This was another step in the right direction... But we need to make sure that the Supreme Court in Virginia doesn't overturn this election . Furthermore, I encourage everyone to share this post below as I found it incredibly informing and insightful for the new Blue Wave hopes that we all have.
She appeared on Nicole Wallace’s “Deadline: White House” the other day, along with Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott. They were a hoot. “Turns out what started in Texas didn’t stay in Texas,” she reminded that state’s ultra-dumb Governor Abbott. Her colleague was a bit more direct. “When they go low, we gonna kick their motherfuckin’ ass.”
Evil spells have a funny way of backfiring, as Abbott and Trump may soon find out. Just ask Lord Voldemort.
s pollster and analyst G. Elliott Morris has discussed, “Democrats’ weakness problem stands out as a particularly strong signal of intra-party dissatisfaction. . .
The Democrats have finally learned that you don't send Little Lord Fauntleroy out to do battle against Bluto.
The GQP has been sending streetfighters against the Democrats ever since Lee Atwater in 1988, or even since Richard Nixon in 1968. After nearly 60 years of playing the role of a punching bag, it's good to see that the Democrats have found their consciences, their backbones and their gonads.
There were interludes, however-- Bill Clinton came out with all guns blazing in 92 and 96, and Obama cut Romney off at the knees even before the GQP held its convention. Is it coincidence that they were the last 2-term Democratic Presidents? I think not.
Yes. We won in Virginia, but it was close. That may be because some Democrats (including some of my friends) stood on principle. They stood fast on their opposition to gerrymandering. I had conversation with one of them and couldn't convince her to vote "Yes".
I believe it's true that many Democrats are weak, including some of our elected leaders. They won't use strong, forceful language. They don't advocate for strong action. They seem to believe that standing on the high moral ground is enough to win. I disagree.
We are in the Civil War Part II. The ideology of the Confederacy was never defeated and for 160 years the North chose to ignore that. We thought that it was over when Obama was elected but we were wrong. We ignored the "Birthers" and we were wrong.
We're in a rhetorical gunfight and we should stop bringing cupcakes. It's time to gear-up.
Too true, Bob. All anyone needs to realize is that the magaklan did not protest against the killings of 2 peaceful protestors of ICE actions. They instead doubled down and rationalized the murders.
Sadly, Bob, you are truly spot on with regard to being in "Civil War Part 2"; I would even suggest that this is Civil War Part 3 (w/ Part 2 being the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's-60's). I think a lot of people, myself included, who live in more liberal, racially inclusive states, (Blue states), were not aware of the continued "ideology of the Confederacy".
I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the racially prejudiced population was keeping a low profile, or at least keeping themselves contained w/in the Southern states. And/or they were being more subtle about their prejudice. I feel that I was foolishly naive and overly optimistic in the 80's, 90's, early 2000's to not have been more aware.
However, I was living in the Puget Sound area of WA State and was surrounded by a very racially & culturally diverse population. There seemed to be a lot more acceptance among people. I taught in a public school and my classroom of students reminded me of the United Nations. For the most part the kids all got along with each other.
And then, yes, when Barack Obama was elected President in 2008, I truly believed we had finally made real progress as a nation. I had no idea that just under the surface there was seething, simmering deep prejudice that was about to erupt; that all it would take was the p.o.s. trump stirring things up & making it "acceptable" to for people to show blatant racial prejudice.
Our Democrat leaders do need to stand up and fight back with strength, courage, determination, and perseverance. We must do whatever it takes to preserve our Democracy and if that means gerrymandering to counteract the repubs gerrymandering than so be it!!!
I totally understand the opposition to gerrymandering position, a position I held fast after working on the initiative amendment to the Ohio constitution that would require a bipartisan commission to draw the maps. A "compromise' between the Republicans and Common Cause Ohio and League of Women Voters (who were among the initiative organizers) yielded a very bad deal regarding the composition of the commission and time frames for drawing subsequent maps. Long story short, The Republicans negotiated in bad faith and easily worked around the finalized amendment. When the minority Democrats on the Commission voted FOR the gerrymandered maps because they were afraid another set of maps would yield even worse results, I came to the conclusion that we have to fight under a new set of rules. Republicans make their own rules, so to save our democracy requires we adapt to that reality. I hope for a future where we can correct the scheme of partisan gerrymandering in every state, but until then.........
