Texas Democrats ensconced in Washington are getting a lot of love right now from national progressives and the social media echo chamber. They should be careful about enjoying it too much.
After all, Democrats might remember legislators’ 2003 escape to Ardmore, Okla., as a glorious chapter in their Pyrrhic resistance to redistricting in the state. But a look at the longer term political consequences suggests it was a strategic error for the party.
It’s often difficult to draw exact cause-and-effect lines in politics. But the reality is that, after the Ardmore evacuation, Democrats only saw their power further reduced in Texas. Republicans, meanwhile, gloated for a decade over the Democrats’ shortsighted decision to leave Austin and throw sand in the gears of the legislative process.
That’s happening again. Voters are aware that there are serious legislative matters that deserve a vote in Austin right now. Even if we set aside the most controversial measures Gov. Greg Abbott has put on the agenda, there are broadly good bills that Texans of every political stripe want passed. That includes property tax relief for seniors and the disabled; an expansion of the property tax exemption rule so people can claim exemptions in the same year they purchase a home; a critical appropriations measure for the state’s foster care system; and an additional annual retirement check for teachers among other bills.
Part of democracy has to be a willingness to accept political and legislative defeat. Donald Trump lost the presidency, and he hurt this country when he refused to accept it. Texas Democrats are going to lose some legislative fights while they are in the minority, and they need to be in Texas to make their arguments, take their votes and accept the outcome. That’s the heart of democratic governance. Hitting the road on what amounts to a political fundraising campaign is an abandonment of their duties as lawmakers.
The problem for Democrats is that most Texans understand that. They probably aren’t the Texans who are firing off on social media all day. And they probably aren’t the Texans who are writing fat checks to political action committees.
We suspect they are the kind of Texans who get tired of a bunch of theater and noise from their elected officials. The kind who can separate legislative fact from political rhetoric. The kind who remember and vote.