Greg Abbott Thinks He's The Mayor of Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott made his latest political move to fight efforts to cut police funding Wednesday, calling on all Texas candidates in the November election to sign a pledge “backing the blue.” https://t.co/7zmja3CSLw

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 10, 2020

The observation is not original with me, but he’s clearly acting like it.

Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign a pledge opposing police budget cuts — and a legislative proposal to “protect police funding” in Texas — at 2 p.m. Central on Thursday.

Abbott said last week that he was considering a legislative proposal that, if passed, would put the control of the Austin Police Department under state authority. That move came after the Austin City Council cut its police department's budget following months of heightened criticism after an officer shot and killed Mike Ramos, an unarmed Black and Hispanic man who was driving away from police.

Now why would he do that?

Texans on unemployment will stop receiving an extra $300 in weekly jobless benefits issued by the Trump administration after claims from last week are paid, state officials said Wednesday. https://t.co/OR7QW8FKjc

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 10, 2020

He could also be worried about the fact Democrats may take over the Lege in 2021, which means his proposal would be DOA in January.

Oh, and unemployment claims in Texas as of Sept. 5?  3.4 million.  That's gonna leave a mark.

But back to that proposal (which, of course, the police unions love):

In Austin, violent crime rates dropped by 25% between 2008 and 2018. This year through July, there were 29 homicides, compared with 19 during the same period last year, according to the police chief's monthly crime report. Abbott's press conference Thursday will occur at the Austin Police Association's headquarters, and members of that city's law enforcement union will join him.

Gee, what happened in 2020 to drive up the crime rate in cities?

Policing is the most expensive item in most cities’ budgets. Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio budgeted more than one-third of their general funds for police departments during the 2020 fiscal year. Austin, which has decided to reduce its funding and reorganize its police department, budgeted $444 dollars per resident on police in the 2020 fiscal year, more than any of the three largest cities in Texas.

And what do all candidates running for office have to do with city police budgets?  Nothing.  Not the ones who run on party tickets, anyway.  All city elections in Texas are officially non-partisan.  Of course, we all know who the candidates and incumbents sympathize with, but the people who actually determine city budgets can't come out and declare fealty to Abbot's pledge.  Republicans running for state and federal election can, though, which is weird, since most people voting for City Council are the same people voting for legislators.

The whole thing seems a little half-baked to me.  And as a distraction from covid and unemployment and people not shopping at the rates they were before, pretty pathetic.  Then again, Republicans haven't had to be good at retail politics in Texas for several decades now.  That's a lesson they taught Democrats, who owned the state for over 100 years, but who earned their place most of that time (where do you think LBJ learned his skills?  In school?).  It may be the GOP is about to find out they've been too lazy and complacent.

Hope springs eternal.