Breaking News
Texas Democrats Get Out Of Dodge To Block Vote Reform
Texas Democrats once again proved how to get away from doing their jobs by literally going away. Reports said that a large group of Texas Legislature Democrats went to Dulles International Airport and left the state on board two charter jets.
Their plan? Go anywhere except stay home, in order to avoid a special session and avoid a Republican effort to enact new voter laws.
RELATED: McAllen, Texas Flips Red As GOP Mayor Candidate Wins
Fleeing The State Is Nothing New For Texas Democrats
Apart from the 51 Democrats who took the chartered flight, seven more State Representatives are en route to meet them. This is not the first time Democrats got out of Dodge to avoid a vote.
They also did something back in 2003 during a congressional redistricting vote. Instead of accepting a losing vote, 52 Democrats (known as the Killer Ds) left the state to avoid voting. They stayed outside the state until the time to get the bill approved expired.
Speaking to reporters at the airport Monday night, the Texas Democrats urged Congress to quickly pass federal legislation to protect voting rights. They also said they will remain in Washington, DC until August in the hopes of running out the clock on the proposed reform bill.
Texas Democrats Hoping For Passage of For The People Act
The Democrats are counting on the passage of the For the People Act. This is the latest amended version of the bill already filibustered by Senate Republicans last month. By letting the time expire on getting a quorum for a Texas Legislature vote, Democrats hope to prevent the GOP from getting the bill passed.
State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer said that “our democracy is on the line” if the votes push through. “It became very clear to us that this weekend that any attempts to negotiate some Democratic concessions were cut off, making it very clear that Republicans were hellbent on having it their way,” he said.
Democrats Risk Arrest
The runaway legislators risk arrest with their decision to flee Texas. The Texas Constitution requires the Legislature a quorum of two-thirds of lawmakers present to conduct state business. The Department of Public Safety can legally track and compel the Texas Democrats to return to the Capitol.
Meanwhile, Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who championed the movement to tighten voting laws, called out the Democrats for dereliction of duty.
“Texas Democrats’ decision to break a quorum of the Texas Legislature and abandon the Texas State Capitol inflicts harm on the very Texans who elected them to serve. As they fly across the country on cushy private planes, they leave undone issues that can help their districts and our state,” he said.
Clock Is Ticking
At the same time, Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan issued a statement on Monday. He wants to “use every available resource under the Texas Constitution and the unanimously-passed House Rules to secure a quorum,” Phelan said. “The special session clock is ticking,” he added.
However, the Texas Democrats’ brazen move to get out of Texas not only leaves their jobs behind. Many who fled left families and medical issues hanging. In order to beat the quorum deadline, they will need to remain out of state for the next three to five weeks.
The State constitution allows a special session to last until 30 days. Fischer said that “We are citizen lawmakers, we don't get professional salaries.”
Watch the CBS Evening News reporting that Texas Democrats flee the state to block Republican voting bill:
Loading ...Do you support the move by Texas Democrats to run out the clock on tighter voting laws? What will this accomplish in the long run?
Let us know what you think about the Democrats’ latest stunt to block Republicans from passing a bill. Share your comments below.
21 Comments
After pandemic, why is there any need to physically be present to vote? The governor maybe should lift that law. Since so much of the world was run by zoom meeting. Seems the legislature should be held accountable for a vote via computer.,.unless Dems don’t trust cyber space??
The lawmakers should be held accountable,the games the dems,play and get away with are rediculous,and I as a taxpayer want them to end while we still have a country.this all started with kabernacky,thanks asshole.
The Democrats are childish they change the rules if it doesn’t suit their purpose and are destroying our country plus they are cowards running with their tail between their legs
The Texans should be on high alert a lot of Dems fled their poorly run states and have moved to Texas. All it takes is plenty of $$$ to start coercing corrupt politicians…
COWARDS, LIARS, CHEATS, ALWAYS FLEE THE BATTLE FIELD. WHAT ELSE IS NEW.
