On Alvarado
I saw this tweet yesterday:
Poppy Northcutt @poppy_northcutt
Some folks think quorum breaks & filibusters don’t matter since the GOPers have the votes to win anyway. If those folks were right the GOPers would have just shrugged it off instead of trying to get Dems arrested & breaking the rules to silence @CarolforTexas @harrisdemocrats
Here is from the Daily Beast:
A Texas state senator inserted a catheter as part of a desperate attempt to draw attention to her state GOP’s plan to redraw congressional districts in its favor.
Carol Alvarado planned to filibuster through the night on Friday, talking for hours on end inside the Texas Capitol. She told The Washington Post she knew the filibuster was unlikely to stop the planned redistricting, but she had to do something.
Alvarado, 57, prepped for days. The Post reports she “got an IV infusion, inserted a catheter with a urine bag attached, bought a long, blue, flowered dress to hide the bag,” and “also limbered up with hot yoga and selected comfortable running shoes.”
The Houston native, who now represents her hometown, had her staff put together binders of speaking material for her to read, including complaints from Texans who opposed the Republican Party’s attempt to draw new districts in a non-Census year.
However, it was Alvarado’s last bit of preparation—to fundraise off the act—that would ultimately provide a route for Republicans to blow the whole plan up.
The Texas state Senate reconvened at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Alvarado was ready to replicate her last filibuster, when she spoke for over 15 hours in 2021, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, allowed one of his partymates to speak first.
Republican Sen. Charles Perry took to the dais. The Post reported that he accused Alvarado of violating Senate rules by sending a fundraising email for her campaign before the filibuster that said, “MAGA will come after me for this.”
“Using the entire Senate, its employees, and support for Senator Alvarado’s campaign effectively holds the entire Senate hostage,” Perry alleged, according to the Post. “It’s disrespectful, it violates the decorum of the Senate, and personally, I’m offended by it.”
Perry added that the email was “potentially unlawful, at least unethical, using state resources for a campaign purpose.”
Lt. Gov. Patrick found the complaint to be valid and reportedly ignored the objection of a Democrat. A vote was called, and senators voted 18-11 on party lines to block the filibuster before it ever got started.
Here is the Sen. Alvarado email that was sent out around 3 pm on Friday:
Friends,
Most people thought today would mark the end of the fight against Trump’s power grab. But I’m here to tell you that we’re just getting started.
I am standing up to Trump and standing for our democracy. Back in 2021, I spoke for 15 hours and 7 minutes—without food or water—to defend voting rights. Now the stakes are even higher and I’m prepared to give everything I have for my fellow Texans and for this country.
MAGA will come after me for this. That’s why I need you in my corner. Rush a donation now and join me in this fight.
Together, we will not back down.
Let’s see. There are currently 19 MAGA Texas State Senators and 11 Democratic State Senators. It is clear that Sen. Alvarado intimidates her 19 MAGA colleagues. Folks know that Carol is one of my best friends and I also handle her political campaigns.
I know her well. She stays in shape and closely watches what she puts into her body. I would bet that of the 30 Texas State Senators, she is in the best shape. She was prepared to go for 15 hours plus. Her MAGA colleagues knew that.
This was not about a rule violation. Heck, what rule was violated? The email was sent out by her political team in H-Town. This was about the fear of Sen. Alvarado intimidating MAGA for 15 hours plus. This was about Sen. Alvarado making MAGA and this mid-decade redistricting farce look bad for 15 hours plus.
MAGA State Sen. Charles Perry says he was offended by the Sen. Alvarado email. Nope. You were intimidated by what she was fixing to do for 15 hours plus.
Speaking of being offended, this entire mid-decade redistricting crap is offensive. Splitting H-Town’s Near Northside into 3 different congressional districts is offensive.
Sen. Alvarado was correct in the email. MAGA did come after her.
The featured photo was posted on Friday speaks for itself.
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On “What’s Your Point” yesterday, the Breitbart Texas Fella said the MAGA Texas State Legislators were “ungerrymandering the gerrymandering.” This fella is getting lazy. The gerrymandering he references was the product of MAGA in 2021.
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I was at a family dinner this past weekend at a Downtown H-Town restaurant, and I finally saw some scooters. First, the scooter rental was set up in a parking lot next to the Four Seasons Hotel. I saw scooters riding down Travis Street. The scooters were running red lights and zig zagging in and out of traffic. Not a good look.
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We went 3-4 on the roadie. We are 72-59 with 31 games left to play in the regular season. 16 at Daikin Park and 15 roadies. The next 10 games are at Daikin Park with the Rockies in for 3 beginning tomorrow evening, 4 with the Angels over the Labor Day Weekend, the 3 with the Yankees next week. We have a 2-game lead in the AL West. Let’s hope Yordan joins the team soon.