Today the United States Supreme Court validated the re-redistricting fiasco by Tom "The Quitter" DeLay therefore opening the doors to redistricting again once the Democrats take over the Texas House and Senate. Make absolutely no mistake about who is responsible for this entire waste of time, civility, loss of congressional seniority, and money, Governor Rick Perry. If the Supreme Court justices knew the history of his fiasco, and how he cowered in fear to Tom DeLay, they would have immediately overturned the map drawn by the legislature and restore the maps drawn in 2001.
By law, after the 10-year census is taken, the 2001 Texas Legislature was to redraw the Congressional districts, known as redistricting, to balance out the population in each district. The Legislature was unable to agree on a map before the regular session ended. This is not unusual due to the controversial nature of the process, but instead of providing leadership Governor Rick Perry refused to call a special session to resolve the differences claiming it would be too expensive.
Therefore, by law, a panel of three federal judges took over the process. Governor Perry gambled that the three judges would be favorable to the Republican Party; instead both parties met the map created by the judges with disapproval although it did favor the Republicans, but not as much as Perry wanted.
During the following elections in 2002 the Congressional districts were competitive, with some Democrats winning in a Republican drawn district, but the Republican Party took control of the Texas House. This provided Perry with a weak excuse of “the legislature should redistrict, not the courts” and the house then filed a bill to re-redistrict once again.
Governor Perry must have forgotten his lack of leadership in 2001 when he refused to call a special session to resolve redistricting. Instead of doing his job in 2001, Perry gambled, lost, and then hoped for a Republican takeover by the House. In 2003 his gamble paid off for his party at the expense of his constituents, and civility in the Texas legislature.
The constituents at the redistricting hearings were overwhelmingly against re-redistricting. Hundreds of angry constituents at each hearing across the state called on the Representatives and Senators to work on something more important such as school finance, insurance rates, and property taxes. A hearing in Austin attended by over 200 individuals, many who traveled from out of town, was to start at 9:00 am, but was continuously postponed till 5:00 PM. The Senators, except the Democrats, walked out on the hearings. Many never showed up. Others watched, and grinned, as attendees became agitated and frustrated. It was a complete and total classless act of disrespect.
The strong armed tactics orchestrated by Jim Ellis, who has been indicted for money laundering and who ran Tom DeLay’s now defunct Texas for a Republican Majority, forced the Democrats in the House to break quorum, by leaving Texas, to force an end to the regular and first special session. The Democrats in the Senate also broke quorum to end the second session, yet could not sustain the effort and the plan passed in the third and final special session.
When the Democratic Senators returned, the leadership in the Senate could not meet the 2/3 rule, which required 2/3 of the Senate to agree to bring a bill to the floor for debate. Even moderate Republicans sided with the Democrats and the bill was doomed, until the leadership changed the rules and removed the rule. The 2/3 rule was one of the last remaining historic rules that encouraged bipartisan support for a bill or at least for the civil discussion of a bill on the floor of the Senate. And Perry destroyed it.
The entire issue of re-redistricting, orchestrated by Tom DeLay, is due to the complete and total failure of Governor Rick Perry for not having the leadership to handle the issue in 2001 or the guts to stand up to Tom DeLay. Instead he withered under pressure from Delay then waited like a coiled snake in the grass, in the hopes of regaining the House 2 years later.
What he did in re-redistricting was slimy as a snake and cowardly as a hyena. And the Republican controlled Supreme Court thank him for it today.
17 comments:
DeLay is quoted in the Chron as saying "they are getting the representatives they deserve"
He got that right. When the full impact of disastrous Republican governance is finally understood, we will probably regret that be was able to get away with it.
Such a classy sign, John.
I think I'll make a similar one and stand in front of your mother's house.
The only difference is that if you did, you would get a foot so far up your ass that your breath would smell like desenex.
Then after my mom would be finished with you, it would be my sisters turn.
:-)
p.s. how old are you anyway?
In other words, you come from a family of lawless thugs, but count on Republicans to act in a civilized manner and respect your right to free speech.
Typical Democrat tactics -- violence and intimidation against those who disagree are part and parcel of the stock-in-trade of your party. Wheter we are talking about union thugs, the Klan, or other Democrat constituencies, physical violence and threats of violence are generally the first line of attack for you folks. But you folks get outraged at jostling between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators.
And in answer to your question -- old enough to know that you are a disgusting SOB for thinking that your words and actions depicted in that picture constitute legitimate political discourse.
Thumbody call the WAAAAAAAAAAAA-bulance!
Oh the whine out of the whight when Democrats attack back as viciously as the repubs do.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
You just can't take it, so you wrap yourself up in the flag and patriotism like a burrito with hot sauce.
(hey, John, how did you like that one?)
rhymes,
"But you folks get outraged at jostling between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators.:
You talking about my friend Marsha Rovai? She wasn't jostled. A grown Republican person actually grabbed her hat and pulled it over her face.
I'm kind of surprised you would bring that assault of her person into the conversation (but so glad you reminded us of that).
There's a difference between talking about it and actually doing it.
You are a teacher. What do you teach? It's 10th grade, right? I hope it's not science where the content is based on facts and data. Please tell me you don't teach history to impressionable young people.
Oh, my -- they pulled on her hat! If that is the best example of GOP "violence" you can find, then it is fair to say that we are a pretty peaceful bunch.
Given the Democrat history of assaults, vandalism, lynchings, and what-not, I don't think the incident in question amounts to a hill of beans -- and neither did the prosecutors.
And yes, I am a history teacher -- when I'm not teaching college-level government classes at my second job.
Hey Greg! I have to agree with the original poster. The picture is funny! And it was one taken on public property. Your misguided whining is against the wrong person.
I also like the line "The only difference is that if you did, you would get a foot so far up your ass that your breath would smell like desenex."
Greg, you ever smelled Desenex?
Greg, Aydt rhymes with right, doesn't it?
I know a Greg Aydt, a Harris County Republican precinct chair.
Just wondering if you stopped by here and if this is the same person.
Yep.
A pity you don't have the courage to post your own name while posting mine.
AHHHHHH! Now I know why this Greg guys is so right wing!
Because he is a Right Winger!!!!
Good catch anonymous!
And damn proud of it.
And still amused that the folks who take great pride in publicizing my name are too cowardly to list their own.
But then again, that's a Democrat activist for you -- hypocritical to the core.
I'm confused about Greg's comment about folks here not using their own name and being hypocritical.
I read this blog written by a person who uses his own name - first and last - yet when I clicked on rhymes with right and went to his blog, you can figure out his name is Greg, but he posts as rhymes with right on his own blog and others.
No, you are clearly confused about my point.
I said I find it hypocritical that individuals posting as anonymous would take it upon themselves to expose my name -- thereby disrespecting my choice and my right to privacy while shielding their own.
I've got no problem with anonymous blogging -- I do have a problem with those who hide behind anonymity while denying that stripping that right from others.
Geez Rhymes with Reight, go back to being anonymous.
At least we won't know who is posting the ignorant comments.
I had never seen this thread, but I just had to post to say that I am alternatively amused and outraged that Greg would attribute the activities and attitudes of the Klu Klux Klan to the Modern Democratic Party.
Yes, I know the history of reconstruction, as does Greg, which makes it all the more offensive. The Democrats of the 1860s-1890s were CONSERVATIVES, jealously and violently guarding the status quo. If they have any modern equivalents, it would be those who murder doctors outside Planned Parenthood, or patrol the border on ATVs with automatic weapons, or lock away completely innocent Arab men in Cuba without charges or access to a lawyer.
It's sick, plain sick, what this man says.
fuck greg aydt...thats all i have to say
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