IT’S TIME FOR SOME THANK YOU’s! I send plenty of cards to people who are doing wrong, but I sending cards of thanks keeps me from feeling like I’m drowning in craziness. Plus, it’s important to encourage those who are working hard and being brave and creative. Anytime someone is brave they inspire others.
The Story
Trump let Texas Governor, Gregg Abbott, and Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, know that he wanted them to redraw the distracts in their state in such a way that Republicans would gain 5 more seats in upcoming elections. Traditionally, our country only redraws districts after new census information comes out every 10 years and districts are SUPPOSED to be drawn in such a way that they fairly represent the demographics in the state. Instead, Republicans are trying to rig the system and they aren’t even bothering to disguise it.
Abbott and Paxton responded enthusiastically and got right on it. They needed to get the plan up for a vote in their state. In order to conduct that vote, they are required to have a majority of members of the house representatives (a quorum) present in order to conduct a vote. Texas House Democrats are making sure that won’t happen by leaving the state and they have the support of lots of folks around the country who understand clearly what gerrymandering in Texas could mean for the future of our country.
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| Ken Paxton and Gregg Abbott |
Paxton, who hopes to get elected to the senate next year despite all the crimes he’s accused of, filed a lawsuit against 13 of those Dems to have them removed from office. He’s also trying to put out arrest warrants for all the Dems in other states, but those states are pushing back. The FBI, which is now just a tool for dismantling democracy, is likely going to help Paxton.
“They may end up showing up before the session ends. But there’s only about 10 days left of the session. It started on the 21st of last month, and it only lasts 30 days. So it’s not much time left for Republicans and Democrats to reunite on the House floor and get things passed.” ~ Blaise Gainey (covers state politics for The Texas Newsroom)
I am sending postcards to the 13 representatives putting themselves on the line and being particularly targeted by Paxton. I have a couple of other special helpers to thank as well and I'll do that in the last post.
Here’s my first batch of cards and the contact info in case others want to write as well. Also note: If you don't want to send notes to 13 people, you could call their office and leave a message instead! The phone numbers are included here, too.
One thing I want to add on this post is a little bit about James Talarico.
Talarico is a rising star. Videos of him are all over the internet. He has a YouTube page, showing he and/or his assistants are up to speed on social media. He comes across as a clean cut, plain speaking, well educated, sensible guy.
He goes into churches and speaks eloquently on separation of church and state, yet comes across as a person of faith who knows that what others are doing is just plain wrong. He isn’t afraid to go on Fox or Joe Rogan. He would be appealing to a lot of people who might be turned off by more progressive Democrats. Yet his videos still get shared and liked by plenty of Dems who love our progressives. Right wing media is having a hard time trying to figure out how to make Talarico look bad.
I have hope for him as another strong voice in our choir, but honestly, I have lost faith in so many seemingly good politicians who turned out to be as greedy and corrupt as the rest that I hesitate to ever go all in supporting anybody. If Talarico is the real deal, I hope he stays strong and doesn’t lose his head in the swamp.
CONTACT INFO
Rep. John Bucy of Austin - district 136
Room GN.9
P.O. Box 12910
Austin, Texas
78711-2910
(512) 463-0696
Rep. Lulu Flores of Austin - district 51
Room E2.310
P.O. Box 12910
Austin, Texas
78711-2910
(512) 463-0674
Rep. Jessica Gonzalez of Dallas - district
400 South Zang Blvd.,
Suite 1214
Dallas, Texas 75208
(214) 944-5441
Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin - district 47
Room E2.318
P.O. Box 12910
Austin, Texas 78711-2910
(512) 463-0652
Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin - district 49
Room 4S.2
P.O. Box 12910
Austin, Texas 78711-2910
(512) 463-0668
12550 Emily Court, Suite 300
Sugar Land, Texas 77478
(281) 494-0151
Rep. Christina Morales of Houston - district 145
6815 Rustic St
Houston, TX 77087
(512) 463-0732
Rep. Mihaela Plesa of Dallas - district 70
900 E. Park Blvd., Suite 140-C
Plano, Texas 75074
(972) 423-1227
Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos of Richardson - district 102
Room E2.204
P.O. Box 12910
Austin, Texas 78711-2910
(512) 463-0454
Rep. James Talarico of Austin - district 50 - * rising star!!!
Room E2.902
P.O. Box 12910
Austin, Texas 78711-2910
(512) 463-0821
2440 Texas Parkway, Suite 102
Missouri City, Texas 77489
(281) 208-3574
Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie - district 101
320 Westway Place, Suite 501
Arlington, TX 76018
(817) 459-2800
Rep. Gene Wu of Houston - district 137
6500 Rookin, Building C
Houston, TX 77074
(713) 271-3900
Beto O’Rourke
Beto O’Rourke’s organization, POWERED BY THE PEOPLE, has been helping to support the House Dems who fled the state. Because of that, he has become a target of Texas Attorney General, Paxton and Governor Gregg Abbott. They want him arrested. If you want to help support the Texas House Dems, you might want to check out his site - https://poweredxpeople.org/
Read more - Ken Paxton launches investigation into Beto O’Rourke-led group over Texas quorum break
Beto O’Rourke
Powered By People
c/o MBA Consulting Group
PO Box 15845
Washington, DC 20003
Governor Gavin Newsom
I also wrote to Gavin Newsom even though I have written him before. He deserves major kudos for engaging in the fight in a big way. He’s made it clear that if Texas or any other red state tries to rig the elections through unfair gerrymandering, he will do the same in California. Other governors have joined him, but Gavin is pushing republican buttons brilliantly. He’s fighting fire with fire through brilliant posts and announcements and speeches. He’s inspiring more lawmakers at every level to step up creatively.
1021 O Street, Suite 9000
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841
READ MORE
There’s more to the story! In case you want to take a deeper dive, you might enjoy some of these articles, but since the battle is ongoing, you probably would do well to search for updates.
Judge rules Beto O’Rourke can’t raise money for quorum-breaking Dems as Texas AG seeks their removal -