What Conservatives Are Really Trying To Conserve

From segregation to gerrymandering, the playbook hasn’t changed.

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Even though Brown v. Board of Education ordered the desegregation of public schools in 1954, did you know that most Texas schools weren’t desegregated until the late 1960s or early 1970s? The reason for this is that the state of Texas secured an injunction in 1956 that barred the NAACP from operating in the state.

It wasn’t until 1961 that the ban was lifted, and then the NAACP had to sue every single individual school district to force desegregation. Which is why Dallas County schools were desegregated in 1965, but in the county next door, Kaufman County, it didn’t happen until 1967. The process was expensive, time-consuming, and slow.

Beyond today’s politics, these historical moments make me think a lot about Conservative ideology and the deeper mindset behind it. Although this incident happened more than 60 years ago, it could easily be compared with the Conservative legal tactics of today.

Conservatives don’t often spell out what exactly they’re trying to “conserve,” but I try to understand it, to get into the logic of how they see the world. Because when you look at the maps they’ve drawn, the ones gerrymandered with surgical precision to carve up communities of color, to split urban centers, to shore up rural white power, the answer isn’t subtle. What they’re trying to conserve is the same thing Texas clung to for years after Brown v. Board. And that’s white political dominance.

And it’s political white dominance that led to Representative Mitch Little (R-HD65) having the confidence to say this on national TV.

When Rep. Mitch Little says they’re redrawing the maps “because we can,” it’s revealing. He openly admits that the redistricting effort is about partisan gain, but he also targets explicitly three Hispanic-predominant districts in South Texas as areas they intend to “carve out” for Republican control.

He doesn’t mention policy, community needs, or representation. Just political performance and partisan control. And while race isn’t named outright, it doesn’t have to be, because targeting Hispanic-majority districts for partisan flipping, in a state where race and political affiliation are deeply intertwined, functions as a racial strategy, even if it’s framed as a political one. Courts have long recognized that “race as a proxy for partisanship” can still violate the Voting Rights Act when it results in the dilution of minority voting power. So when someone says, “we’re doing this because we can,” the real question is, what is it that you’re trying to do? And who are you trying to silence in the process?

And it was political white dominance that threatened the lives of Texas Democratic lawmakers this morning.

Yesterday, the far-right propaganda outlet, Next News Network, published the location where Texas Democrats were staying in Chicago. This morning, they were woken up to being evacuated due to bomb threats in their hotel.

From Gene Wu, Ramon Romero, and Barbara Gervin Hawkins:

This act of terror was motivated by the desire for political white dominance, and I think it’s important to point out something most of us know, but perhaps many people in Texas might not know.

Of the 62 State House Democrats, 32 are Hispanic, 16 are Black, and 4 are AAPI. We only have 10 white Democrats in the House. And you better believe those ten are all down like four flat tires. So, when Republicans from Texas, or wherever, are calling in bomb threats to our Democrats, it isn’t just politically motivated, it’s also racially motivated.

A statement this morning from Ann Johnson:

In case you were wondering, out of the 86 Republicans, 78 are white, five are Hispanic, two are Black, and one identifies as AAPI.

Now, you tell me, which party looks more like Texas?

But as long as we’re on the topic of this morning… the House didn’t even take a roll call, the chamber was empty, Republicans weren’t even there. Speaker Dustin Burrows said briefly, “It’s evident to the Chair that a quorum isn’t present, we’ll adjourn tomorrow.”

But yesterday?

The same six Democrats who showed up on Monday showed up again, and two more showed up, giving the Republicans 94 members present (still six short), but there were eight Democrats present.

Those eight were:

• Terry Canales (HD40)

• Oscar Longoria (HD35)

• Armando Martinez (HD39)

• Joe Moody (HD78)

• Sergio Muñoz (HD36)

• Richard Raymond (HD42)

• Eddie Morales JR (HD74)

• Philip Cortez (HD117)

And the Senate?

Almost all of the Texas Senators have joined our House representatives in the quorum break, with only two exceptions. While no Senators were spotted on Monday, the Senate is in session today, and Judith Zaffirini and Chuy Hinojosa were both spotted on the Senate floor:

Needless to say, the Senate had a quorum and could move on with bills.

