As I wrote this morning, Democrats threw a fit and stormed out of the legislative session before Republicans could pass Texas’ recent election security bill. The same party that wants to wipe out the filibuster at the national level is suddenly really interested in the rights of the minority party. Greg Abbott responded by saying he would call a special session.
(related Dems Throw a Hissy Fit in TX and Gov. Abbott Responds Accordingly)
Apparently, he wasn’t done dropping the hammer. In a move that Democrats and pundits alike probably weren’t expecting, Abbott is going to veto the portion of the state’s budget that pays legislators.
That will certainly hit these Democrats where it hurts, and I suspect Republicans will be willing to play along until the bill is passed. If only such a move could be made at the federal level, but I digress. If Democrats are going to refuse to do their jobs and even allow a vote on a bill they don’t have the votes to technically stop via the legislative process, then they shouldn’t get paid. That sounds very fair to me.
The folding should be swift here. There’s nothing to be gained by continuing this fight, but Democrats need their face-saving moment where they really signal that they “did something.” This bill is going to get passed, and Texas’ elections will be better for it. There is nothing objectionable about standardizing things like mail-in voting and putting in place electioneering provisions that stop partisans from interfering.
Democrats want things to be a free-for-all while Republicans recognize that turning our elections into a complete joke is not good for the country. We are not supposed to mirror a banana republic, with unverified ballots being stuffed into drop boxes for a month. It should not be “easy” to vote insofar as people who are physically able not having to actually put in the effort to go to the polls and cast their vote.
Republicans are doing the right thing by not accepting the premise Democrats are pushing nationwide about voting. These new laws like in Texas and Georgia will ensure an orderly process that people can trust. That’s far more important than some Democrat special interest group being able to bus people in and give them free junk for their vote.