First, the will that is being defied is the will of Tom Delay and Carl Rove.
Second, Texas Democrats are, for the most part and until recently almost always, Democrats because Lincoln won the war.
Third, has December kidnapped the often reasonable Scylla and slipped some White House functionary into his place?
Do like the representative from my district (Warren Chisum) did…just change parties! Ol’ Warren is very VERY conservative, so when he saw that the Dems were losing their grip on the state, he just changed to Republican. And still kept winning elections.
This illustrates the strange dichotomy of Texas politics. For years, you HAD to be a Democrat to get elected. Even if your views (and ergo the views of your constituents) were by any other definition conservative.
And to echo what an earlier poster said…a Texas Democrat is more conservative than a Yankee Republican. Oh, we have some arch liberals to be sure, but Ol’ Warren sure as hell ain’t one!
I think it’s a hoot all the national media this is generating…Our legislature blows town and we go after them with Texas Ranges, DPS, and (oh my gosh!) GUNS! Man this is just too funny if you are from Texas, and I’m sure a bit perplexing if you’re not.
Scylla, do try not to be an idiot. State representatives are elected by and to serve individual districts. I assure you, when the good people of House District 102 overwhelmingly elected Representative Steve Wollens, we gave him a mandate to pursue the Democratic agenda he ran on and to oppose the Republican agenda his opponent espoused.
Good work, Steve. Thanks for doing the job we elected you to do.
Aggies don’t “cheer”. We “yell”.
Gig 'em.
The Dixie Chicken bumper sticker thing was funny because it’s true.
Part of the redistricting divides Austin (lib capital of TX) into four or five separate districts, attaching them to Republican-heavy districts in other cities. This isn’t gerrymandering how, precisely?
Texas politics is better than Springer, I think…
“Defying the will of the people” is now the battle cry of the sore-loser conservative? Seems like only 2000 when they were bloviating about not changing the rules of elections, doesn’t it? Redistricting every 10 years, no more and no less, is one of them, gang.
This kind of yee-haw crap is part of why Texas is an embarrassment to the adult portion of the country.
A Flock of Seagulls has not run away – they’re still touring. I submit that they are DEFYING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE by not running away.
They’ve been irrelevant since the mid-80s.
I thought it was the Texas Democrats who lost, but maybe I’m misinterpreting the running away and hiding. 
It’s not any different than Amarillo. Amarillo is roughly half in Potter County, half in Randall County. Most of the minority population lives in Potter County, which is in a different district than Randall County. Handy, huh??
**
I admit that this is confusing to me, but did not the Texas people rise up and vote in support of that will?
Is not Tom Delay an extension of the will of the people, empowered by the people, for the people?
Perhaps it is just my ignorance of Texas politics that does not allow me to see the running away and hiding in the proper light as a brave and noble action.
apples/oranges. Certainly you realize that the Dems involved were elected to the State of Texas legislature, representing specific districts in Texas. Who may or may not have voted for Delay.
Minorities have always been able to throw on the brakes. In the federal government the Filibuster is one of the tools of choice. It has always been possible for a small interest group to thwart the will of the majority(in fact it is often desireable to allow them this ability otherwise we end up in a “tyranny of the majority” situation), at least for a time. If a group gets a small majority they can use it to reduce the numbers of their opposition and grow their own influence. This growth in their power was not a direct result of the will of the people. The people exercise their power only in elections. Power shifts outside of elections are a grey area. Re-districting is an even more grey area because while it actually happens outside of the election process it affects the election process. As we’ve seen, it can effectively “massage” the electorate to give a greater likleyhood of increasing the majority’s power base, possibly OUT of proportion with the actual iedological ratios of the population. I support re-districting in effort to make the representation more accurately reflect the ideologies of the population. I denounce re-districting done to bolster the power of the current majority regardless of the actual popular ideological ratios. I can’t freaking stand dirty politics that attempt to disenfranchise the voter and enfranchise their own ideologies. Simply more evidence of one of my most fundamental moral pillars “The people who seek power are the ones which must absolutely not be allowed to wield it.” The primary motivation of a representative of the people should be duty, not ambition. GOD DAMN I hate politics.
I’m not so sure leaving the re-districting to a federal court was a bad thing. In a perfect world district lines would probably be drawn by a disinterested third party(HAH! Like those exist) as opposed to it being a duty of the group who has a vested interest in stabilizing their power base(the current majority). It has been a pet peeve of mine ever since I discovered this was the status quo.
Politics, bah!
Enjoy,
Steven
Wring:
Maybe I am an idiot, that I am missing this.
District votes in a Republican. By voting for that Republican do they not expect him to be somewhat if not mostly in alliance with Republican issues, use the majority, if its granted, and consolidate power in advantageous ways for Republican policy?
Minty:
Are you saying that in Texas, whether or not a particularly candidate is running on the Democratic or the Republican ticket is essentially a random assignation?
Different districts, Scylla the reps that are on the loose were voted in as well. They seem to be representing the majority of voters in that district.
where I used to vote, for example, my county rep represents a portion of that county. The state house rep represents a different portion of that county, plus a itty bitty piece of a neighboring county. The House rep represents all of the one county, plus part of a different neighboring county. Currently, in that location, the county rep, and state house rep were both dems, while the House rep is a republican. and were that house rep attempting to influence the redistricting of that neighborhood so it would increase the number of republicans elected in my state house, I sure as hell would be after the state rep to thwart that.
Democrat response to a problem. Run away and hide. Squall like a pig under a gate. How boringly typical.
Typical Scylla, isn’t this? Anyone who disagrees with him is a subhuman, not worthy of respect. Any party other than his own is the enemy, whose subjugation is required. No other principle exists or can be conceived of. Marvelously, that relieves him of any responsibility for thought or growth, while providing an outlet for whatever negative emotions he may be feeling.
Time for refresher courses on democracy and human relations, amigo.
Dunno, Elvis maybe you could point out where Scyllas calling minty or me, sub human. I must have missed it.
Scylla’s wrong about this, but he’s not doing what you’re accusing him of here.
Convenient redefinitions hold little weight with me, particularly coming from a group so dumb that they have to practice cheering the night before every game.
Yell leaders are the best looking women on the A&M campus, though.
For those who don’t know, Yell Leaders are traditionally male. I don’t think there has ever been a female yell leader.