Choices And Who Makes Them

If you love and hold democracy dear,
it should be very alarming what is happening in so many states.
The last stand of white nationalism.
“It was a dramatic, last-minute move that had only been used three other times in the state’s history.” https://t.co/NxISNTokNF

— Troy Westwood (@TroyWestwood) May 31, 2021

 The Democrats’ victory is likely to be short-lived. Although the midnight deadline meant anything not passed by then would be dead for the year, Gov. Greg Abbott made clear he would bring up the measure again in a special session. “Election Integrity & Bail Reform were emergency items for this legislative session. They STILL must pass,” Abbott tweeted. “They will be added to the special session agenda.” Abbott didn’t specify when the special session would start, but it could be as early as Tuesday.

Only if he really wants to piss off the Democrats.  Texas legislators are part-time employees.  They have real jobs to return to, and five months in Austin is long enough to be away.  Make them stay past Monday, and watch the Dems walk out again.  Make them come back in the summer and watch 'em walk out again. Especially, as I say, since the Lege needs to redistrict and they need the Census information to do so.  That's going to be a fraught process and they don't want to do it next year.

The longer Abbott drags this out, the more special sessions he decides to call, the more frayed the nerves will be in the Capitol.  There are more than a few Republicans in the House (if not the Senate, too) who will find it less and less and less convenient to stay in Austin, or to come back for months at a time (each session can only last 30 days, with the same consequences for deadlines as the regular session).

I'm not saying it can't be done, but you can't go to that well too many times.  The GOP is gonna have to decide if it wants to suppress votes (and force passage of H.B. 1, and probably end the filibuster in the Senate), or if they want to redistrict the second most populous state in the country.

Decisions, decisions....