As you know, Texas is a whole ‘nother country. And they ain’t kiddin’.
A little while back Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) called a special session of the Texas State legislature to reconsider re-redistricting. The effort couldn’t be stopped in the Texas House. So now it came down to the state Senate.
There is a long-standing tradition in Texas that bills have to clear a super-majority (2/3) vote to get to the floor for a vote. And Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R), who runs the Senate, had promised he’d abide by that rule. Democrats had only barely enough Senators to block that two-thirds vote. So they’d have to hold very tight if they were going to have any shot at stopping this power-grab for a second time.
Now, it turns out they did hold tight. Improbably, they even got one Republican to come over to their side.
Then Dewhurst thought up a way to wiggle out of his pledge. It turns out he’d been misunderstood. He didn’t say he’d never break the 2/3 rule. He just said he’d never break it in this special session. If the governor wanted to call yet another special session … well, then all bets would be off.
This afternoon Perry called another special session (see the proclamation, with the time hastily marked in with felt-tip pen, here.).
Eleven of twelve Texas Democratic senators just grabbed a flight for Albuquerque.
