Republicans Text Democratic Voters—And Accidentally Admit Their Policies Are Bad

A shady, anonymous text reveals the GOP’s dirty little secret: they know.

Yesterday, I was minding my own business when I got a text. This text, though, wasn’t asking me about my car’s extended warranty; it wasn’t from MoveOn (who has been texting me a lot lately), and it wasn’t one of the dozen daily texts I get from my kids’ school. No, it was weirder.

The text I received told me to “demand accountability from State Representative Chris Turner,” my House Representative. The text told me to demand Chris Turner not support Dustin Burrows (R-HD83) for Speaker.

I didn’t examine the language very closely before I jumped on the phone to find out who sent it, and maybe I should have because it’s full of Republican colloquialisms. But my immediate reaction was—who the hell sent this?

Chris Turner (D-HD101) is my House Representative, and I have a good relationship with him and his office. He knows me, and his office knows me. I have already discussed the speaker issue with his Chief of Staff. Regardless, the text didn’t come from the Democratic side, and I was far from the only Democratic voter to receive this text yesterday.

From Scott Braddock:

Yesterday, Democratic voters in Democratic House districts across the state received text messages urging them to demand that their House Representatives not support Dustin Burrows for House Speaker.

However, here are the giveaways that the text came from the Republican camp:

1. It did not include a name or group affiliation, which prompted me to make phone calls yesterday to determine where it originated. I had never received an anonymous political text, which is so shady. I learned yesterday that most Democrats in Texas use the same texting service, which requires them to say who the text is from under its Terms of Service.

2. “Democrat State Rep. Chris Turner.” Not Democratic Rep., but “Democrat Rep.” You know, like how the morons on the right always call it the “Democrat Party.” It’s incorrect grammar, which Republicans frequently use.

3. “Burrows is seeking Democrat support.” Not Democratic support.

4. “Extreme far-right attacks on our reproductive rights” is a term only a Republican pretending to be a Democrat would say. A real Democratic campaign would use terms like “restrict” or “roll-back.”

5. “Fought for a Republican education agenda that would leave schools underfunded….” No one talks like that. It’s called a VOUCHER SCHEME, and Democrats refer to it as a VOUCHER SCHEME, which will funnel tax dollars into the pockets of millionaires and reintroduce segregation.

6. “Refuse to pass gun control legislation.” Gun control legislation? Gun control? Gun control is a Republican term. It’s a fabricated issue in the minds of NRA propaganda victims, who think a 3 day waiting period is “control.” 🙄

7. “Attacked LGBTQ Texans.” As we all know, Republicans have been attacking the CIVIL RIGHTS of LGBTQ+ Texans, but again, that’s a grammatical thing, and the failure to add a “+” at the end shows the typical GOP lack of understanding about inclusivity and intersectionality.

8. And BY FAR, the biggest tell that this text came from the Republican camp is they never called Dustin Burrows a fascist. Because if I were the one sending the text, I wouldn’t mince words. I would have said, “Dustin Burrows is a tiny, orange-mushroom c*ck-sucking fascist…” which is also probably why no one ever put me in charge of a texting campaign. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But you get the jist.

So, we’re all on the same page. This text sent across the state yesterday to Democratic voters in Democratic districts came from Republicans.

But which Republicans?

Obviously, it didn’t come from Dustin Burrows’ camp. This leaves this David Cook (R-HD96) camp, a.k.a. Tim Dunn’s camp, a.k.a. the Dunn-lickers. Or perhaps a third option:

While the Quorum Report states Abraham George, the Republican Party of Texas Chairman, will send direct mail (paper in your mailbox) to the districts of the GOP members who are supporting Burrows, we shouldn’t discount the possibility that these text messages to Democratic voters came directly from the Republican Party.

Has Tim Dunn also bought off the Republican Party?

Possibly, Dunn’s PACs gave Abraham George nearly $75,000 during the GOP primaries when Abraham ran against Candy Noble (R-HD89).

This primary race donation indicates that RPT Chairman Abraham George is in bed with Tim Dunn like so many other Republicans easily bought off.

Related:

• Who The F*ck Elected Tim Dunn, Anyway?

Do you want to know what chaps my hide most about this text?

Because for once, Republicans aren’t pretending they don’t know what their policies are doing.

For decades, the Republican Party has played dumb. They’ve mastered the art of gaslighting—acting shocked and offended when Democrats call them out for the harm they inflict.

“What do you mean our abortion bans kill women? We’re just protecting life!” they say, while maternal mortality rates skyrocket.

“What do you mean we’re defunding public schools? We’re empowering parents!” they claim, as kids sit in overcrowded classrooms without supplies.

They’ll tell you gun control is a “slippery slope” to tyranny while parents bury their children in tiny coffins. They’ll insist their crusade against LGBTQ+ Texans is about “protecting kids” while driving LGBTQ+ youth to despair, isolation, and, tragically, self-harm.

But here, in this text message, they quietly admit it all.

Let’s go line by line:

• “Promoted extreme far-right attacks on our reproductive rights allowing women to die without healthcare access.”
  Republicans know their bans on reproductive care kill women. They know doctors are forced to watch patients deteriorate because they’re afraid to act. They know women are denied life-saving care. Yet they continue to do it.

• “Fought for a Republican education agenda that will leave public schools underfunded and at risk of closure.”
  They know their voucher schemes are a death sentence for public schools. They know the money siphoned into private pockets leaves rural schools on life support and urban schools stretched to the breaking point. They’re not “fixing education.” They’re gutting it. And they admit it.

• “Refused to pass gun control legislation and allowed senseless school shootings to continue slaughtering our children.”
  Republicans know their refusal to act on guns kills children. They don’t call it “freedom” here. They admit it: “senseless shootings” that “slaughter our children.” Yet every session, they loosen gun laws, not strengthen them.

• “Attacked LGBTQ Texans.”
  They don’t couch this in euphemisms like “protecting traditional values” or “defending families.” They say “attacked”—because they know that’s what they’re doing. They’re attacking Texans for who they are, stripping away their rights and dignity, and they do it intentionally.

This text is a confession.

They know. They’ve always known. The Republican Party in Texas has spent years pretending their policies are about “freedom” and “family values,” but when they think no one’s looking—when they’re pretending to be Democrats to sow chaos—they drop the act.

This text is what happens when the mask slips.

So yes, you should be furious. Furious that they not only cause this harm but that they knowingly admit to it behind closed doors. Furious that they’re so cynical, they’ll weaponize the pain they cause to manipulate voters.

And most of all, furious because while they send these shady, anonymous texts, Texas families live with the consequences: women denied healthcare, children dead from gun violence, schools starved of funding, LGBTQ+ Texans under attack.

They know what they’re doing. This text proves it.

And if they know, we need to make damn sure that everyone else does too.

So, the next time Republicans feign ignorance about the harm they cause, remember this text. They know exactly what they’re doing, and they just admitted it. The question is—what are we going to do about it?

• January 14: The 89th Legislative Session begins.

• March 14: The last day Legislators can file bills.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

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