Texas House Speaker signs civil arrest warrants to return absent Democrats to chamber

[Egomaniac]

The real issue to be talked about, there is why they were using that tactic.

The issue isn't the tactic, it's the motive. What laws were they trying to prevent the passage of, and for what reason(s)?

Because for the Democrats, here, it's opposition to a law that attacks the principle of a fair and equitable election.

I agree, The principle is what we should be discussing.

I'm just against the roundabout cries of hypocrisy that these kinds of things always create...because it goes nowhere.

[starlord]

one of the texas dems has begun a filibuster of the bill in quesion: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tex...ilibuster/amp/

all those eager to remove the national one, take note of how it is when your party is the vast minority.

[beanman12345]

one of the texas dems has begun a filibuster of the bill in quesion: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tex...ilibuster/amp/

all those eager to remove the national one, take note of how it is when your party is the vast minority.

If we got rid of the national one, she wouldn't have to be doing this symbolic one in the first place....

[Edge-]

one of the texas dems has begun a filibuster of the bill in quesion: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tex...ilibuster/amp/

all those eager to remove the national one, take note of how it is when your party is the vast minority.

I'm all for removing the filibuster threat that holds up legislation. But if a member of the Senate (state or federal) wants to actually step up and filibuster in-person for hours/days they're absolutely welcome to do so.

There's a whole library of Dr. Seuss books that Ted Cruz can totally trigger the libs by reading.

Also, considering the use of the filibuster on the federal level historically, maybe it's something better suited for state government than the federal government.

[Roxinius]

costing tax payers 43k daily they've been holding out what 20+ days now its not like they'll go to jail they will be taken to the state house to vote

[Machismo]

costing tax payers 43k daily they've been holding out what 20+ days now its not like they'll go to jail they will be taken to the state house to vote

That's a small fraction of what Trump spent on golf trips.

You must have been outraged.

[Edge-]

costing tax payers 43k daily they've been holding out what 20+ days now its not like they'll go to jail they will be taken to the state house to vote

Because they keep calling special sessions. If they stopped calling special sessions they'd only have the per-diems to deal with, which cost about $5K per lawmaker, including Republicans.

And it hasn't cost $43K for 20+ days, it's cost that for four days so far.

https://abc13.com/texas-legislature-...orum/10943539/

[Cthulhu 2020]

What GOP did in Oregon surely is the same immature bullshit, nice whataboutism though

It's easy to claim you cared about Oregon when you're put on the spot for looking like a hypocrite, isn't it?

And this is Texas's senate. I don't seem to recall you in any threads during the last 2 years of Obama's presidency, when Republican senators of the national senate refused to show up most of the time.

This kind of walk out protest is a specialty of Republicans in particular, Dems are just putting their own medicine against them.

[cubby]

The Texas GOP passed their assault on voters rights bill, after a 15 hour filibuster attempt. This was always going to pass, just a matter of how long our better angels could delay it.

Hats off to the GQP for holding onto the majority with a minority of votes.

[Benggaul]

The Texas GOP passed their assault on voters rights bill, after a 15 hour filibuster attempt. This was always going to pass, just a matter of how long our better angels could delay it.

Hats off to the GQP for holding onto the majority with a minority of votes.

The Senate did. The House still has to vote on it and that's still being held up. They'll pass it eventually, but the Dems aren't making it easy.

[Omega10]

The Senate did. The House still has to vote on it and that's still being held up. They'll pass it eventually, but the Dems aren't making it easy.

Yeah but the bottom line is that the bill will pass. Credit is due to the democrats who pretty much did what they could. This will have pretty major effects for elections moving forward in Texas, and will likely springboard similar types of election laws in other states.

[PhaelixWW]

costing tax payers 43k daily they've been holding out what 20+ days now its not like they'll go to jail they will be taken to the state house to vote

I, for one, don't put a price tag on voters' rights. That's very antithetical to US ideology.

[Jaransan]

I, for one, don't put a price tag on voters' rights. That's very antithetical to US ideology.

I dunno how to tell you this chief, but you’ve got a whole party in control of about half the senate whose whole shtick is taking things Antithetical to US ideology and convincing idiots its the most American thing ever

[Sunseeker]

Because the government arresting political opponents in order to force them to do things they don't want to is how you spell "democracy"!

[PhaelixWW]

I dunno how to tell you this chief, but you’ve got a whole party in control of about half the senate whose whole shtick is taking things Antithetical to US ideology and convincing idiots its the most American thing ever

I'm well aware, thanks. My sig definitely indicates as much.

[tehdang]

Because the government arresting political opponents in order to force them to do things they don't want to is how you spell "democracy"!

Fleeing the state to avoid holding a vote they know they'll lose isn't how you spell democracy. Not by a long shot.

The whole calculus hinges on whether the legislation in question violates the democratic substructure in such a fundamental way that any actions taken against that are justified against that wrong. It's no reason to doll up the actions themselves. Next time maybe it's Republicans denying quorum in some state to halt a pro-choice bill, and Democrats are ordering them back into the chamber by arrest warrant. Certainly, the sides being reversed shouldn't mean the standards have to be reversed as well.

[Benggaul]

Next time maybe it's Republicans denying quorum in some state

As was posted earlier, the GOP already do. The Oregon GOP have actually done it four times. In 2001, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Dems have also done it themselves a few times, Texas in 2003, Wisconsin and Indiana in 2011. I cannot remember any other time, however, when either party has issued civil arrest warrants to bring the opposing members back in, but I'll admit I'm just home from work and not up to doing the search to find out if it happened all those other times. Pretty sure this is an escalation on the part of the GOP that may end up biting them in the ass in the future.

[Stormspellz]

What GOP did in Oregon surely is the same immature bullshit, nice whataboutism though

except you know, in oregon they did it to stop legislation widely supported by their constituents, and TX dems are following the will of their constituents

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Fleeing the state to avoid holding a vote they know they'll lose isn't how you spell democracy. Not by a long shot.

The whole calculus hinges on whether the legislation in question violates the democratic substructure in such a fundamental way that any actions taken against that are justified against that wrong. It's no reason to doll up the actions themselves. Next time maybe it's Republicans denying quorum in some state to halt a pro-choice bill, and Democrats are ordering them back into the chamber by arrest warrant. Certainly, the sides being reversed shouldn't mean the standards have to be reversed as well.

ironic considering the subject of legislation they are blocking

[Beefhammer]

costing tax payers 43k daily they've been holding out what 20+ days now its not like they'll go to jail they will be taken to the state house to vote

You mean the fixed cost they pay for salaries regardless of if they are there or not?

[Sunseeker]

Fleeing the state to avoid holding a vote they know they'll lose isn't how you spell democracy. Not by a long shot.

The whole calculus hinges on whether the legislation in question violates the democratic substructure in such a fundamental way that any actions taken against that are justified against that wrong. It's no reason to doll up the actions themselves. Next time maybe it's Republicans denying quorum in some state to halt a pro-choice bill, and Democrats are ordering them back into the chamber by arrest warrant. Certainly, the sides being reversed shouldn't mean the standards have to be reversed as well.

Why do you folks always spit out this "But what about when the shoe is on the other foot!?" like it's some kind of magic argument winner?

It will still be wrong.

Will what they're fleeing for be different? Probably. Democrats don't pass legislation that restricts voting. Will the context of the legislation in question make the fleeing action more or less morally questionable? Of course.

But arresting your political opponents to force them to participate will still be wrong.