cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/33927344

In an extraordinary move brokered with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, dozens of Texas House Democrats aim to deny a quorum as the GOP is set to draw new maps.

The roughly 30 Democrats are expected to stay for the week in a plan brokered with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who had met with the Texas caucus late last month and has directed staff to provide logistical support for their stay. A news conference with the governor and Texas Democrats is expected later Sunday.

Last week, Texas Republicans released a proposed new congressional map that would give the GOP a path to pick up five seats in next year’s midterm elections. It followed President Donald Trump’s public pressure for a new map in the state as he works to retain a majority in Congress in what historically is a difficult year for the party holding the White House.

The proposed map would shift district lines in ways that would target current Democratic members of Congress in and around Austin, Dallas and Houston, as well as two already endangered Democrats representing south Texas districts that Trump carried last year.

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[+] 108 points 1 year ago (4 children)
  • [–] 81 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    The republicans are trying to steal 5 US House of Reps seats, this is awesome.

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  • [+] 30 points 1 year ago (6 children)
  • [–] 49 points 1 year ago (16 children)

    The fact that Illinois is helping them makes it less likely the Texas rangers will kidnap them and render them back to Texas.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (14 children)

    Pretty sure the Texas rangers have zero jurisdiction outside of Texas.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (12 children)

    Pretty sure if they tried to do anything outside of Texas the local PD would probably be justified in arresting them or even just shooting them.

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  • [–] 20 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Justified? Sure. I suspect "professional courtesy" would prevent any such thing, though.

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  • Some cops especially sheriffs can be very very territorial, plenty of them are bastards to those outside their region but are chill for those from within the region. A jumped up Texas ranger would be well within the "They aren't gonna find your bodies" area.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago (9 children)

    Why do you think the local PD would be on the side of democracy?

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    Don't think they would be, but they are far more likely to shoot some jumped up out of stater.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    History says they'll side with power/authoritarian. Don't put any faith in westernized law enforcement. Their job is to keep the workers in line. Not to question orders.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    If there is one thing that can get deputies and local PD twitchy its tribalism especially if that triablism is being agitated by someone else's tribe. Fact of the matter is that Texas Rangers don't have power or authority outside of Texas, and frankly speaking cops are just as aware of their paycheque as everyone else. If they work with the Texas rangers without higher approval from within the state they risk getting their pay cut for basically nothing.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    They didn't care last time. And the time before that... As long as they are going after marginalized people the local authorities will at best be passive bystanders, at worst they'll actively help the authoritarian.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    You are seeing them as a monolith they aren't, they may be broadly aligned but if some Texas ranger started stomping around SoCal he is going to have the sheriff and whatever PD up his ass. I am under no illusion about the general corruption of such groups but they are as I said very territorial and will fight over jurisdiction. Most cops are more than willing to sit on their assess and do nothing, there's a reason they all rush to check out some teenagers drawing knives and it's because they have nothing better to do.

    They gain NOTHING from helping out outside authorities unless the state is enabling them, if a protest breaks our yes they'll be jackboots. But if alls quiet on the western front then they'll sit on their assess and do nothing or watch porn in their squad car because that's what my local cops do for some reason.

    Also when I say state I don't mean the feds, I'm pretty sure my local deputies would jump at the idea of shooting a fed.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    If they weren't prepared to be the boot for the oligarchy, they wouldn't work in law enforcement in the first place.

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  • The flaw in your assumption is that the oligarchy is actually united. Depending on the region you may very well see an area dominated by a handful of old money families who will call in favors with the good old boys and have them cause trouble. Factionalism is rife amongst the rich the only reason it seems like they have any amount of unity is because a handful of ultra oligarchs such as Thiel, Musk, and Zuckerberg dominate the media.

    The police often know their place in such order or at least the ones at the top do. This is why you can get sheriffs departments break rank with town and city PD on occasion because they answer to different powers be they legitimate IE the state or county cheque makers of illegitimate such as the broadly rich in LA vs the old families of a rural Eastern Californian county.

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  • [–] 46 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Seems like this is starting to shed more light on the GOP's plans.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    We're headed for civil war. But way dumber than the last one.

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  • [–] 39 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    In an extraordinary move

    The problem is it's not ordinary...

    We tell voters were fighting fascism and that's all that matters when it's time to vote, then they get in office and don't do shit

    Spend two years doing this type of stuff and it won't be so hard to convince voters to fight when it's their turn

    It's not enough for voters to turn out every two years. We need the politicians we elect to actually do shit like this. This gets more votes than 10 million from a billionaire.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    Good news doesn't break through half as much as bad news does. State dems have often (though not always) shown much more resolve to do stuff like this than the national party has

    Earlier this year in Maine, the governor challenged Trump to his face on his illegal attempts to cut school lunch money funding over a single digit number of trans athletes in the state. She won in court and Trump folded and gave the money back

    Earlier this year in Minnesota, a judge ruled a dem wasn't able to go to office on a technicality (that Republicans only brought up after he won). That seat changed the house from tied to 1 seat GOP, and so Dems then did not show up to deny quorum until after a special election took place. The republicans tried to force operations and operated without a quorum. Dems sued and got a judge to rule every single one of the republican's actions was invalid because it was without quorum. They then won the special election and only then started back up state legislative operations

    There are people willing to do the work. Show up to every damn primary and vote to make sure they are the dominant force in the party

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  • First rule of hide and seek.

    Don't hide all in one spot.

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