Let's begin with a reminder of where things stand. Runaway Texas Democrats are still hunkered down in Washington, DC, shirking their legislative duties in Austin in order to deny the state house the requisite quorum to take up an elections bill. These Democrats are whining that President Biden hasn't met with them, even though they've huddled with virtually every other high-ranking Democrat in town -- infecting several aides with COVID in the process. Having been flown to DC on chartered jets (they famously flew maskless, in spite of their own rhetoric and standards) and are holed up in hotel rooms funded by major political donors. Incredibly, they've requested "care packages," courtesy of Democratic grassroots donors, which is the latest way they're fundraising off of this whole stunt. A GOP operative frames the optics of this:
Important to note that these lawmakers are still getting $221/day in per diem from taxpayers, had private flights and luxury hotel rooms paid for, and are just sitting in hotel conference rooms doing zoom meetings.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 25, 2021
If you’re feeling charitable please find a better cause. https://t.co/SspiqFLasr
They evidently didn't request beer, perhaps because they already have plenty of that. The news media, facing a self-inflicted credibility crisis, has covered this whole saga predictably -- which is to say, like fawning Democratic press secretaries. The ostensible objective of these derelict lawmakers is to resist debating, amending, or voting on legislation that they say poses a threat to democracy. The rhetoric surrounding the Texas bill has been positively unhinged. President Biden is addicted to scurrilous and insulting "Jim Crow" comparisons, Vice President Harris invoked Selma (the Texas Democrats apparently agreed, triggering this cringe fest), and on and on it goes. This is deranged:
House Democrats compare the current GOP voter legislation in Texas to the "dogs and hoses of the 1960s." per @rraymondtx #txlege
— Kimberly Reeves (@edwonkkimmy) July 26, 2021
People listen to this type of shockingly divisive and ahistorical race baiting on a regular basis, yet continue to wonder how we've gotten to this point:
The Great Awokening: mission accomplished. pic.twitter.com/MFM6xD2rhQ
— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) July 22, 2021
We have written previously about what is actually in the Texas legislation (passed by the Texas Senate while lower chamber members were out of town), as have others. Suffice it to say, the ludicrously overheated rhetoric bears little relation to the content of the would-be law, which largely standardizes practices and reinstates pre-pandemic, non-emergency practices to the administration of elections in the state. Meanwhile, Texas Democrats are demanding the passage of a federal takeover of elections, packed with partisan power grabs and poison pills. After a similarly hyperbolic, hyperventilating battle in Georgia, public polling showed that in spite of an intense barrage of demagoguery and lies, Georgians supported the state's new law. As the outrage cyclone has blown into Texas, Republicans can at least draw encouragement from survey results that show robust support for key provisions in the "Jim Crow, democracy-crushing" bill they've introduced. The disconnect between Democrats' words and substantive reality is enormous:
The *vast majority* of Americans support provisions like those in the Texas voting law, including:
— Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) July 26, 2021
? 87% for consistent early voting hours in all counties
? 82% for photo ID
? 79% for photo ID to vote by mail
? 71% for more poll watchers
? 61% to end ballot harvesting https://t.co/KLDLgVrmXz
As for the general notion of returning to pre-pandemic norms, versus making COVID voting innovations permanent, a plurality favors the former -- including most independents:
Big party divide, but independents side a bit more with the notion voting rules should go back to the way they were pre-pandemic vs. keeping the changes implemented in 2020. https://t.co/lRGetVoaFV
— Kristen Soltis Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) July 26, 2021
It's little wonder that Democrats and their allies feel compelled to advance to wild claims and invoke loaded words in order to argue against legislation filled with broadly popular ideas. I'll leave you with Texas Governor Greg Abbott reminding the opposition that simply hiding in DC until the special session expires won't work:
I will keep calling Special Sessions until we address every emergency item—including funding for foster care, property tax relief & bail reform.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 26, 2021
The Democrats’ decision to break quorum inflicts harm on the very Texans who elected them to serve.https://t.co/CNtyRM2cLS