At the beginning of T2.0, the Dem leadership seemed to be shellshocked by the results of the 2024 presidential election and went into a PTSD period. I can relate. I had the same reaction. Fortunately, the MAGAts handed the Dems a gift on a sliver platter with the unprecedented and diabolical mid-decade redistricting scheme. Forcing them to take the gloves off, Dems began to fight fire with fire with redistricting plans of their own. The MAGAt gambit blew up in their faces and we have tenacious people like Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker and Louise Lucas among many others to thank for the outcome.
It is encouraging that Hakeem Jefferies finally got his mojo back. These are dangerous times and we need Dem leaders to realize that the old rules of playing nice no longer work. The very survival of our nation depends on it. Get fired up!!
The GOP might live to regret this decision. They didn’t think or expect the Dems doing the exact same thing to counter them. The results in November may be mixed but then maybe not. Gavin Newsome led the charge in California to counter GOP efforts. Then others followed.
The Reflecting Pool? Now he's going after the Reflecting Pool because it's "filthy"?
Small potatoes compared with his failed war and his war crimes and his corruption (Talk about filthy things.) But the Reflecting Pool is like the East Wing in its symbolism and its effect on the national psyche. Its only sin, as far as I can tell, is that it recalls Martin Luther King's iconic I Have a Dream speech for the ages.
Yet another act that Must Be Stopped. Sooner rather than later. Norm, please get on this!
Hi Ken - I don’t disagree with your “tit for tat” suggestion per se but I can’t understand how game theory would predict that as the best way out of our current stalemate with the opposition. If you’re a game theory expert, I defer to you. I’m not - I’m just generally curious. Nor am I trying to start a side debate in these comments. Imagine we’re just two friendly strangers conversing. Given our nation’s stuck situation where both sides are locked in polar opposition my limited grasp of game theory suggests a calculated change in strategy could move both sides back closer to the middle where our political system has historically functioned in a more stable and productive manner. Tit for tat actions have been blamed by some for keeping us in deadlock. A potential strategy change that game theory seems to support would be ‘ranked choice voting’ as it could force candidates to appeal as a "second choice," rewarding cooperation over polarization thus moving the Nash Equilibrium back closer to the middle. To be clear I support aggressive countering of Republican gerrymandering and I support new or even familiar Democratic candidates who can effectively project strength. But that alone won’t do much to repair our democracy, though it can keep us in the game. Could ranked choice voting be good for America going forward?
What we need to do is to get rid of the "electoral college" crap!
The candidate getting the most votes should be the winner. Period!
Also, just as for any other job, there should be certain requirements to run for the office of President. (And, the office of State Governor, too, for that matter.)
* Prior experience in government at the State or National level (this could include
military leadership roles)
* Demonstrated knowledge of the U.S. Constitution/Bill of Rights/American History
( College degree in History, Government, Political Science, Law or if the candidate
does not have a degree in one of those areas, then they have to pass a comprehensive
exam with at least a 90%+
* Be examined by a team of medical doctors, as well as a team of psychiatrists, and be. deemed physically and mentally healthy.
* Must have demonstrated in the past, or currently, that they have a loving, caring, com
passionate relationship with a dog, cat, horse.
Feel free to add any other significant requirement to this list.
This is an accurate run-down of the national redistricting story. Unless you are in the midst of the local political scene, you don't really get a complete story about the what and how of Texas Democrats "waking up". I'm a Texas Democrat. We have been awake for at least twenty years here. We have not been given the kind of support from national Democrats that we would like. This redistricting battle was not the spark. It was the culmination. It was our on-going fight breaking out in the the nation's consciousness.
In the interest of completeness and just because as a Texan, I cannot resist bragging, here is some of the political back story.
