# Fuck you, Texas Republicans **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 26, 2013, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942 "2013-06-26T06:21:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/101 "2013-06-27T01:29:57Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > If you’re a politician that’s regularly voting for things opposed by 80% of your constituents, you can’t gerrymander enough to win. Two points here. 1. The special session was opposed by 80% of constituents, not necessarily the bill itself (although, as noted, 63% of Texans think we have enough restrictions anyway). 2. They aren’t regularly voting to things opposed by constituents. And even if you do, you can regularly vote for unpopular things as long as you vote for the right sort of popular things just enough to keep your constituents happy. Yes, Texas is gerrymandered to hell and back. The last redistricting was actually pretty extreme. It’s a good thing (for Texas Republicans anyway) that the Voting Rights Act decision came down. They were running seriously afoul of it this last time. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/102 "2013-06-27T01:33:02Z")
> [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](#): > > The mob behaved. Mostly. > > The mob was careful and quiet with only sporadic laughter and applause all day. The crowd smiled and joked with the DPS troopers keeping order out there, and they were friendly and jovial back. > > We believed in the process, see. We were peaceful and quiet and we just wanted to come and show our support and see history being made. > > But when Dewhurst started making really shady rulings, people started getting restless. When he called the third strike at 10:30 – which he _couldn’t_ do within the rules, since she needed three strikes on germane-ness and she only had two, and damn it we DID read the Senate rules for that – the gallery erupted. > > If Wendy had just leaned on her desk or taken a drink or actually committed some other breach of the rules, we would have been disappointed. But when we saw such blatantly partisan politicking, many people started booing and shouting “SHAME!”. The gallery was mostly emptied at that point. > > Mostly, but not entirely. What happened then were more and more gross breaches of rules, decorum and common decency – by the Republican senators, not the gallery and not the Democrats. Leticia Van de Putte’s famous quote came after Robert Duncan, who’d been given the gavel after Dewhurst recused himself, refused to recognize her. He did so _illegitimately_, systematically ignoring valid points of order and parliamentary inquiries for purely partisan purposes. There were no other reasons. There could be no other excuse. > > We’d been silent since we went to the hall. We were waiting for news, checking our Twitter feeds and listening to the live streaming. They called – against their own rules, again – for a role call for a vote. That was when the protesters started rumbling again. > > And when Duncan said that he couldn’t hold the vote if he couldn’t _hear_, the people erupted. > > They lost their decorum. Yes. But it was thrown away by the Republican senators long before. They violated their own rules again and again, even _breaking the law_ in order to pass their bill. > > So yeah. After the Senate devolved into chaos, so did the people. Sue us. > > As a fun side note: one of my activist friends was sitting with a bunch of blue shirts who got _very_ nervous when all this started going down. One pro-life woman begged her to make it all stop. Yes, ma’am. It’s scary, isn’t it? Being in a room full of people who are violently opposed to what you hold dear? > > Welcome to Texas. very good post, thank you. those who seem to think a “mob” ruled here must not really understand what happened. or know what gerrymandered means. or be paying attention in any way whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/103 "2013-06-27T02:38:21Z")
I’m against filibuster in general, but it’s within the rules. Davis followed the rules and was shut down anyway by republicans that violated the rules. I’m against a “mob” shouting down the legislature so they cant conduct business, but when the legislature is not willing follow their own rules or the laws of the state then the people stepping in and disrupting the proceedings is entirely appropriate. If Texas had a functioning government and a functioning court system there would be official channels that this could be addressed through. We don’t, IMHO, and it is going to take some rebellion to stop them. I was sad to see it come to that last night. I was proud that someone stood up and did the right thing given a terrible situation. ---
**Author:** ![Feyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/fbc32d/32.png) [@Feyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feyrat)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/104 "2013-06-27T03:24:00Z")
> [@bup](#): > > **Feyrat** , I don’t know how to tell you this, but your “rat-lovers fb group” is just a Republican fb group. If you own a literal rat, you’re the only one in that group who does. What? ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/105 "2013-06-27T03:44:11Z")
And of course the good Republicans of Texas who love life so much they must force women into unwanted pregnancies are about to execute their 500th person: [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/grim-milestone-texas-set-execute-500th-inmate-19483710#.Ucuxck3D\_IV](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/grim-milestone-texas-set-execute-500th-inmate-19483710#.Ucuxck3D_IV) Ugh. The older I get the more anti-death penalty I get. It doesn’t work, sucks up money and puts us at risk of killing innocent people. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/106 "2013-06-27T04:30:49Z")
That isn’t Texas. This is Texas. [![](https://i.imgur.com/SY2l7W7.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/SY2l7W7.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/107 "2013-06-27T05:19:32Z")
Looks like Perry’s gonna call a [special session](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/26/politics/texas-abortion-bill/index.html?hpt=hp_t2) on July 1 to try this again. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/108 "2013-06-27T09:01:31Z")
