Texas Democrats Risk Arrest by Fleeing the State
As was widely reported this morning, Texas Democrats have decided to take their big blue butts to Washington, D.C. today. This will deny Texas Republicans the quorum they need to pass restrictive voting legislation that they were unable to pass in the regular legislative session, earlier this year. Whether they can be arrested outside of the state is unclear, but the House rules about the arrests are as follows:
“All absentees for whom no sufficient excuse is made may, by order of a majority of those present, be sent for and arrested, wherever they may be found, by the sergeant-at-arms or an officer appointed by the sergeant-at-arms for that purpose, and their attendance shall be secured and retained. The house shall determine on what conditions they shall be discharged.”
It’s a ballsy move by the Democrats and I am glad they are doing it. In terms of whether their reason is “sufficient” or not, the sergeant-at-arms will have to travel quite a long way to find them. They’ll have to stay gone for a while, as Abbott can continue to call a special session at least through the end of the summer.
Now, if the special session addressed the power grid or some other substantive legislation instead of Abbott’s campaign materials, I’d feel differently. This entire special session is a waste of the state’s time and money. There’s no reason to restrict the distribution of mail-in ballots. My granddaddy’s been voting by mail since he retired from the postal service in 1986 and he always gets an application mailed to him.
During the pandemic, my shero and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo successfully implemented drive-thru voting and 24 hour voting. Hidalgo allowed both Democrats and Republicans to vote using both of these options so I don’t know what the Republicans are so pissy about. Instead of trying to block Democratic counties to vote, they should be working on turning out their own voters. Instead, they call a special session to try and eliminate any voting technology or innovation faster than you can say “Varmint.”
Of course, for the last twenty years, the Republicans have made their tent so small that Greg Abbott might be seen as too liberal to govern in the upcoming gubernatorial primary, so it seems that winning more voters isn’t going to happen. All they’ve got left is meanness and trickery. If we don’t vote these schmucks out we get the legislature we deserve.
I applaud Texas Democrats for what they’re planning to do to prevent the bill restricting voting rights–but WHY ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT IT? Isn’t that inviting Republicans to arrange for their arrests? I hope they get away with it, nonetheless.
1Jet, I just put a comment on your last post about the Special Session- 13 Reasons, that coulda gone here just as well.
2Texas law enforcement (rangers), police stops at the border.
At least 58 Texas House Democrats are fleeing to Washington, D.C. to avoid voting in the state’s special legislative session on Republican-backed voting bills. The lawmakers risk arrest by stopping the session, but are leaving the state to avoid state troopers and rangers.
3video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I40bdaDmLYU
I wish them all safe travels and great hideouts. I have a guest room if someone needs a spot ;o)
4Following the tradition of the original “Killer Bees”.
5Just think of it as a mass filibustmigration along the lines of the Kentucky’s mock turtle soup senator.
The Dems in the link are imagining speaking with VP Kamala Harris and possibly the President.
6Oregon repugnanticans do this as well. It’s worked maybe once to kill legislation near the end of a session.
7I hope congressional Democrats and Biden can do what needs to be done but with manchin and sinema being repugnanticans in disguise, it’s a stretch. Hate to say.
Scroll down for smiling class field trip photo on chartered bus
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/12/texas-democrats-voting-bill-quorum/
8I’ve been to Texas several times. I blame them for leaving. In fact, I support it.
9Correctipn: I don’t blame them for leaving.
10Best comment so far: “Right now, the only difference between Texas and Haiti is the spelling!”
11“You can;t fire me… I QUIT!”
“Yeah, whatever pal… “Move your car or it gets towed.”
Biden administration took steps to ‘off- board’ fired Social Security chief, administration official says
127 HRS AGO
Edit: ”As with any employment termination, the government has taken steps to off-board Andrew Saul as we would any other former employee,” an administration official says. The President appointed Kilolo Kijakazi as the acting commissioner.
Edit: Organization charts on the SSA’s website were updated on Saturday to reflect Kijakazi’s new assignment leading the agency in an acting capacity.
Edit: Kijakazi is currently the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration. Prior to that position, a program officer for the Ford Foundation and a senior policy analyst for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. She holds a doctorate in public policy and has led and participated in research regarding Social Security, racial equity, economic security and retirement security. full article:
***************************************
https://www.newspressnow.com/news/national_news/election2020/biden-administration-took-steps-to-off-board-fired-social-security-chief-administration-official-says/article_169d4493-eaa7-55f1-9509-b7619bbc5033.html
Did the United States pass a fugitive legislators act while I wasn’t paying attention?