After Beto burst on the scene, the national Democrats declined to put money into Texas. They didn't see an opportunity in the fact that so many supposedly ultra-red Texans had voted for a Democrat. In fact, the only opportunity national Democrats saw was Beto's fundraising. They had the gall to ask Beto to just turn his leftover war chest to them. He declined. Instead, he and we simply realized were going to have to go it alone. So, led by Beto, Democrats have been revivifying a zombie political apparatus, with significant interference from Texas Republicans. See, e.g. precinct level confusion deliberately created by Texas Republicans during the recent US Senate primaries.
Republicans had just gerrymandered this state to the hilt when Trump gave his orders. Republicans did this because Beto woke them up and they saw the state was trending purple. When Trump asked for another gerrymander, they knew, and this included Abbott that there were no more Republican votes to squeeze out of a map. Republicans knew it was a dummymander, but they did it anyway, most likely relying on the fact that they have almost as much money as a Saudi prince and that they have a trifecta in Austin where they can suppress voting.
Texas Democrats had mobilized well ahead of Trump's recent gambit. When Trump made his move, Texas Democrats sprung into action. We had a plan and a coordinated campaign to put up a fight for our state and for our own rights. There had been hearings all over the state about the new maps which brought out massive crowds in opposition, including independents and Republicans. It was our idea to have this fight and bring others into it. We knew Texas Republicans had overplayed their hand and we were determined to capitalize on the opportunity. National Democrats did not capitalize on this because they never capitalize on Republican tactical errors. And Republicans count on that.
This was an intentional plan to force national Democrats to capitalize on tactical opportunities. And we had our backs to the wall and were going to fight anyway. (Remember the Alamo?)
Texas voters, including independents and disaffected Republicans responded to our very visible fight. Governor Pritzker was Johnny on the Spot and his support was the key. Talaricio had been building a presence in Texas prior to the redistricting exodus. He was a great face for the party, so Democrats went with it. So, maybe that exposure helped his profile nationally, but he already was a juggernaut here on his own. He is a talented politician.
All are welcome to this fight here in Texas. And if our fight helps national Democrats, great. However, we are fighting for our lives here. We aren't particularly interested in just being a prop or a fundraising well for national Democrats. It is our experience that national Democrats just write our voters off as hopelessly "red" as an excuse to not help us. Meanwhile, while Hakeem Jefferies and Chuck Schumer write strongly worded letters and say the word "fight" but don't fight, women are dying because of the abortion ban. Hispanics are being persecuted and brutalized because of ICE. If I am not mistaken, the man who murdered Mr. Pretti was a federal Border Patrol officer from Texas. So, think about what is happening here in our cities offered up to Trump's storm troopers. Abbott is withholding funds from Houston to force it to cooperate with ICE. There are many more examples of how we are making our own chances without Hakeem Jefferies and his ilk.
So, the national audience woke up to the mess in Texas when our legislators fled, but we have been awake for a very long time. We are now in the midst of skirmishing with Texas Republicans to guard the right to vote. The dirty tricks have begun. The crucible of whether MAGA and its Hungarian-style competitive democracy is going to prevail nationally is right here in Texas and in other red states. All credit to Pritzker and Newsom for recognizing this. I haven't seen the National Democrats doing that. As far as I'm concerned, they're just jumping on the bandwagon we got rolling.
Here is today's political news out of Texas: The money is being arrayed. Interesting to note that Paxton sued ActBlue recently and now we see that ActBlue is second on the list of big spenders in Texas right now. ActBlue, unlike the PAC's, is funded by small donors. Those small donors can really put the hurt on Texas Republicans if Democrats can mobilize them.
Good for you. Wish we (in VA) had state Democratic leaders with the smarts to invite non Democrats into the fight instead of alienating them and calling them names. Hell, they even called Democrats who questioned the wisdom of the maximalist 10-1 outcome rather than build a big tent party MAGA Trump supporters. THEY sound like blue MAGA.
Yep. There seems to be some internal power struggle within the Democratic party between an established power and an insurgent power. I pick up the vibes on that here and there. But I can’t say I really understand it. What I do see is a group demanding any and all Democrats adhere to their very personal and very online internal beliefs. It is quite convenient that their internal beliefs are only knowable by themselves, therefore they can adjust those beliefs according to who and what they are trying to put down. There is great power in being a gatekeeper and deciding who rates inclusion. However, it is counter productive to the actual goal here: winning elections against Republicans.
