’s a very polite way of saying they failed miserably.
ABC13 has confirmed with multiple sources that House Democrats will return to Texas.
Eyewitness News has not confirmed the date, but we do know that Democrats believe they’ve accomplished their mission by killing the first special session and by raising national awareness about the mid-decade redistricting effort.
It is unclear which day they will be in Austin at the Capitol, but they stress that they will push for Hill Country flooding relief to be the priority.
There were signs this was in the works on Monday evening when State Rep. Gene Wu showed up on MSNBC to cry a river about his and his colleagues’ hardships.
“We’re doing our absolute best to hold on. And it’s not easy. And like you all said before, we have lots of expenses, lots of fees. People are calling in bomb threats. People are threatening to use the FBI on us. They’re harassing our families back in Texas. They’re trying to break into people’s houses. [….]
This is a lot of stress on not only us, but on our families and our loved ones. We’re not Republicans. We’re not wealthy. Most of us are working class people. There are members who live paycheck to paycheck…We’re going to try to hold out as long as we can, but we’re human beings. At some point, we can’t go on. We’re trying to buy enough time that other people come in and fight with us.”
In other words, the pressure campaign put forth by Republicans was effective. That included stopping direct deposits of paychecks and promising to call multiple special sessions to keep these Texas Democrats stranded in blue states indefinitely unless they returned to provide a quorum. They were also incurring daily fines. That all started to add up for the legislators who aren’t independently wealthy, and it was just a matter of time before the donor class got tired of funding a dead end. You also have to factor in time away from family members. None of it was ever sustainable.
ALSO SEE: Ken Paxton Moves to Jail Beto O’Rourke for Fundraising Violations Involving Runaway Texas Democrats
As I said in my first write-up, the day they fled the state, the Texas Democrats could do this the easy way or the hard way, but redistricting was going to pass. In the end, they opted for the easy way, virtue signaling for less than two weeks before declaring victory in the face of defeat and running home with their tails tucked between their legs.
So is this over? Do they just get to fly back across state lines, lay down their arms, and show up for the next special session? Frankly, I don’t think it should be that easy. That’s the olive branch they were given in 2021 when they did this same thing to delay election reform, and clearly, no lessons were learned. I think the time to play nice is over, and those arrest warrants the Texas House passed should still be enforced. Don’t give them time to go home, do press hits, or cry in front of a podium. Slap the cuffs on them at the airport and drag them straight to the Texas State Capitol.
Oh, and I almost forgot. Those bribery investigations? They should continue.
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