Hinojosa is not up for reelection again until 2028. Zaffirini is up in 2026.

Lone Star Left is calling on a Latino progressive in Zaffirini’s district to launch a primary campaign against her. You will have our full support. (More on this soon.)

The politics of playing nice.

There’s this unspoken rule in politics, especially on the left, that we’re not supposed to call Democrats out. That criticizing our own is somehow disloyal. Talking about primary campaigns is divisive. That we should “focus on the real enemy.” You know, be political.

But here’s the thing. I don’t answer to party operatives. I answer you, my readers, my subscribers. And maybe that’s why I’ve never had a problem calling out bad Democrats or broken promises. It’s cost me a few Christmas cards, sure. But I don’t give two fucks about holiday greetings from people selling out their own voters.

I’m in this because Texas is my home. I love it too much to give up on it. I’m not moving. I’m not bowing out. I want to turn this state blue and fix everything Republicans broke. And if that means lighting a few political bridges on fire along the way? Good. Let’s warm up.

Now, I’ve been asked to hold off, just for a week, on going nuclear on the House Democrats who didn’t break quorum. For the sake of unity. For morale. And I get that. Right now, it’s important we lift up the ones who did show up, who did risk something, who did stand against fascism.

So consider this a grace period. But know this. I’m watching. I’m collecting their statements. I’m waiting for their excuses. And when it’s time, I will go nuclear. I know which consultants they’re paying, whose money they’re taking, and which county chairs have been protecting them. The reason my hair is so big isn’t just because I’m from Texas. It’s because there’s a shit-ton of secrets in there. And when I push that big red button, people are going to be pissed. Because I know things they never wanted to see daylight.

But no one told Dr. Candice Matthews to play nice. 😁

There aren’t enough words to express how much I love Dr. Matthews.

She followed up on Tuesday with a second video, directly addressing Richard Raymond. Apparently, Morales and Cortez showed up on Tuesday because Richard Raymond talked them into it. He’s been calling all the border Democrats, trying to convince them to come in for a quorum.

About Greg Abbott trying to remove Gene Wu.

The Attorney General sent a letter stating that Abbott must recede because only the AG, a DA, or a County Attorney has the legal authority to file the lawsuit the Governor filed. So basically, Ken Paxton agrees that the Governor’s filing was astonishingly stupid.

Ken Paxton will file these cases to remove the Democrats who broke quorum in their district offices, except that every single Democrat serves in blue, urban districts. And quorum breaks are allowed under the Texas Constitution. In a nutshell, it’s likely to go nowhere. It doesn’t mean that Republicans won’t try, they will, but they probably won’t get far.

There are 17 days left until the end of the special session. Democrats need to hold off until then. After that? We’ll see what happens.

The fight ahead.

Republicans are banking on bomb threats, bad-faith lawsuits, and backroom deals to bring Democrats home. But they’ve miscalculated something critical.

They’ve underestimated us.

They’ve underestimated the communities that sent those Democrats to Austin in the first place, communities that are Black, Brown, working-class, queer, disabled, angry, organized, and paying attention. Communities that know what it means when someone says, “because we can.”

We’ve heard it before, from segregationists, from white Citizens’ Councils, from courts that dragged their feet and governors who stomped their boots. And every time, we fought back. We fought through injunctions and lawsuits, through redlines and lynch mobs, through silence and shame and sellouts, and we’re still here.

So yeah, I’m angry. I’m tired. I’m sick of backroom appeasement politics and loyalty tests to people who don’t even show up when it matters. But I’m also not going anywhere. And neither are you. And neither are the Democrats holding the damn line.

This isn’t just a quorum fight. It’s a war over who gets to shape Texas, who gets to vote, who gets to lead, who gets to be safe, who gets to belong.

And when the dust settles on August 23, you better believe we’re going to remember who showed up. And who sold us out.

Texas is worth fighting for. And we’re not done yet.

• August 23: Last day of special session

• November 4: Constitutional/TX18/SD09 Election

• Who Will Be On The 2026 State Ballot?

• Who Will Be On The 2026 Federal Ballot?

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

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