Republican's Vile Plan To Remove Political Power From People Of Color In Texas
Why the 'Contract with Texas' Threatens Fair Representation for All.
Note: The 2020 margins I cite are precinct-level analyses based on the maps made during the 2021 redistricting. SOURCE.
In the 2011 court case Abbott v. Perez, then-Attorney General Greg Abbott said, “A jurisdiction may engage in constitutional political gerrymandering, even if it so happens that the most loyal Democrats happen to be black Democrats and even if the State were conscious of that fact.” (Full document.)
The case was about the racial gerrymandering in the 2011 legislative session. What Greg Abbott argued was that Republicans were aware that they were disenfranchising Black people. Still, it was okay because they intended to disenfranchise Democrats, and it isn’t their fault that the majority of Black people happen to be Democrats.
Republicans’ position in Texas has been for a long time, “We know we are harming people of color in Texas, but it is our intention to hurt Democrats.”
In 2021, I watched three days of testimony in the Texas Senate regarding the redistricting maps (and compressed it into one 30-minute video). It was astounding. Hundreds of Texans went to the capitol, each testifying that the new redistricting maps were racist and disenfranchised communities of color. While the bill’s author, Senator Joan Huffman, said repeatedly, “The maps were drawn blind to race.”
Over the last few sessions, Texas Republicans have been hyper-focused on disenfranchising and causing harm to communities of color. It was so terrible in the 87th Legislative Session that Republican Speaker Dade Phelan banned Democrats from using the word “racism” on the House floor.
Anyone who has been paying attention long enough knows that the Republican’s latest move is rank-step-and-file with their latest ploy to remove all political power from people of color in Texas.
The Contract On Texas.
Far-right Republicans have all signed on to what they are calling a “Contract With Texas.” It’s all about giving the white minority more power while limiting power with communities of color, or as Republicans call them, “Democrats.”
Now, ask yourself: Why would they want to do that?
Republicans can control the legislative agenda and pass laws that align with their political goals, including conservative policies like vouchers and high rates of poverty.
It helps to suppress opposition voices, limit the influence of movements that challenge the status quo, and advocate for progressive changes.
These tactics are not unique to Texas but are part of a broader strategy used by Republicans nationwide to maintain power in states with changing demographics.
Further reading:
Texas Tribune: Analysis: Texas’ population has changed much faster than its political maps
Texas Demographic Center: Texas Demographics Trends and Characteristics
Pew Research Center: In a rising number of U.S. counties, Hispanic and black Americans are the majority
What exactly does the “Contract with Texas” say?
From their website (in four fonts):
Texas Republicans want to ensure that there aren’t Democratic chairs, that all Republican priorities are passed before any Democratic priorities are considered, and that Democrats can no longer kill bills through points of order.
There are Democratic chairs because Republicans do not have a supermajority; they only have a simple majority. Democrats are given chairs as a compromise, as a sign of goodwill that the Republicans intend to act in a bipartisan manner.
However, some Republicans do not like bipartisanship. You know, because of the culture wars.
If Republicans change the House rules to require that only Republican bills be heard first and their priorities passed before Democratic bills are considered, it would have drastic impacts on Texans.
Here are some of the Democratic-led bills that happened in the Texas legislature in recent years:
A bill that extended healthcare coverage for new mothers on Medicaid from two months to twelve months postpartum.
A bill was passed requiring courts to report specific involuntary mental health hospitalizations to the federal gun background check system.
Bills to boost the state’s energy grid reliability included incentives for natural gas power plants. While these bills primarily focused on fossil fuels, there were also measures to support renewable energy without imposing stricter regulations.
Those are just a few examples. Prioritizing “Republican bills” over bills that are most important or most needed runs the risk of time running out before Democratic bills are heard. That means another two years without healthcare extensions, gunsense measures, or a push toward cleaner energy.
Then, there are the points of order. At the very beginning of the session, all House members vote on the House rules. All 150 of them do. While bills are being debated, if the bill text happens to break the House rules, a member can call a “Point of Order” or “POO,” as it’s sometimes hilariously called on social media. Types of POOs can include:
Violations of House rules on proper notice and bill analysis.
Parts of a bill were improperly added during the conference committee, and the bill analysis did not adequately explain the changes.
Violation of House rules regarding transparency and public input.
The House Speaker will overrule or sustain the Point of Order; sometimes, it is taken down after discussion, and sometimes, a point of order kills a bill entirely.
During the last legislative session, several Republicans’ “priority bills” died because of Points of Orders called on their bills.
What Republicans are saying in the “Contract with Texas” is that even when their legislation breaks the agreed-upon rules, the Speaker should allow it through anyway because it’s a bill that their base “really, really wants.”