OK, Texans. Now you’ve seen what the legislature can do and will keep doing. People are complaining that their will is being subverted by gerrymandering. If the governor weren’t willing to call the special sessions, if the governor weren’t willing to sign the legislation (including the redistricting legislation), there would be a whole different ball game. You can’t complain that the governor’s election district is being gerrymandered. If you feel the Texas government isn’t representing the will of the people and you are powerless to change the legislature, why are people like George W Bush and Rick Perry getting elected governor? And, more importantly, what are you doing to change it? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/109 "2013-06-27T09:56:43Z")
So strange that in the modern day legislation can hinge on whether a woman can physically stand for several hours in a row. May as well switch to gladiatorial combat: faster and more entertaining! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/110 "2013-06-27T13:42:59Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > So strange that in the modern day legislation can hinge on whether a woman can physically stand for several hours in a row. May as well switch to gladiatorial combat: faster and more entertaining! Frankly, I approve of it. The procedural filibuster is an embarrassment. The rules Texas has for a filibuster are excellent - it’s their inability to abide by those rules that is atrocious. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/111 "2013-06-27T13:52:03Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > And of course the good Republicans of Texas who love life so much they must force women into unwanted pregnancies are about to execute their 500th person: > > [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/grim-milestone-texas-set-execute-500th-inmate-19483710#.Ucuxck3D\_IV](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/grim-milestone-texas-set-execute-500th-inmate-19483710#.Ucuxck3D_IV) I agree – this is a most curious contradiction. Killing a human being is a terrible thing for a government to do, and it’s especially disturbing to see the claim that Texas values “all life” juxtaposed with their abysmal record on executions. I favor the Texas move on abortion. I strongly despise the Texas position on capital punishment. I’m regarded here as a reliable Republican, but the death penalty makes it nearly impossible for me to find a politician that represents ALL my feelings. Very few in the political arena oppose both abortion and the death penalty; to my way of thinking, the two positions require each other. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/112 "2013-06-27T14:15:00Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > If you feel the Texas government isn’t representing the will of the people and you are powerless to change the legislature, why are people like George W Bush and Rick Perry getting elected governor? And, more importantly, what are you doing to change it? Well, some of us vote against him, in both the primary and general elections. And don’t forget that while Rick Perry won with a solid 55% of the vote in the 2010 gubernatorial election (incumbency, Obama winning, and his own run up to a Presidential run really did help him here), he only won re-election in 2006 with just **UNDER 40%** of the vote. Now here’s where your argument goes really wonky. Most voters aren’t single issue voters. Is this single issue - whether or not this special session is called - such a mind-blowingly important issue that it should outrageously incense not only people who usually disagree with our current state government but also people who, on average, agree with it? Because that’s what you are claiming, namely, that this single issue is so important, it should override every other political position people hold in Texas. And that’s both stupid and unfair. Further, candidates aren’t elected in a vacuum. Rick Perry is generally unpopular among several groups, including many Republican ones. But that doesn’t matter. The ONLY thing that matters is if he can win the Republican primary. He doesn’t even have to be generally popular - just popular enough (or at least acceptable enough) to win over a sufficient number of Texas Republicans. And once you’ve won the primary (which Perry, with his political machine, controls handily in Texas), it’s not a terribly difficult thing to go on to win the statewide general gubernatorial race. Any Republican is going to do generally well against any Democrat. It doesn’t matter what the positions are. Brand identity is like that. How else did he help himself? By refusing or limiting debate with his Democratic gubernatorial opponents (or his Republican ones, to be honest). He knows he’s not a good debater. Comes of being the opposite of intellectually curious. Fortunately, he couldn’t force those kinds of conditions on the national stage. He gives a good speech but can’t improvise to save his life. That’s bittersweet for Texas. Would have gotten him out of our hair but then we’d subject the rest of you to his inanity. A legislator or even the governor can faithfully represent the general will of the people 90% of the time and butt-fumble the other 10%. Most times, we (I do, but I mean the general Texas “we”) don’t strongly care if they support or oppose some legislation about setting up toll roads across West Texas. But a legislator CAN vote unpopular positions enough times that people get buyer’s remorse. And, despite gerrymandering, that’s happening in a few districts. But it takes time to vote people out. That said, it is _possible_ for a legislator to do the right thing by taking a deeply unpopular stand on a controversial issue, like civil rights legislation or whatnot. But they should realize the price for that may be they get voted out of office at the next opportunity. That’s a potential price for standing by your principles and one you should, in theory, be willing to pay for doing the right thing. Seems like these jackasses want to be lauded for it and re-elected, instead. Actually, it’s more like they take the attitude that “real” Texans are on board with them. Of course, by definition, “real” Texans are the ones who agree with them. Tautological, but it’s an attitude we’ve seen at the national level, too. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/113 "2013-06-27T14:29:19Z")
