Greg Abbott Thinks He’s Ken Paxton

 Or maybe he thinks he’s got Donald Trump in his pocket:

Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday his long-awaited special session on “school choice” will start next month while promising political consequences for lawmakers who stand in the way of his priority legislation. 

“There’s an easy way to get it done, and there’s a hard way,” Abbott said on a tele-town hall about the issue. “We will take it either way — in a special session or after an election.” 

Lawmakers have long expected the special session to start in October, but this is the most specific Abbott has been about the timing yet. And his blunt remarks about the politics mark an escalation of pressure on Republicans in the Texas House who have been a roadblock to the proposal. 

“If we do not win in that first special session, we will have another special special session and we’ll come back again,” Abbott said. “And then if we don’t win that time, I think it’s time to send this to the voters themselves.” 

"We will have everything teed up in a way where we will be giving voters in a primary a choice,” Abbott added.

First, I will note he displays no concern for school budgets or the fact schools got bupkis for their budgets for the next two years. Abbott doesn’t care.  But school districts are already doling out cuts and layoffs and reducing everything because they don’t have any money, and that’s going to be public oh, about October. And top of mind for parents of school children, oh, about next March. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had an effect on the primaries.

Nobody’s paying attention to it now. But the cuts are starting. Believe me, people will pay attention then. And they won’t be worrying about who gets to go to school where. They’ll be worrying about what’s happening to the school their kids go to. And the schools will tell them it’s because the Lege didn’t fund schools this year. Or next year.

And Abbott may wish he was Trump; because then he’d be living in Florida.

Me, I’m gonna watch the House Republicans join with the Democrats and fight Abbott and the Paxton GOP. Just in time for the festive season! 🎄