Why Democrats are going to win!

August 26, 2023

          Happy weekend, everyone! The purpose of this short note is to open the Comments section after another tumultuous week. As always, please be respectful and “like” worthy comments to bring them to the attention of other readers.

          As we head into the weekend, I was struck by three stories that have a common theme. In each story, Republicans who are in power are engaging in anti-democratic tactics to preserve their diminishing hold on power. They are doing so in ways that will only accelerate their demise by provoking outrage and increasing resistance from Democrats. The fact that Republicans don’t understand (or care about) that backlash reeks of desperation and short-term thinking typical of political parties whose goal is survival rather than growth and success.

          I highlight these stories not to make you mad, but to motivate you to greater action and activism. We have Republicans on the run. They know it and are trying to burn the bridges to cover their retreat. That tactic won’t work. At best, it will delay their defeat but serves as a tacit admission of defeat and surrender.

          In Ohio, the Republican Secretary of State is responsible for drafting ballot language describing the proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing reproductive liberty. Rather than including the actual language of the amendment, he has drafted is own description, which is peppered with anti-abortion phrases and surplus language designed to confuse and obfuscate the intent of the amendment. See Talking Points Memo, Ohio Republicans Use Last-Ditch Gambit To Infuse Ballot Proposal With Anti-Abortion Language. Ohioans will not be fooled so easily. Instead, they will be outraged and motivated to turn out in greater numbers.

          In Tennessee, the legislature is back in a special session after two young Black Democratic representatives (Justin Pearson and Justin Jones) were kicked out of the Tennessee House for briefly demonstrating in the “well” of the House. Reps. Pearson and Jones were re-elected and are now prepared to resume their advocacy for gun legislation. The GOP speaker of the House instituted new rules that effectively allows him to silence Pearson, Jones, and other Democrats. See TPM, Tennessee GOP Use First Few Days Of Special Session To Pass Rules That Silence The Minority. Per TPM,

Tennessee House Republicans used their majority to pass floor rules for the special session to silence Democratic lawmakers and the protestors that filled the state House. [¶] Republicans passed a new rule allowing the Speaker of the House to limit or stop other lawmakers from speaking if he felt their speech was disrupting legislative business. The rule went so far as to give the Speaker the power to block representatives from speaking on the House floor for up to three days. And if a second offense is committed, lawmakers can be suspended indefinitely, according to the new rule.

          I would say that Tennessee Republicans fear what Democrats will say on the House floor during the debate. Rather than trying to rebut the points made by Democrats, Republicans have given themselves the right to silence their opponents. Cowards!

          In Texas, the Republican legislature has passed legislation to dissolve the position of elections administrator in Harris County—the most populous county in Texas that is home to the largest populations of Latino, Black, and Democratic voters in Texas. Responsibility for elections has been transferred to the county tax assessor and county clerk—who are not equipped to run elections. Expect chaos to ensue.  See Texas Tribune, Texas Supreme Court lets state law eliminating Harris County elections chief stand, for now.

          Harris County was solidly Republican until 2008 when it voted for Obama. It has been reliably Democratic ever since. Republicans know that Harris County will spearhead the blue wave that will overtake Texas one day and are doing their best to suppress the vote of everyone in Harris County—Republicans and Democrats alike. As I said, they are burning the bridges in retreat.

          Have a good weekend, everyone. Talk to you on Monday!