Texas Democratic torpedo of Republican election bill likely to be temporary
HOUSTON - After shocks still cascading across the Texas political landscape after House Democrats torpedoed a controversial "election security bill" with a quorum denying walk-out in the final hours of the legislative session.
Houston State Representative Ann Johnson was among those "voting with their feet" against a bill she and many others called unvarnished "voter suppression."
"They left us no choice. This was an assault on Democracy and the fact that you were going to look at the ability to overturn elections, the ability to create legalized voter intimidation, and the very real possibility that the disabled and communities of color were going to have a harder time getting to the ballot box," said Johnson.
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Republicans are vowing retribution with State Senator Paul Bettencourt insisting that when Democrats pulled the "nuclear option" on the so-called "Election Integrity Bill", they also killed felony bond reform and insured violent, repeat offenders would continue to gain easy, almost automatic release back on to Houston-area streets.
"It's three months or more that we are not going to have a solution to what clearly is a crime bomb going off in Harris County and those Democratic Representatives are responsible for it," said Bettencourt.
Amid the Democratic fist pumps, a furious Governor Greg Abbott pledging a special session to push through the election integrity bill, felony bond reform, and a host of other Republican priorities temporarily de-railed by the Democratic minority.
Rice political analyst Mark Jones says Democrats can expect a healthy dose of partisan payback.
"Governor Abbott is going to focus on Democratic legislation or Democratic pork inside the budget and veto it," said Jones.
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On the issue of blocking bond reform, Jones says Democrats have handed Republicans a potent political weapon.
"Democrats have now put themselves in position that now anytime one of these individuals who is out on bond kills someone, murders someone, rapes someone, the blame is going to entirely with Democrats," said Jones.