Texas Observer
@TexasObserver@texasobserver.social  ·  activity timestamp 11 hours ago

Our top story: In order to fully block redistricting, #Democrats will likely need to maintain an organized quorum break of more than 90 days—easily the longest in Texas history—through possibly three special sessions and under more punitive political conditions than ever. https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-house-dems-quorum-break-gerrymandering/

#Texas#TXlege #news #politics#USpol #democracy#Trump#GregAbbott
Texas Observer
@TexasObserver@texasobserver.social  ·  activity timestamp 11 hours ago

Our top story: In order to fully block redistricting, #Democrats will likely need to maintain an organized quorum break of more than 90 days—easily the longest in Texas history—through possibly three special sessions and under more punitive political conditions than ever. https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-house-dems-quorum-break-gerrymandering/

#Texas#TXlege #news #politics#USpol #democracy#Trump#GregAbbott
vruz
@vruz@mstdn.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

Dems learn nothing. They still haven't figured out that they have to offer something other than "Trump is very bad for you" and that "we are marginally better than Nazis" is too fucking stupid, it didn't work before, it hasn't worked since 2016, and it'll work even worse as they keep on trying THE SAME, again and again.

They just gave up and decided that this is enough evil people will put up with, and they can afford it.

Infinite idiocy.

newrepublic.com/article/198809
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago
#Trump says #FBI ‘may have to’ help bring #Texas#Democrats back to state

After Republican Sen John Cornyn of Texas called on the FBI to help locate & #arrest Democrats who left the state to block a vote on a new congressional map, Trump said, “They may have to.”

“A lot of people have demanded they come back. You can’t just sit it out. You have to go back, you have to fight it out,” said Trump.

#law#AbuseOfPower #gerrymandering #redistricting #democracy #elections
https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-8-5-2025#00000198-7c2b-dc4c-adfc-fc3f02bc0000
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago
#Legal experts & even #Republican state AG #KenPaxton say it would be difficult to enforce consequences against the Democratic lawmakers.

#Texas House rules allow for fines of $500 every day the #Democrats are absent. The #House also issued civil warrants for the missing lawmakers to be arrested & returned to the House.

#Trump#FBI #law#AbuseOfPower #gerrymandering #redistricting #democracy #rigged #elections
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago
#Trump says #FBI ‘may have to’ help bring #Texas#Democrats back to state

After Republican Sen John Cornyn of Texas called on the FBI to help locate & #arrest Democrats who left the state to block a vote on a new congressional map, Trump said, “They may have to.”

“A lot of people have demanded they come back. You can’t just sit it out. You have to go back, you have to fight it out,” said Trump.

#law#AbuseOfPower #gerrymandering #redistricting #democracy #elections
https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-8-5-2025#00000198-7c2b-dc4c-adfc-fc3f02bc0000
William Lindsey :toad:
@wdlindsy@toad.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

Mike Brock skewers the moral laziness (and insincerity and mendacity) of the "both sides are equally flawed" stance:

"When every criticism must be accompanied by corresponding praise, criticism becomes impossible. There’s always something that can be cited as the other side of the ledger—some policy outcome, some symbolic victory, some disruption of norms that can be spun as beneficial."

#Democrats#Republicans #fascism #democracy#BothSides #morality
/1

https://www.notesfromthecircus.com/p/the-social-function-of-false-equivalence
William Lindsey :toad:
@wdlindsy@toad.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

"The attempt to steal an election gets balanced against mean tweets about the media.

This isn’t moral reasoning; it’s moral paralysis disguised as fairness."

#Democrats#Republicans #fascism #democracy#BothSides #morality
/3
William Lindsey :toad:
@wdlindsy@toad.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

"More insidiously, it creates a framework where atrocities and policy preferences become commensurable—as if they exist on the same moral scale and can be weighed against each other. Systematic attacks on democratic institutions get balanced against tax cuts. Corruption gets balanced against deregulation."

#Democrats#Republicans #fascism #democracy#BothSides #morality
/2
William Lindsey :toad:
@wdlindsy@toad.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

Mike Brock skewers the moral laziness (and insincerity and mendacity) of the "both sides are equally flawed" stance:

"When every criticism must be accompanied by corresponding praise, criticism becomes impossible. There’s always something that can be cited as the other side of the ledger—some policy outcome, some symbolic victory, some disruption of norms that can be spun as beneficial."

#Democrats#Republicans #fascism #democracy#BothSides #morality
/1

https://www.notesfromthecircus.com/p/the-social-function-of-false-equivalence

deutrino
deutrino boosted
clawfulneutral
@clawfulneutral@soc.port0.org  ·  activity timestamp 3 days ago
clawfulneutral
@clawfulneutral@soc.port0.org  ·  activity timestamp 3 days ago
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 3 days ago
#HakeemJeffries on how #Democrats will respond to the #Texas #redistricting scheme: "We are going to respond & respond forcefully, however we also will operate within the constraints of the #VotingRightsAct which is not what the Texas Democrats (sic; he meant #Republicans) are doing. We need fair maps & one national standard.”

#law#ElectionLaw #midterms #elections#Trump#GregAbbott #rigged

Hakeem Jeffries: "We are going to respond & respond forcefully, however we also will operate within the constraints of the Voting Rights Act which is not what the Texas Democrats (sic; he meant Republicans) are doing. We need fair maps & one national standard.”
Hakeem Jeffries: "We are going to respond & respond forcefully, however we also will operate within the constraints of the Voting Rights Act which is not what the Texas Democrats (sic; he meant Republicans) are doing. We need fair maps & one national standard.”
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago
#Republicans in #Ohio plan to redraw their map soon, & other states could join the fray, as well.
#Illinois Gov. #JBPritzker (D), who is hosting some of the #Texas#Democrats, said at a Sunday news conference that he’s considering all options in his state. But he did not offer any concrete steps he would take to establish new maps before the 2026 elections.

#law #gerrymandering#Trump
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago

“All options must be on the table — including Democratic state legislatures using their power to fight back & pursue #redistricting mid-cycle in order to protect our #democracy,” the group’s president, Heather Williams, said in a statement.

#Democrats in #California have said they could hold a special election in November to ask voters to adopt a ballot measure that would give Democrats more favorable districts next year.

#law#Texas #gerrymandering#Trump
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago
#Texas Gov. #GregAbbott (R) is threatening to try to remove Democratic lawmakers from office for fleeing the state & claiming they could be charged with #crimes, escalating tensions overnight in a showdown over redrawing congressional lines ahead of the #MidtermElections.
Most of the #Democrats in the TX state #House exited the state Sunday…to prevent #Republicans from overhauling the state’s map to give themselves 5 more safe #GOP seats.

#law #gerrymandering#Trump
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago
#Texas#Democrats have twice deployed the same tactic to combat #legislation in the 22 years since #Republicans have controlled all of state government, but their efforts ultimately failed. This time, Democrats plan to stay away for 2 weeks to run out the clock on a special legislative session called by Gov. #GregAbbott (R) to draw a map that would give Republicans 5 more #House seats.

#law #gerrymandering#Trump #rigged#Congress #midterms #elections
Nonilex
@Nonilex@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago
#Update:

#GregAbbott threatens to try to expel #Democrats who left #Texas
The Texas state #House is set to reconvene at 3PM CT Monday. Democrats have left the state to try to stop #Republicans from moving ahead with enacting a new congressional map that would give the #GOP 5 more safe seats in the #US#Congress.

#law #gerrymandering#Trump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/04/texas-democrats-redistricting-maps-abbott-trump/