When there is an existential political threat and someone prioritizes gratifying their ego over confronting and defeating that threat, then that person has no credibility with me. Here in Texas, there is some kind of internal power struggle which resembles the one I see elsewhere. However, although Texas Democrats have the most progressive platform in the nation, most of us welcome every ally we get. Talaricio embodies this. He is slightly more progressive than Crockett. But, unlike her, he went after independent and Republican voters.
If a state candidate needs to espouse something in his/her district that doesn’t quite jibe with progressivism to win, then we say let’s get the win first and we’ll deal with the ideology later. We do not have the luxury here of alienating voters. To win in Texas, even in a purple/blue Texas, you still need to factor in the default conservative mindset. Conservatism does not have to become fascism, nor does it require techo-oligarch rule. There are plenty of people in Texas and all across the middle of the country quite willing to vote for a Democrat right now because they hate what Republicans are doing to them. But, we cannot kid ourselves. They will never be the kind of voter that will elect the kind of candidate they would in San Franscisco.
Though Winston Churchill never was proven to have said, ""Americans will always do the right thing, after they have tried everything else" ", we might apply that today to Democrats. We tried negotiation, bipartisansip and playing by the rules. We even tried the approach 'when they go low, we go high'.None worked, so finally the gloves are coming off and some legislative muscles are getting flexed. Combat on the same level will have a far greater impact.
We are grateful for Louise Lucas. She certainly kept the momentum going in the redistricting fight.
This was another step in the right direction... But we need to make sure that the Supreme Court in Virginia doesn't overturn this election . Furthermore, I encourage everyone to share this post below as I found it incredibly informing and insightful for the new Blue Wave hopes that we all have.
https://uncomfortable.rxansmithmedia.com/p/the-2026-blue-wave-narrative-is-breaking?
We sure are.
Every state needs a Louise Lucas. Hopefully she can teach how she does what she does as well as model it!
She appeared on Nicole Wallace’s “Deadline: White House” the other day, along with Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott. They were a hoot. “Turns out what started in Texas didn’t stay in Texas,” she reminded that state’s ultra-dumb Governor Abbott. Her colleague was a bit more direct. “When they go low, we gonna kick their motherfuckin’ ass.”
Evil spells have a funny way of backfiring, as Abbott and Trump may soon find out. Just ask Lord Voldemort.
I enjoy reading about Democratic feistiness. We need more of it.
s pollster and analyst G. Elliott Morris has discussed, “Democrats’ weakness problem stands out as a particularly strong signal of intra-party dissatisfaction. . .
The Democrats have finally learned that you don't send Little Lord Fauntleroy out to do battle against Bluto.
The GQP has been sending streetfighters against the Democrats ever since Lee Atwater in 1988, or even since Richard Nixon in 1968. After nearly 60 years of playing the role of a punching bag, it's good to see that the Democrats have found their consciences, their backbones and their gonads.
There were interludes, however-- Bill Clinton came out with all guns blazing in 92 and 96, and Obama cut Romney off at the knees even before the GQP held its convention. Is it coincidence that they were the last 2-term Democratic Presidents? I think not.
Sometimes you just have to fight dirty.
It isn't fighting dirty... it's politics. I'm reminded of a great line from the 1987 movie The Untouchables: "Never bring a knife to a gunfight."
Unless, to bayonet the wounded...
Yes. We won in Virginia, but it was close. That may be because some Democrats (including some of my friends) stood on principle. They stood fast on their opposition to gerrymandering. I had conversation with one of them and couldn't convince her to vote "Yes".
I believe it's true that many Democrats are weak, including some of our elected leaders. They won't use strong, forceful language. They don't advocate for strong action. They seem to believe that standing on the high moral ground is enough to win. I disagree.
We are in the Civil War Part II. The ideology of the Confederacy was never defeated and for 160 years the North chose to ignore that. We thought that it was over when Obama was elected but we were wrong. We ignored the "Birthers" and we were wrong.
We're in a rhetorical gunfight and we should stop bringing cupcakes. It's time to gear-up.
