Shell_Seas
Shell_Seas's Journal57 Days Until The Filing Deadline - How Many Republicans Are Still Unopposed?
Countdown to 2024: Identifying Opportunities for Democratic Candidates in Texas.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/57-days-until-the-filing-deadline
Around the country, there have been 31 elections this year, and 25 of them have swung toward Democrats. Not only that, Democrats are massively overperforming their baseline. Now, we have 400 days left until the 2024 election, which is a long time for Democrats to screw things up, but based on the momentum we’re seeing around the country, things are looking good for Texas.
On top of that, the GOP Civil War is depressing its base, causing moderate Republicans to swear off the GOP once and for all.
If all of the current trends hold through the year, in 2024, we will see a massive underperformance from Texas Republicans and an overperformance from Texas Democrats. This is excellent news!
But we have to have candidates on the ballot for Democratic voters to vote for. Not all of these seats will be flippable, but the more Democrats on the ticket, the more motivated the voters will be.
The filing deadline for the November 2024 election is on December 11.
Political Theater In The Republican Party Of Texas May Cause Popcorn Shortage
The Texas Republican Party is at a crossroads. Their growing divide has long-term implications and consequences in Texas politics.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/political-theater-in-the-republican
There isn’t enough popcorn in the world to process the levels of depravity that the GOP Civil War has sunk to. Have you enjoyed watching the trainwreck that the Republican Party of Texas has become? I know I sure have, and there is no indication of it letting up anytime soon. They’re killing their party, depressing their base, and will ultimately push the state further left. This is great for us!
Yesterday, we saw a bitchslap of epic proportions when Tony Tinderholt took to the back mic to use the parliamentary inquiry process to ask Dade Phelan when he plans on apologizing to Ken Paxton for impeaching the crook.
Phelan *basically* said, “Bitch, quit asking stupid fucking questions and go sit your stupid ass down.” It was amazing. You can watch that exchange here:
Nazigate Has Taken Over Texas Politics By Storm
Updates on the Nazigate fallout and the voucher scam being pushed by the recipients of the neo-Nazi money.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/nazigate-has-taken-over-texas-politics
Yesterday, I spent all day watching the school voucher hearings. I posted testimony clips to Twitter X if you follow me there. However, everything you want to know about the Senate’s voucher scam can be summed up in this video:
Here is the quick run-down. This program is only for about 60,000 kids. It gives them an allotment of $8,000, nearly $2,000 over the basic allotment for public schools. The bill has a cap on how many low-income and disabled students can use the program, and the GOP is back at it with their “blind to race” bullshit. The Senate’s bill is terrible, racist, and a handout for the wealthy. I doubt the House bill will differ significantly, but we must wait and see.
The Senate Committee on Border Security met yesterday as well. I’m planning on catching up on that video today. Nothing else is scheduled in Austin until tomorrow when the House gavels back in for the first reading of bills. There may or may not be drama, looking at where the House is in cohesiveness. I’m hoping for it, though. The more drama there is in Austin, the less chance they have of getting things done.
House committee hearings for vouchers and other GOP priorities will likely occur next week.
The Republican Party Of Texas Falls Off The Rails As Nazigate Explodes
The line in the sand has been drawn. Team colors have been picked. It's going to get ugly.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-republican-party-of-texas-falls
The House and Senate both gaveled in today. Nothing exciting happened on the Senate side. They held a hearing on teacher pay raises. That passed and was voted out to the full Senate. The bill offers several things. It’s better than nothing, but nowhere near what Democrats were asking for.
In the House, they gaveled in and passed a bipartisan resolution about Texas standing with Israel. It passed 147-0. They were wrapping up and scheduling to meet on Thursday for the first reading of bills (which will probably be heard in committee next week) when ol’ Mr. Tony Tinderholt made his way to the back mic to ask Speaker Phelan some questions. Check it out:
Tinderholt’s parliamentary inquiries concerned an audit for Ken Paxton’s impeachment cost, which Tinderholt and some others on the far-right requested a few weeks back. The Speaker was having none of it. In Tinderholt’s last inquiry, he asked, “Is the House dragging its feet because they’re afraid that the impeachment may exceed the $3 million that allegedly started the sham impeachment in motion?”
Immediately, you can hear the gasps in the “ooos” of the other House members.
The Republican Party Of Texas' Neo-Nazi Problem
Texas Politics Under the Shadow of Extremism: The GOP's Alarming Ties.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-republican-party-of-texas-neo
The last 24-hours in Texas politics have been completely off the rails. If you missed it, yesterday Robert Downen with the Texas Tribune broke a story, with photographic evidence, about how well-known white supremacist and self-proclaimed neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes was meeting with Republican operatives and activists at the Pale Horse Strategies office.
This is a huge deal and just one more kink in the chain of the Republican Party’s total embrace of Nazism and white supremacist culture. In attendance on Sunday were:
Nick Fuentes
Kyle Rittenhouse, murderer of civil rights activists
Chris Russo of Texans for Strong Borders
Matt Rinaldi, Chair of the Republican Party of Texas
Jonathan Stickland, shill for Tim Dunn and Ferris Wilks
Ella Maulding, Pale Horse Strategy employee and white replacement theory propaganda peddler
It was quite a cast of villains and evil-doers. This, mind you, happened over the weekend, while Israel and Palestine have broken out in war. Since the Texas Tribune broke this report, shit in the Republican Party has really hit the fan.
