Texas House Democrats fled the Lone Star State earlier this month to deny their colleagues the necessary number of bodies for a quorum, thereby temporarily preventing Republicans from passing new congressional lines and gaining five more congressional pickup opportunities ahead of the midterm elections.
Following the Democratic lawmakers’ departure, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) signed arrest warrants for the absentee legislators and Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered their arrests by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
State Democrats — having likely recognized the futility of their flight — finally slunk back to Texas this week.
‘You are among those who history will reveal to have been heroes of this moment.’
To leave the Texas Capitol building on Monday, Democrats apparently had to obtain written permission from Burrows and agree to be escorted by a DPS trooper. Rather than agree to the safeguard, some Democrats decided instead to engage in what Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison (R) referred to as “crocodile tears and bad, bad Kabuki theater” — throwing fits, tearing up their permission slips in front of reporters, and camping out in the statehouse.
State Rep. Nicole Collier really made a show of her sleepover — telling CBS News she refuses “to comply with this unreasonable, un-American, and unnecessary request” and sharing a photo online of her snug in a chair in the state House with a pillow, a sleep mask, and a blanket.
These theatrics attracted the attention of twice-failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who called to paint Collier’s sleepover as heroic.
“You really are inspiring so many people, and I just want you to know that you are among those who history will reveal to have been heroes of this moment,” said Harris. “So you just stay strong and do what you are doing. You have the right instinct. You are talented, and you are principled.”
Harris noted further in a tweet, “Nicole, we are all in that chamber with you.”
Taking the lead from Collier, Democratic Texas Rep. Mihaela Plesa and a handful of other Democrats returned to the chamber to virtue-signal and tear up their permission slips.
Democratic Texas Rep. Mihaela Plesa tears her Department of Public Safety escort form. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
On Wednesday, another failed Democratic presidential candidate piped up in support of the sleepover Democrats.
Hillary Clinton stated, “I stand with state Rep. Nicole Collier and other Texas Democrats on the front lines of protecting American democracy. In a free country, state lawmakers don’t get held hostage by the opposition.”
Clinton’s suggestion that the Democrats were protecting democracy misses the point of the confinement and police escort — namely that the Texas Democrats have been trying to thwart the democratic process and the people’s will.
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