Too true, Bob. All anyone needs to realize is that the magaklan did not protest against the killings of 2 peaceful protestors of ICE actions. They instead doubled down and rationalized the murders.
Sadly, Bob, you are truly spot on with regard to being in "Civil War Part 2"; I would even suggest that this is Civil War Part 3 (w/ Part 2 being the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's-60's). I think a lot of people, myself included, who live in more liberal, racially inclusive states, (Blue states), were not aware of the continued "ideology of the Confederacy".
I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the racially prejudiced population was keeping a low profile, or at least keeping themselves contained w/in the Southern states. And/or they were being more subtle about their prejudice. I feel that I was foolishly naive and overly optimistic in the 80's, 90's, early 2000's to not have been more aware.
However, I was living in the Puget Sound area of WA State and was surrounded by a very racially & culturally diverse population. There seemed to be a lot more acceptance among people. I taught in a public school and my classroom of students reminded me of the United Nations. For the most part the kids all got along with each other.
And then, yes, when Barack Obama was elected President in 2008, I truly believed we had finally made real progress as a nation. I had no idea that just under the surface there was seething, simmering deep prejudice that was about to erupt; that all it would take was the p.o.s. trump stirring things up & making it "acceptable" to for people to show blatant racial prejudice.
Our Democrat leaders do need to stand up and fight back with strength, courage, determination, and perseverance. We must do whatever it takes to preserve our Democracy and if that means gerrymandering to counteract the repubs gerrymandering than so be it!!!
I totally understand the opposition to gerrymandering position, a position I held fast after working on the initiative amendment to the Ohio constitution that would require a bipartisan commission to draw the maps. A "compromise' between the Republicans and Common Cause Ohio and League of Women Voters (who were among the initiative organizers) yielded a very bad deal regarding the composition of the commission and time frames for drawing subsequent maps. Long story short, The Republicans negotiated in bad faith and easily worked around the finalized amendment. When the minority Democrats on the Commission voted FOR the gerrymandered maps because they were afraid another set of maps would yield even worse results, I came to the conclusion that we have to fight under a new set of rules. Republicans make their own rules, so to save our democracy requires we adapt to that reality. I hope for a future where we can correct the scheme of partisan gerrymandering in every state, but until then.........
At the beginning of T2.0, the Dem leadership seemed to be shellshocked by the results of the 2024 presidential election and went into a PTSD period. I can relate. I had the same reaction. Fortunately, the MAGAts handed the Dems a gift on a sliver platter with the unprecedented and diabolical mid-decade redistricting scheme. Forcing them to take the gloves off, Dems began to fight fire with fire with redistricting plans of their own. The MAGAt gambit blew up in their faces and we have tenacious people like Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker and Louise Lucas among many others to thank for the outcome.
It is encouraging that Hakeem Jefferies finally got his mojo back. These are dangerous times and we need Dem leaders to realize that the old rules of playing nice no longer work. The very survival of our nation depends on it. Get fired up!!
The GOP might live to regret this decision. They didn’t think or expect the Dems doing the exact same thing to counter them. The results in November may be mixed but then maybe not. Gavin Newsome led the charge in California to counter GOP efforts. Then others followed.
The GOP is already dead, it’s just MAGA now.
Louise Lucas is an American hero.
The Reflecting Pool? Now he's going after the Reflecting Pool because it's "filthy"?
Small potatoes compared with his failed war and his war crimes and his corruption (Talk about filthy things.) But the Reflecting Pool is like the East Wing in its symbolism and its effect on the national psyche. Its only sin, as far as I can tell, is that it recalls Martin Luther King's iconic I Have a Dream speech for the ages.
Yet another act that Must Be Stopped. Sooner rather than later. Norm, please get on this!
Very informative article Jennifer.
It shows good planning followed by inflexible and dedicated execution will create positive results. Thank you Louise Lucas and your team.
Game theory says that “tit for tat” is the most effective strategy for these kinds of situations. Stay strong, Democrats!