Legislature Set To Meet In Three Days As The GOP Civil War Rages On
Legislature Set To Meet In Three Days As The GOP Civil War Rages On
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/legislature-set-to-meet-in-three
Governor Greg Abbott finally published his official agenda for the special session. There aren’t any surprises, school vouchers, border security, and investigating Colony Ridge. All of this is complete crap. Vouchers are unpopular and will hurt public schools. Border security is the federal government’s job. And Colony Ridge is a Hispanic community that the GOP has labeled a magnet for undocumented immigrants, with zero proof or evidence.
It doesn’t matter, though, because the likelihood of the House and the Senate working cohesively to pass legislation is low.
Speaker Dade Phelan has finally broken his silence in the last few weeks, and he’s come out swinging.
First, Phelan published an Op-Ed in the Beaumont Enterprise, where he accused the Texas Senate of putting politics over principles. It’s a good read if you get the time. Phelan cited the months-long investigation into allegations involving bribery, deceit, and other disturbing misconduct as why the House overwhelmingly agreed that a further examination of the facts was merited.
West Texas Billionaires Set Aim At Forcing Hispanics Out Of Texans
Trigger Warning: This article contains shocking screenshots from well-funded white supremacists. First, they targeted women, then the LGBTQ community, and next, they set their aim on Hispanic Texans.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/west-texas-billionaires-set-aim-at
The two men pictured above are Tim Dunn and Ferris Wilks, two oil oligarchs from West Texas. A few years ago, CNN made a documentary about these men called Deep in the Pockets of Texas. You can see the video below if you haven’t already.
They’ve been in the headlines again recently, paying Dan Patrick $3 million to acquit Ken Paxton. Their ultimate goal is transforming Texas into an authoritarian, white, Christian Nationalist state.
Over the last decade, Dunn and Wilks have bought the top politicians in Texas with over $100 million in contributions. And it’s not just politicians. They fund a sprawling network of PACs, think tanks, and media outlets.
In Symbolic Move, Abbott Calls Special Session On Indigenous Peoples' Day
In 1492, Christopher Columbus inflicted violence, exploitation, and destruction on the Indigenous people of the Caribbean. This is why Governor Abbott's special session agenda is so shocking.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/in-symbolic-move-abbott-calls-special
During the 2022 election, Greg Abbott raked in over $111 million. Even though his next term won’t be up until 2026, he’s already pulled in over $15 million. That equates to a lot of political favors. Despite the massive pushback and unpopularity of school vouchers, Abbott’s latest special session will focus on just that. He’ll likely also put “border security” on the agenda.
All year, Abbott has been touring the state and meeting with every private school and Christian organization to talk about what he deems “school choice.” But it’s a crusade to destroy public education. Even the majority of rural Republicans aren’t going along with his privatization scheme. This is why the legislature failed to pass all school privatization bills in the regular session.
Currently, the Governor does not have the support he needs to enact his radical school voucher program, but that could easily change. Remember, Republicans operate by how much money they get, not by doing what’s best for their constituents. With Abbott’s war chest continuous growth, he’ll have plenty of money this coming election to either make or break Republicans in the legislature.
The Power of Your Voice: Transforming Texas Through Voting
Why non-voters hold the key to a progressive Texas.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-power-of-your-voice-transforming
As a non-voter, you always have an explanation for why you don’t vote. My vote doesn’t matter. I’m too busy. I don’t follow politics. I’m not into politics. The game is rigged against me.
In Texas, there are millions of people just like you. In fact, the voter turnout in Texas is the lowest of any state.
Texas’s problems aren’t because of National Politics or who is president. Texas’s issues are directly because of the state government and the harm they intentionally did to Texans. You may or may not already be aware of this, but any actions other states or the federal government take are constantly tested in Texas first. That’s why Texas was the first to ban abortions and pass open carry. Texas has long been the testing ground for far-right Conservatism.
So, how bad is it in Texas? And how much worse will it get?
Texas Progressives Embarrass GOP In Sham Impeachment Against Joe Biden
As the Republicans in Congress continue their clown show, a few Texans bring a spotlight to their shenanigans.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/texas-progressives-embarrass-gop
If you missed it today, the Republican-led Congress held its first “Impeachment Hearing” against Joe Biden. You can catch up with it here (warning: it’s six hours long and still going as I write this).
“Shitshow” wouldn’t even begin to describe the chaos in this hearing. To summarize, Republicans don’t have any evidence against Joe Biden. All they talked about was Hunter Biden. The Republican witnesses they called had no first-hand information on Hunter or Joe Biden. One of the witnesses publicly defended a pedophile. Another witness posted extremist content to her LinkedIn account.
The Chair of the Committee, Congressman Comer, lost control repeatedly as both sides shouted over one another when Comer refused to follow House Committee rules.
Democrats presented evidence that this hearing was at the behest of Donald Trump, whom the GOP refuses to break ties with.
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