I went to look. Washington DC has a couple of wrinkles in the extradition process. First, as best I can tell, extradition only works in criminal proceedings, and the Texas law on compelling legislators to attend doesn’t seem to be criminal in nature.
Second: “While the extradition process normally involves the governor of a state and judicial authorities, the Chief Judge of the D.C. Superior Court serves the executive role (the role normally played by a governor) for the District of Columbia.”
Third, “Extradition is a two-step process after the fugitive has been taken into custody. The first step is to bring the fugitive in front a judge for “presentment.” At this time, the fugitive either waives formal proceedings or demands a hearing.” [I assume there would be a request for a hearing]. “If the fugitive contests extradition, the court will schedule a hearing within 30 days. At the hearing, the court will order the fugitive’s return to the demanding state provided that the prosecution can show three things: (1) the fugitive is in fact the person sought by the demanding state, (2) the fugitive is charged with a crime in that state, and (3) the fugitive was in the demanding state at the time the offense was committed.” That last one would be a puzzlement — can someone be “in the state” if the offense is being out of the state?
13john in denver @13 While I hold no sheepskin in law, crime or skullduggery, I can tell you that The Surly Professor called the nine ball game accurately on the outcome of the #12 submit from the other day and he came through with honors to boot. This was an orchestrated sting the dems came up with. Goops knew it from the last time. If it succeeds, they’ll be two up on the ‘big lie’ lunkheads.
14It’s been pointed out by a few folks on the twitter machine that “flee” is the wrong word to use as it implies they’re lawbreakers or afraid. Just a thought. But good on them for taking a stand in DC. The Senate absolutely needs to pass S.1. and S.4.!
15A twofer: the Texans are hard to catch and return in DC, and they can bring attention to the voter suppression skullduggery in R states.
16The Texas Democrats deserve high praise for pulling this geographical filibuster off without a hitch, or the Rethugs thwarting it.
They got away with surreptitiously charting a jet, all of them getting aboard, and wisely going to friendly DeeCee; where they kicked off the festivities by meeting with VP Kamala Harris. They looked like they were having a helluva fun time on the plane to .
I can see the pursuing Texas Rangers and/or DPS Troopers arriving shortly in DC and getting a supreme runaround for a few weeks [Have y’all checked the top of the Washington Monument again?…].
Meanwhile, Guv Abbutt is –uber hopping mad– about this. Saw a news segment with good ol’ Greggie and he was reallyreally PISSED OFF, woowhee. His ugly face was contorted with rage, spittle flying, head shaking in anger [Any chance that this sonuvabitch has a heart or stroke condition, and will we get lucky?].
17He’s gonna get those darned Demonrats, he’s gonna lock ’em up in the Lege, he’s gonna yaddayadda. And if he can’t get his grubby hands on them evile Demonrats he’s gonna call special Lege sessions until next damned year, or hell freezes over.
Damn, this is fun…
what happens if they resign en masse?
18According to Rachel Maddow, any state sergeant-at-arms has no jurisdiction outside his/her own state. So good luck arresting them in DC.
Aamof, the Dems had entertained the idea of decamping to Arizona or W. Virginia in an effort to nudge Sinema and Manchin off the dime but decided that the Republican governors of those states might cooperate with Abbot and hand them over. So they headed to D.C. instead.
I’m betting they made the right call since R’s aren’t too bothered about following inconvenient laws or state constitutions that do little things like encourage the maintenance of democracy in this country.
19weakgrip @ 18:
20I imagine the remaining TX congress-critters have an immediate quorum and proceed to pass whatever they want unopposed.
Msb @ 16:
The downside: if it weren’t for Manchin and Sinema and any fellow travelers who are hiding behind their skirts, there would be no need to go lean on Congress. This is a problem of the Democrats’ making as much as it is anything else.
Get off the damn dime, Sinema and Manchin, for God’s sake! And the sake of the country. Before it’s too late.
21Texans travel to DC to meet the VP: “As soon as they come back in the state of Texas they will be arrested.”
Texans travel to DC to pillage the Capitol and hang the VP: “No, no, they’re patriotic tourists, political prisoners! Who assassinated angel-martyr Ashli Babbitt?”
Cognitive dissonance is what I’m feeling today.
22I know Texas is strange and wonderful, and the Governor can do stuff … but I’ve yet to hear what LAW the Democrats are breaking. And I have no idea why a Governor would be able to enforce the rules of the House and Senate. So does someone have the experience to know what the heck Abbott is talking abbott?
23