Hi Ken - I don’t disagree with your “tit for tat” suggestion per se but I can’t understand how game theory would predict that as the best way out of our current stalemate with the opposition. If you’re a game theory expert, I defer to you. I’m not - I’m just generally curious. Nor am I trying to start a side debate in these comments. Imagine we’re just two friendly strangers conversing. Given our nation’s stuck situation where both sides are locked in polar opposition my limited grasp of game theory suggests a calculated change in strategy could move both sides back closer to the middle where our political system has historically functioned in a more stable and productive manner. Tit for tat actions have been blamed by some for keeping us in deadlock. A potential strategy change that game theory seems to support would be ‘ranked choice voting’ as it could force candidates to appeal as a "second choice," rewarding cooperation over polarization thus moving the Nash Equilibrium back closer to the middle. To be clear I support aggressive countering of Republican gerrymandering and I support new or even familiar Democratic candidates who can effectively project strength. But that alone won’t do much to repair our democracy, though it can keep us in the game. Could ranked choice voting be good for America going forward?
What we need to do is to get rid of the "electoral college" crap!
The candidate getting the most votes should be the winner. Period!
Also, just as for any other job, there should be certain requirements to run for the office of President. (And, the office of State Governor, too, for that matter.)
* Prior experience in government at the State or National level (this could include
military leadership roles)
* Demonstrated knowledge of the U.S. Constitution/Bill of Rights/American History
( College degree in History, Government, Political Science, Law or if the candidate
does not have a degree in one of those areas, then they have to pass a comprehensive
exam with at least a 90%+
* Be examined by a team of medical doctors, as well as a team of psychiatrists, and be. deemed physically and mentally healthy.
* Must have demonstrated in the past, or currently, that they have a loving, caring, com
passionate relationship with a dog, cat, horse.
Feel free to add any other significant requirement to this list.
This is an accurate run-down of the national redistricting story. Unless you are in the midst of the local political scene, you don't really get a complete story about the what and how of Texas Democrats "waking up". I'm a Texas Democrat. We have been awake for at least twenty years here. We have not been given the kind of support from national Democrats that we would like. This redistricting battle was not the spark. It was the culmination. It was our on-going fight breaking out in the the nation's consciousness.
In the interest of completeness and just because as a Texan, I cannot resist bragging, here is some of the political back story.
After Beto burst on the scene, the national Democrats declined to put money into Texas. They didn't see an opportunity in the fact that so many supposedly ultra-red Texans had voted for a Democrat. In fact, the only opportunity national Democrats saw was Beto's fundraising. They had the gall to ask Beto to just turn his leftover war chest to them. He declined. Instead, he and we simply realized were going to have to go it alone. So, led by Beto, Democrats have been revivifying a zombie political apparatus, with significant interference from Texas Republicans. See, e.g. precinct level confusion deliberately created by Texas Republicans during the recent US Senate primaries.
Republicans had just gerrymandered this state to the hilt when Trump gave his orders. Republicans did this because Beto woke them up and they saw the state was trending purple. When Trump asked for another gerrymander, they knew, and this included Abbott that there were no more Republican votes to squeeze out of a map. Republicans knew it was a dummymander, but they did it anyway, most likely relying on the fact that they have almost as much money as a Saudi prince and that they have a trifecta in Austin where they can suppress voting.
Texas Democrats had mobilized well ahead of Trump's recent gambit. When Trump made his move, Texas Democrats sprung into action. We had a plan and a coordinated campaign to put up a fight for our state and for our own rights. There had been hearings all over the state about the new maps which brought out massive crowds in opposition, including independents and Republicans. It was our idea to have this fight and bring others into it. We knew Texas Republicans had overplayed their hand and we were determined to capitalize on the opportunity. National Democrats did not capitalize on this because they never capitalize on Republican tactical errors. And Republicans count on that.
This was an intentional plan to force national Democrats to capitalize on tactical opportunities. And we had our backs to the wall and were going to fight anyway. (Remember the Alamo?)
Texas voters, including independents and disaffected Republicans responded to our very visible fight. Governor Pritzker was Johnny on the Spot and his support was the key. Talaricio had been building a presence in Texas prior to the redistricting exodus. He was a great face for the party, so Democrats went with it. So, maybe that exposure helped his profile nationally, but he already was a juggernaut here on his own. He is a talented politician.
