“Texas Democrats lost. But they drew attention to Republicans’ efforts to put their thumb on the scale, and demonstrated a valuable tactic for galvanizing their beleaguered party. They lost, but they lost loudly. Losing loudly has been a crucial feature of successful political movements.” Gift:
If you have to explain why it worked when the thing still happened, that's not "winning."
How about winning instead
Now district attorneys should learn that you do t only take on the cases you KNOW you can win because then you end up with a criminal President
Exactly! I think this is why we’ve been so exasperated with the Congressional Democrats. Make more noise, make spectacles of the things he does, so that the people who wouldn’t normally hear about it become aware.
On the one hand the Democratic party of Texas has been dealt an irrecoverable death blow as the state slides into permanent one party rule, but on the other hand everyone knows they were really upset about it.
I still don't understand what the argument for returning was. Given the shit they put up with in Texas, why **not** just peace out to Illinois indefinitely? Blocking quorum is about the only thing they can accomplish.
The argument is that they’re human beings with families and non-legislature jobs they couldn’t leave indefinitely.
If that's the reason why they returned, then they aren't cut out for this job.
I wouldn't become a doctor if I'm unwilling to go on call. I wouldn't work on an oil rig if I need to come home to my family every day. I wouldn't become a pilot if I hated traveling.
It wasn’t the only reason. Remaining out of state would have allowed Abbott to declare their seats vacant and (if Republican-dominated state court allowed it) appoint their replacements. Would that have been a better outcome?
It would have been the same outcome as what happened when they voluntarily returned. And apparently no one really believes the Governor has that power. Does Texas Governor Greg Abbott have the power to vacate Texas House seats? share.google/ArXTiJ3q6XlU...
My understanding is that would be a long and complicated legal battle, which would be the point, unless I’m overestimating how effective of a strategy breaking quorum is.
Then it's the job of Illinois and national Democrats to help find everybody and their families jobs and homes in the Chicago metro.
The Democratic party couldn't use some of that money they're endlessly begging for to not lose this one?
In the past when American democracy was in jeopardy we’ve sent soldiers off to brutal war zones, separated from their friends and family for months or years at a time. Many never to return at all. Another couple months in IL & CA hardly seemed an unreasonable hardship for the legislators to bear.
People haven’t accepted that fascism can only lose if we’re willing to do hard things. They want it to be easy.
All it did was give everybody more time to sharpen their weapons, ha ha. GOP is gonna hate September. Especially if Trump's health fails. Cause MAGA will lose a great deal of steam without their piped piper leader.
“Beleaguered party. Media narrative that has nothing to do with reality. Democrats GAINED seats in the House. Including FLIPPING 4 red seats. Held onto 5 of 7 senate seats when experts said they’d lose them all. Gained governors-state legislatures &
barely lost a presidential election with a Black woman during a worldwide anti incumbency environment. Are over performing in EVERY special election by 15%. No-the media is trying to make it a “beleaguered party”.
Reality is not a few polls a year out from midterms when Democrats still lead republicans by 8%.. it’s dishonest and lazy.
all they had to do was not fucking go back. all they ever do is whine and then do whatever the republicans want. "oooh but we had awareness" if people aren't aware then nothing is going to make them aware at this point. they didn't eat shit in the election because of lack of awareness!
📌
why'd they go back
Because they were at risk of actually accomplishing something tangible
Can anyone put their finger on precisely *when* our political reps forgot this?! Ok, that’s rhetorical; they jettisoned obvious lessons of (not so distant) history w the same stutterstep of authoritarian rise— and its new reward matrices. But the sclerosis is stunning. Re-learn it already!
Join a CP. We need you guys in the US organised in a party that wants to control capital and to redistribute the power of capitalists among all residents. Any CP will do. FYI: CPUSA is growing.
One of the things that aggravates me the most about Dem leaders is the lose silently, whipped dog like, going down without a fight. We need new Dem leaders
Ok but they lost
Conservative Dems: “Okay, as a Democrat, they lost, but here’s why that’s good for me, a conservative.” I don’t understand why people don’t realize the problem.
This is why everything has to be resisted, even when the outcome is predictable. For one, it slows things down. But also: resistance is contagious.
They "resisted" for two weeks. And then gave up. They didn't force the Republicans to miss a crucial deadline or keep a vote from happening in the first place. It was literally just for show and, in the end, accomplished nothing
I disagree. They made the Texas fuckery a national story. They elevated Pritzker’s message. They opened space for Newsom’s response. They laid groundwork for state to state solidarity. Every bit of resistance enables others to follow suit. Think beyond first order effects.
Yes but... they gave up. They chose to STOP resisting when they didn't have to. They could have done all those things AND stopped Texas completely just by staying in Chicago. They weren't arrested and brought back. They weren't replaced. They. Gave. Up.
Even if it's just rainbow chalk on a crosswalk.
Yes exactly!
Is it really losing when gerrymandering makes it impossible to win? It's really control and manipulation, not a fair opportunity for an alternate outcome.
Gerrymandering could have been fixed anytime since 1812. That it has not been is a choice every generation of Voters made. Blame the Voters
Nah fuck that they should have stayed in illinois, they could have just blown up the political process for texas but they chickend out. Like there are too many people asked to make the ultimate sacrifice in things like the military, fire department, and etc but they couldn't take a long vacation?
they were winning. They had effectively halted the Governor’s plans and gave constituents a sense they were willing to fight even at personal risk. Then they changed their minds and went home to “lose loudly” reinforcing the party’s reputation for actively choosing defeat in the face of victory
No, it didn’t work. Drawing attention to fascism and doing nothing to materially stop it is utter failure, and if it’s painted as effective, it distracts and undermines actual useful resistance and so actually helps the fascists.
What will Dems do in California and other states is what matters now. They need to answer in kind, making sure to become strong enough to save democracy by impeaching both Trump and Vance.