Some species have a mating dance, others howl instinctively, Republicans cahoot.

We know they do it, but we just rarely catch them at it.  Thanks to the Texas Democratic Party, we’ve got email cahooting on record.

As you probably know, the redistricting maps drawn by our Republican state lege totally screwed Hispanics.  But there’s more.  Tom DeLay’s original redistricting plan in 2002 tried to marginalize the Democratic Party by making it the party of minorities.  He went after every white male congressman Texas had.  And, he got all but one – Lloyd Doggett.  So, this redistricting doubled down and made Doggett’s district largely Hispanic, knowing a Hispanic Democratic would jump on it.

And that’s where they got caught.

Many of the emails are to and from Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), in regard to moving Hispanic voters into one district to make it harder for a Democratic congressman to win his district. In one email, a lawyer for Smith relates that the congressman wanted to move a neighborhood around the San Antonio Country Club from out of the Hispanic district and into his to reduce the number of white voters in the Democratic district.

So, we got Lamar Smith tap dancing on the tombstones of his own constituents.

But, it gets better.

Today, we have some news ….

There is “ample circumstantial evidence” that the congressional and state representative redistricting maps signed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry had not only the effect but the intent of limiting the voting power of Hispanic voters, Justice Department lawyers said in a court filing late Tuesday.

According to DOJ lawyers, half a million Hispanic voters in Texas lost their voting power.

To make matters even funner, there is the real possibility that Texas won’t have congressional districts by the filing deadline, which this state lege moved back to the first week in December.

Now you know why we only let the lege meet every two years and don’t pay them much.

Thanks to Stephen and Alfredo and Mary and Gregg for the heads-up.