Category Archives: Texas Redistricting Fiasco

Texas Dems Stick It Out In New Mexico

Our heroes!

Texas State Senators in Exile Fear Arrest
By the Associated Press – In the NY Times.

Texas Senate Democrats who stymied Republican redistricting plans by fleeing to New Mexico may not be returning home any time soon, despite running down the clock on the special legislative session.
The 30-day limit on the latest session expired Tuesday and Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry said he was prepared to call yet another special session to get the issue resolved, though he would not say when.
If they re-enter Texas, the 11 Senate Democrats now in Albuquerque said they feared being arrested and hauled back to the capitol should Perry call another session. Senate rules allow for the arrest of members who intentionally thwart a quorum.
Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, said she and the 10 other Democrats are prepared to stay away another 30 days, the maximum length of a special session.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in Laredo declined to rule on a related matter, the Democratic senators’ federal lawsuit alleging that the GOP had violated their constitutional rights and the Voting Rights Act…
Republicans, who control the Texas House and Senate, have been trying to redraw the state’s political lines to increase the number of Republicans in Congress.
Democrats have a 17-15 majority in the Texas delegation and have said the current map should not be changed. They argue that proposals before the GOP-dominated Legislature this year would have hurt minority representation.

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Daily Show Film On Texas Redistricting Fiasco

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So the Dems in Texas had to “vote with their feet” again and go running in order to block a Republican-backed redistricting measure that would recount the districts in such a way that the Republicans would end up with more seats. (For more information on this, read the letter from Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis that I just posted from MoveOn.
This clip has Stephen Colbert interviewing Senator Rodney Ellis and Senator Leticia Van De Putte, two of the “runaways.”
This piece was edited by Einar Westerlund and produced by Jim Margolis.

Runaway For The Border (Small – 10 MB)

The Daily Show (The best news on television.)

Letter From Senator Rodney Ellis About The Texas Redistricting Fiasco, Courtesy Of Move On

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MoveOn has provided a great collection of information and links about what’s going on over in Texas. So far, they’ve raised over $400,000 dollars for an ad campaign aimed at getting the word out about what’s really going on.
What is actually going on over in Texas? (you might ask). Well, here’s a letter from State Senator Rodney Ellis that will explain the situation a little better. I’ve also included the “background” he mentions at the top of the “more” section — and the entire MoveOn.org email underneath it.

Dear friends,
I am writing to you from a hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
where I and 10 of my colleagues in the Texas Senate have been forced
to reside for the past 20 days. If we return to our homes, families,
friends, and constituents, the Governor of Texas will have us
arrested.
I know, it sounds more like a banana republic than the dignified
democracy on which we have long prided ourselves. We are effectively
exiled from the state due to our unalterable opposition to a
Republican effort — pushed by Tom Delay and Karl Rove, and led by
Texas Governor Rick Perry — that would rewrite the map of Texas
Congressional districts in order to elect at least 5 more Republicans
to Congress.
You may not have heard much about the current breakdown in Texas
politics. The Republican power play in California has obscured the
Republican power play in Texas that has forced my colleagues and me to
leave the state.
Recognizing that public pressure is the only thing that can break the
current stalemate, our friends at MoveOn have offered to support our
efforts by sharing this email with you. In it, you will find:
-Background information on how the situation in Texas developed;
-Analysis of what’s at stake for Democrats and the democratic process;
The Republican redistricting effort shatters the tradition of
performing redistricting only once a decade immediately after the
Census — making redistricting a perpetual partisan process. It
elevates partisan politics above minority voting rights, in
contravention of the federal Voting Rights Act. It intends to decimate
the Democratic party in Texas, and lock in a Republican majority in
the U.S. House of Representatives. And Republican efforts to force a
vote on this issue by changing the rules of legislative procedure
threaten to undermine the rule of law in Texas.
We do not take lightly our decision to leave the state. It was the
only means left to us under the rules of procedure in Texas to block
this injustice. We are fighting for our principles and beliefs, and we
can win this fight with your support.
Sincerely,
Rodney Ellis
Texas State Senator (Houston)
August 18, 2003

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Shrub, Rove Spoke To DeLay Before He Allegedly Misused A Federal Agency

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This entry goes with this earlier post.
I don’t even want to get my hopes up on this one. But we’re supposed to believe that DeLay spoke to the Shrub and Karl Rove about “redistricting in general” and did not discuss in any way the situation that was going on at the time about redistricting in Texas. I don’t see how we could ever prove it one way or the other, unless there are tapes of the conversations or something. Otherwise it’s just heresay — as juicy as that heresay might be 🙂
Details Sought on Bush Role in Texas Dispute
By Mike Allen for the Washington Post.

A Democratic leader asked yesterday for details of communication by President Bush and his senior adviser, Karl Rove, with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) about a partisan Texas dispute that absorbed federal resources.
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), ranking Democrat on the Governmental Affairs Committee and a presidential candidate, said White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. told him by telephone Tuesday that DeLay spoke with Bush and Rove about the matter.
The issue is politically sensitive because the Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged assisting law enforcement officers who were asked by Republicans to round up Democrats who had fled the state to avoid voting on a redistricting plan championed by DeLay. The plan died when a deadline passed without a quorum.
An FBI agent also helped in the search, but the bureau said it did not act at the behest of politicians. The Federal Aviation Administration gave aircraft-tracking information to DeLay’s staff, and his staff sought advice from the Justice Department.
A White House official said Bush and Rove spoke to DeLay before the departure of the Democratic legislators. The official said Bush spoke to DeLay “briefly and in passing” and that Rove and DeLay discussed “redistricting in Texas generally.”
Another White House official confirmed Lieberman’s conversation with Card. “The summary speaks for itself,” spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said. “The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation are looking into this matter.”
A Lieberman source said Card was “vague” in his description.
A senior administration official said DeLay’s conversation with Bush “likely” occurred in conjunction with a 45-minute meeting he held April 30 with Republican leaders of the House and the Senate to discuss the tax cut and other legislation. The exodus by Democrats began on May 12…
DeLay has said he and his staff made no overture to the Department of Homeland Security, and noted that the FAA information was publicly available.

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