All are welcome to this fight here in Texas. And if our fight helps national Democrats, great. However, we are fighting for our lives here. We aren't particularly interested in just being a prop or a fundraising well for national Democrats. It is our experience that national Democrats just write our voters off as hopelessly "red" as an excuse to not help us. Meanwhile, while Hakeem Jefferies and Chuck Schumer write strongly worded letters and say the word "fight" but don't fight, women are dying because of the abortion ban. Hispanics are being persecuted and brutalized because of ICE. If I am not mistaken, the man who murdered Mr. Pretti was a federal Border Patrol officer from Texas. So, think about what is happening here in our cities offered up to Trump's storm troopers. Abbott is withholding funds from Houston to force it to cooperate with ICE. There are many more examples of how we are making our own chances without Hakeem Jefferies and his ilk.
So, the national audience woke up to the mess in Texas when our legislators fled, but we have been awake for a very long time. We are now in the midst of skirmishing with Texas Republicans to guard the right to vote. The dirty tricks have begun. The crucible of whether MAGA and its Hungarian-style competitive democracy is going to prevail nationally is right here in Texas and in other red states. All credit to Pritzker and Newsom for recognizing this. I haven't seen the National Democrats doing that. As far as I'm concerned, they're just jumping on the bandwagon we got rolling.
Here is today's political news out of Texas: The money is being arrayed. Interesting to note that Paxton sued ActBlue recently and now we see that ActBlue is second on the list of big spenders in Texas right now. ActBlue, unlike the PAC's, is funded by small donors. Those small donors can really put the hurt on Texas Republicans if Democrats can mobilize them.
https://progresstexas.substack.com/p/daily-dispatch-42426-which-pacs-spent?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
Good for you. Wish we (in VA) had state Democratic leaders with the smarts to invite non Democrats into the fight instead of alienating them and calling them names. Hell, they even called Democrats who questioned the wisdom of the maximalist 10-1 outcome rather than build a big tent party MAGA Trump supporters. THEY sound like blue MAGA.
Yep. There seems to be some internal power struggle within the Democratic party between an established power and an insurgent power. I pick up the vibes on that here and there. But I can’t say I really understand it. What I do see is a group demanding any and all Democrats adhere to their very personal and very online internal beliefs. It is quite convenient that their internal beliefs are only knowable by themselves, therefore they can adjust those beliefs according to who and what they are trying to put down. There is great power in being a gatekeeper and deciding who rates inclusion. However, it is counter productive to the actual goal here: winning elections against Republicans.
When there is an existential political threat and someone prioritizes gratifying their ego over confronting and defeating that threat, then that person has no credibility with me. Here in Texas, there is some kind of internal power struggle which resembles the one I see elsewhere. However, although Texas Democrats have the most progressive platform in the nation, most of us welcome every ally we get. Talaricio embodies this. He is slightly more progressive than Crockett. But, unlike her, he went after independent and Republican voters.
If a state candidate needs to espouse something in his/her district that doesn’t quite jibe with progressivism to win, then we say let’s get the win first and we’ll deal with the ideology later. We do not have the luxury here of alienating voters. To win in Texas, even in a purple/blue Texas, you still need to factor in the default conservative mindset. Conservatism does not have to become fascism, nor does it require techo-oligarch rule. There are plenty of people in Texas and all across the middle of the country quite willing to vote for a Democrat right now because they hate what Republicans are doing to them. But, we cannot kid ourselves. They will never be the kind of voter that will elect the kind of candidate they would in San Franscisco.
Though Winston Churchill never was proven to have said, ""Americans will always do the right thing, after they have tried everything else" ", we might apply that today to Democrats. We tried negotiation, bipartisansip and playing by the rules. We even tried the approach 'when they go low, we go high'.None worked, so finally the gloves are coming off and some legislative muscles are getting flexed. Combat on the same level will have a far greater impact.
Where would our republic be without women like Louise Lucas?
Just keep Plouffe and Axelrod and their neolib ilk the hell away from everything and we might make it.
Well, say this say that, but if the house and senate are not won in the midterms, we have to realize voters have chosen to be a dumb ass country.