Well, the walkout is about over, as tonight is the deadline for new bills to be filed, and the Dems won’t be back until tomorrow. I’ve just posted another roundup of news and views on the Political State Report. I’m as ready for all this to be over as you are, I assure you.
Just a couple of things to point out: Josh Marshall has finally spoken on this topic, and according to him it is almost completely unprecedented for there to be a re-redistricting outside of the normal ten-year census period.
Ginger vents a little, and makes the point that the Reps in the State House are acting a lot like the Gingrich Group of 1994.
The Burnt Orange Report continues to be full of good stuff. They have the Democrats’ talking points and Q&A, plus a picture of Rep. Jim Dunnam (D, Waco), the de facto leader of the pack.
I can’t tell you how glad I am that this is ending and that I’m heading out of town myself this weekend.
Charles: Josh’s post this morning is also a tad scary. DeLay’s attempt to federalize this dispute means that the Repub’s are now officially “over reaching.”
The issue is that the Legislature never did pass any redistricing but relied on the courts to do this job for them:
Texas Legislative Council–Texas Redistricting 2001
2000-2002 Redistricting News Items
(These are good information links, espcially the latter which includes further links to populations data and such.)
Redistricting is the job of the legislature as required by the both the US Constitution (a general requirement) and the Texas Constitution (more specific):
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding The Census and Redistricting (aside: isn’t it incorrect to capitalized “the” in a title unless it begins the phrase?)
The Constitution, the Contress and the Census: Representation and Reapportionment
The Democrats in Oklahoma have a point that there has been redistricting; the Republicans have a point that the Legislature failed to redistrict as constitutionally required. To me this issue has become one of pure power politics which makes for good political theatre. May the most amusing side win.
I’m all in favor of the legislature doing the redistricting. The 77th Legislature was supposed to do the job and screwed it up, throwing it to the courts.
I say we recall the bastards and make them do the work now. I hear Pete Laney should be back from Ardmore sometime soon.
Great — just what we need — another stinking WDC egghead poking his nose into the state’s business. Yea, Josh!
Let’s see if we can get Sharpton on the line to see how NYC thinks we should run things. If Buchanan has a few minutes, maybe his input would be helpful, too. Anyone from LA or SF that needs to chime in to make sure we do all this by the(ir) book? Is that French Raelian chick available for comment?
It’s too late to prevent out of state jerks from sticking their noses in our business. Like Tom DeLay of Washington, DC.
However, Marshall isn’t (currently) interested in the quorum or redistricting, but in the use of the Department of Homeland Security for domestic political purposes. I think that’s a fair national concern.
Marshall isn’t the only one. Sullivan and Reynolds are there, as are the Samizdata folks. (You’d think that the Sammies, who dislike all government on principle, would approve of a shutdown, but that’s not the case.) Marshall points out that Joltin’ Joe Lieberman has asked some pointed questions of DepHomeSec. As Marshall (and Reynolds) point out, DepHomeSec was duped by TxDPS. Reynolds crack about there not being “valid federal statute proscribing interstate flight to avoid a quorum call” is the best line I’ve seen from him lately.
Dang, and all this time I thought Tom DeLay was a Texan from Houston.
That is a good line…
It’s bad enough I’ve got the legislative version of the Derailers, John Culberson and Jon Lidsay, “reprenting” me, please don’t try to pin Tom DeLay on Houston. He’s from Sugar Land in Fort Bend county.
But his carpetbagger interests are in Washington. He’s no Kennebunkport based hotel Texan, but he’s not working for Texas or Sugarland on this one.
I would like to say “Thank you Jim Dunnam for looking out for and caring about Central Texas” and I think you should run for Govenor next time around……REPUBLICAN, Falls County.