It’s been over forty years since I left New York City for Texas and never looked back. During that time, though I’ve disagreed with my fellow Texans on many occasions, I don’t think I’ve ever really questioned the image of Texans being strong and independent, almost to the point of stubbornness in some cases.
Of course, those were the days when Ann Richards was our Governor and feisty women were just one of the many outstanding examples of independent Texans at the time. The whole country watched “Dallas” and shared its larger-than-life image of the Texas state of mind (well, the rich Texans’ state of mind, anyway).
That’s why I find myself deeply disappointed in our state’s response to Donald Trump’s demand for our governor to redraw enough election districts to result in five additional House seats to be won by Republicans. Yes, Your Majesty! Right away, Your Highness!
Trump may be concerned about the pattern since World War II that shows the party in power, especially when it holds both houses of Congress, has lost control of one or even both houses of Congress in 15 out of 18 midterms. This would be a problem for a mere mortal, but our King simply has to call one of his knights and order that the peasants be squeezed yet again.
Yes, Your Majesty! Governor Greg Abbott, Trump’s biggest fanboy (oops, knight) didn’t bat an eye when asked – or I should say, told – to conduct another round of redistricting, even though the normal post-census redistricting had already occurred in 2021. It’s not illegal, unless it’s determined that the new districts are being drawn to deprive racial minorities of representation. Partisan redistricting, however, is part of the politics playbook, although some states have chosen to use independent or bipartisan commissions to handle drawing the new boundaries.
I guess Texas Republicans think it’s really cool to change the rules so you can be sure you win, despite the fact that they already represent more than their share of Texans. In other words, while Texas voters chose Kamala Harris at a rate of 42.4% in 2024, the US House of Representatives’ Democratic Texas delegation is significantly smaller, at 31.6%.
This discrepancy is going to become even greater since it reflects district boundaries that continue to be drawn in ways that do not reflect the actual population. Four districts represented by Black Democrats are expected to drop to two. Does it matter that this change is anti-Democrat rather than anti-Black? Our legislators should not stack the deck against anyone.
To be fair, Democrats often use redistricting in a similar partisan way, to manipulate voting districts to produce the results they want. In fact, many Democrats in blue states are urging lawmakers to engage in what we might call counter-redistricting, trying to add Democratic districts in order to offset the Republican districts being wrung out in Texas and other red states.
On the other hand, many Democrats support independent commissions to undertake the redrawing of boundaries to reflect the voting population more accurately. Democratic Texas representative James Talarico, representing northeast Austin, has introduced a bill to turn Texas redistricting over to a nonpartisan commission, though of course nobody expects to see it come up for a vote. (Talarico’s interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast is a recommended introduction to this articulate and thoughtful fellow, who himself has been bumped around by redistricting and calls it out for the smoke and mirrors that it is.)
Back to King Donald. The idea of losing is so disturbing to him that he has simply decided not to lose. Therefore, whatever is required to carry him to victory will be expected from the minions around him and from us, the peasants. And don’t be the messenger who brings him bad news, like the highly anticipated jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (an independent and well-respected agency). His Majesty didn’t like the report since it was weaker than expected, so he quickly fired the head of the agency. He probably wishes he could say “Off with your head!” instead of just using his old line, “You’re fired”.
If you’re a Texas Republican, I wonder how you feel about your representatives simply rolling over whenever Trump and Abbott tell them to. If they’re so great at governing, why do they have to cheat to win? Why do they worry that without manipulating the voting districts and purging the rolls of eligible voters they might lose the next election? Do they realize that Trump’s approach to governing is becoming increasingly unpopular? Even among Republicans?
Party politics is one thing, but fairness, decency and the Constitution should be more important. Bending the knee to His Majesty, King Donald, might buy your representative an election, but you’ll be down there on your knee right beside him. Are Trump’s policies really so amazing that they are worth any sacrifice to keep him in power? You might find you’ve spent so long on your knee that it has become impossible to get up.
Susan Hull is a retired clinical psychologist, a horse trainer and an Independent voter. She notes that as of press time, Texas Democratic representatives have denied a quorum for the vote on redistricting by leaving the state, despite the Governor’s threats to remove them from office, thereby showing more of that Texas grit and independence than we’ve seen from Texas Republicans for a long time.
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