Fascistic? Yeah, it’s that too.
The push to ensure that only Republican priorities are considered and passed first is an authoritarian approach, where the ruling party seeks to dominate the legislative process entirely. This centralization of power is a fascistic tendency, prioritizing the ruling elite’s control over democratic norms and pluralism.
By proposing to eliminate Democratic chairs and limit the ability of Democrats to raise points of order, the “Contract with Texas” aims to suppress opposition voices. This suppression is a classic tactic in fascistic regimes, where dissent is minimized, and opposition parties are rendered ineffective.
The strategy to prioritize Republican bills regardless of procedural violations undermines the established democratic processes and rules that ensure fair debate and consideration of all legislative proposals. Fascists bypass or alter legal frameworks to maintain power, disregarding the rule of law when it conflicts with their agenda.
How will it remove political power from people of color in Texas?
It’s essential that we all understand how demographics align in Texas, and when they say “Democrats,” we know they’re using it as a racist dog whistle.
The majority of Black people in Texas vote for Democrats.
The majority of Latino people in Texas vote for Democrats.
The majority of Asian people in Texas vote for Democrats.
The majority of white people in Texas vote for Republicans.
As they say, “We know we are harming people of color in Texas, but it is our intention to hurt Democrats.”
What was that Lee Atwater said?
This Contract ON Texas will remove the chosen representation of the majority of Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters from the legislative process. That’s especially perverse when you know that the population of Texas is:
40% Hispanic
39% White
12% Black
6% Asian
Republicans’ Contract On Texas is about silencing millions of voices and making the State of Texas hostile toward them.
Which Republicans have signed this “Contract with Texas” so far?
This morning, the “Contract with Texas PAC” released an updated list with 46 Republicans on it. The full document can be seen here.
My list didn’t include the Republican running for HD70 because I don’t think he has even a close shot at winning. But people in Collin County should know GOP Candidate Steve Kinard did sign the document this morning.
My list does include the racial breakdown of each district.
You probably notice that many districts’ Anglo/Non-Anglo breakdown is in the 40s and 50s. This is what Joan Huffman meant when she said she drew the maps “blind to race.”
During the session, when they redrew the maps, they drew them to maintain political power but made no efforts to expand their Republican majority. They did this simply because there was no more pie to slice up. That is why most districts are only a sliver more Anglo than Non-Anglo because the majority of white voters are Republicans, and this keeps Republicans in power. “Color blindness.”
Are there enough Republicans in this group to succeed in their plan?
No. Not yet, anyway. Right now, there are only 46. Of those, one doesn’t have a chance in hell, and 25 are incumbents. Many of them have never served in the Texas House and may never. Some are going in and looking to make enemies from day one.
They are overconfident and expect to walk into the Texas House and own things. Republicans in Texas seem to forget they are not a supermajority, and they cannot get everything done without Democrats. Plus, Democrats are more intelligent than them. That’s why we’re constantly given clips like this:
What we want to know is how many of these seats where Republicans are looking to disenfranchise communities of color are flippable.
If we look at the seats within +10 Trump in 2020 and have a Democratic candidate of the Republicans who signed the Contract On Texas, we potentially have ten flippable seats.
Why +10 Trump? You can find a detailed explanation here (if you missed it):
I have another list there⬆️, and many overlap with the list here if you want to know who to hate the most 😉.
The short of it is that if Democrats are successful in flipping several seats this November, the Contract On Texas will be like 25 asshole Republicans against 75 Democrats and 56 Establishment Republicans willing to act in a bipartisan way.
That’s why the Speakership is such a hot-button issue for Texas Republicans. But, of course, that’s if they retain power. While no one is publicly projecting a total flip of the Texas House in November, there’s no telling how the train-wreck Trump saga ultimately plays out over the remainder of the year and what that means for Republican voters.
The “Contract with Texas” represents more than just a political strategy; it is an attempt to undermine democratic principles and disenfranchise communities of color.
This move to consolidate power at the expense of fair representation is in line with the Republicans’ alarming trend toward authoritarianism. Texans must recognize the implications of such policies and the importance of fighting against this erosion of democracy. Voters must remain vigilant, informed, and active in the political process to ensure that Texas remains a state where all citizens, regardless of race or political affiliation, have an equal say in their government.
As we approach the upcoming elections, the potential for change rests in the voters’ hands. Flipping key seats and supporting candidates who prioritize fairness, transparency, and inclusivity can counteract the harmful effects of the Republicans’ plan. Vote early, vote often, just vote.
158 days left until the November 5 election!
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Thanks for a very informative article. There's certainly a lot at stake for Democrats in the November elections that requires us to start organizing now.
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