Really, running back to Mommy. Disgraceful
the democrats are lead by a WHORE , read Proverbs chapter 7 , if you don’t believe me !
What can anyone expect from left wing socialist communist democratic cock roaches. They will do anything to shut down and destroy our constitutional rights. For years we have gone to the polls and voted. Nothing good will ever come out of allowing drive by voting, write in voting, expanded absentee voting, or anything else the socialist democrats want. Fire them all, don’t pay them, impeach and remove all of them. Hold emergency elections in a week and elect republicans. DO SOMETHING. Come on Texans get mad, let your anger show, take to the streets, recall them and if they fail to show up cast them out. Wake up American, Americans are pissed and this is just one more reason why.
No matter what your party is, you as an elected official should be made to be present to preform your duties or be removed from your position. You are suppose to work for the people that elected you , not run and hide from issues you don’t like. If the entire situation were reversed you runaways would be conducting every way you could to punish those who fled. Grow up and do your job or give it up.
As a Texian let’s take back what is ours. I do not want to be in communist America. Join Texit at the TNM now and help make Texas the independent powerhouse it should be! Remember The Alamo and let’s fight.
If I didn’t show up for my job, guess what! I would be dismissed or FIRED without question. You have my answer to the question. These “would be” representatives of the citizens of this state should be OUR representatives NOT THEIRS. Replace them now! Got it?
Nothing new here. Do nothing, imcompetent, corrupt, childish politicians. Very staus quo for democrats. Don’t like the way things are, cheat, lie, hide amd repeat. Governor Abbott should extend the time limit or put forth an executive order for voting remotely.
Texas Authorities should issue ARREST Warrants for Sedition punishable by hanging! Have them ARRESTED regardless of where they are and perp walk them to a Military Airport in Chains AND Shakles!
I think each voting district these democrats represent should immediately issue recall measures and have them replaced by responsible representatives who are for the people who elected them.
I Agree with Hillbilly Dude but The Governor Should send the Rangers to haul them back for intentional dereliction of elected duty, in cuffs and ankle chains. Then set a recall election for each one of them.
The GREAT state of TEXAS is a leader among states. WE THE PEOPLE DO NOT BACKDOWN when the going gets tough !! AND Texas has one of the GREATEST GOVERNORS ever!! Abbot is a fighter AND so ARE TEXANS! Let’s get pissed off enough to get these DemocRATS out of office AND out of Texas. It’s PAST TIME for ALL TEXANS, ALL PATRIOTS, AND every person that LOVES this country to stand TALL and get thinga done for this great country BEFORE it is full blown Communist. We can all take lessons from the people protesting Cuban tyranny. May God Bless America Again !!!
I hope and pray that the citizens of Texas remember at election time the extent to which the Democrats went to avoid voting to make elections fair and honest!
well great 2 c somebody has the balls to stand up to them wasteful people in the white house those crook that bn stealing tax payers hard earn dollars.its a 6 or 4 yrs stay hell thes mofos bn thee taking all their life
They should be held accountable, receive no pay, fined for leaving, and lose their right to hold that office. All done in accordance with the Texas Constitution, which apparently they forgot to read all the fine print of in detail. Obviously, they have enough income to afford to spend time in Washington DC, which is not a cheap place to stay for a prolonged visit unless you have the dough to pay. And in that case, an audit should be made of their funding assets.
AS LONG AS THEY ARE GONE THEY SHOULD NOT GET A SALERY.
Fire them all as soon as they get back. Trump had it right when he said we need to clean out the swamp. I really feel these people need to be made an example of. For the longest time these people have been pilfering our money our tax dollars, they show up when they want or dont show up at all and they do this witn impunity. They think they are above the law and nobody will ever do anything about it. I say we show the States what we do when someone were paying decides to not show up for work. Fire them all and put them in jail. I be willing to venture a guess that within 5 mins of stepping in that jail,every one of them will develop a whole new attitude