**Bricker** I have never understood how someone can be pro-life and pro capital punishment. While I disagree with you about abortion, I applaud your consistency. I am so frustrated by my State Government(Texas) but I have some solace, the demographics are changing rapidly. I predict that the Republican lock on power in Texas will be broken by 2020 if not earlier Wendy Davis for Governor **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/114 "2013-06-27T16:38:48Z")
It won’t matter how much the demographics change if all those new Hispanic voters are being drawn into one giant district. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/115 "2013-06-27T16:45:10Z")
> [@Capt\_Kirk](#): > > **Bricker** I have never understood how someone can be pro-life and pro capital punishment. ISTM for many, neither position is fundamentally about the sanctity of life, but of _power_. Anti-abortionism is about maintaining power over women in our society. Death penalty support is about maintaining power over “bad guys” in our society. It’s an attitude of needing to see oneself as superior, morally or developmentally etc. over somebody, and having those somebodies be forced to acknowledge it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/116 "2013-06-27T16:50:59Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > ISTM for many, neither position is fundamentally about the sanctity of life, but of _power_. Anti-abortionism is about maintaining power over women in our society. Death penalty support is about maintaining power over “bad guys” in our society. It’s an attitude of needing to see oneself as superior, morally or developmentally etc. over somebody, and having those somebodies be forced to acknowledge it. I think that’s far too nuanced or subliminal. I think for most pro-lifers who are pro-death penalty, it’s the difference between innocent life and non-innocent life. At least that’s how it with the slew of people I know (men and women) who hold those two positions. I don’t think it’s really that difficult to reconcile. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/117 "2013-06-27T16:58:36Z")
Okay, except that it defines the pregnancy of a woman who doesn’t want the baby as being “non-innocent” on \*her \*part. She made the choice to allow herself to be defiled and must be corrected, by making her finish what she started. Even the fetus isn’t innocent if it’s the result of rape or incest; then it deserves the death penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/118 "2013-06-27T16:59:39Z")
A lot of the really pro-life people don’t believe in rape/incest exceptions, which is at least internally consistent. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/119 "2013-06-27T17:03:22Z")
All the new Hispanic voters _can’t_ be drawn into one district. Sure, the areas around the Border have been Tejano forever–well, they were New Spain before there\* was\* a Texas. But, in the rest of the state, they live among us. Gerrymandering sucks but it isn’t a reason to give up. Our cities are already mostly Democratic. Ready for some Ricky Perry loathsomeness? He’s speaking at the National Right to Life Conference in Dallas today. There’s a video but I haven’t seen it; I’m eating lunch & want to keep it down. An [quotation](http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/13708/rick-perry-attacks-and-insults-wendy-davis): > [@](#): > > In fact, even the woman who filibustered the Senate the other day was born into difficult circumstances. She was the daughter of as single woman, she was a teenage mother herself. She managed to eventually graduate from Harvard Law School and serve in the Texas senate. It is just unfortunate that she hasn’t learned from her own example that every life must be given a chance to realize its full potential and that every life matters. Of course he’s courting that vote. He may well ditch the governorship at long last & make another run for the Presidential nomination. I’m sure he’s disappointed that he doesn’t have his new law to crow about. Rumor says he’ll let his Lt Gov make a run for his office. Constitutionally, that office is more powerful than Governor. However, Perry has been setting up a really obscene crony system, giving him more power. And more money–he may be set for life, now. In [the last election](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_gubernatorial_election,_2010#Election), Perry refused to debate his opponent, my former Mayor, Bill White, until White released all his income tax returns. The real reason: White is smart. (He’s also taller than Perry, who is one of those short guys who has a problem about his height.) White has been a successful businessman. After Perry’s grades at A&M weren’t good enough for vet school, he spent some time in the Air Force–probably due to his ROTC commitment. Then he went home & “helped” his daddy on the farm–until he got a chance to run for Congress. (As a Democrat–it is a Democratic area; he switched parties to get better appointments, not because of “belief.”) Perry has never run a business–or even had a career outside of politics… In [the 2006 election](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_gubernatorial_election,_2006), he won with 39% of the vote. That year, four major candidates split the vote. Sorry, Kinky; you’re a good writer but many of us didn’t appreciate your joke candidacy… ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942/120 "2013-06-27T17:20:34Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I’m regarded here as a reliable Republican, but the death penalty makes it nearly impossible for me to find a politician that represents ALL my feelings. Very few in the political arena oppose both abortion and the death penalty; to my way of thinking, the two positions require each other. While I may disagree with where you stand, I have tremendous respect for your lack of contradiction and hypocrisy in belief. Seriously, good on you. And while I am horrified at Perry’s last little idiocy that you quoted, him saying that an unwed teen mother can grow up to be a Senator _might_ actually be the most feminist thing he’s ever said. So, I’m conflicted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-texas-republicans/661942.md?page=7)