So... the second time in a week that abbott has broken the law in order to perform a cheap political stunt... Gov. Greg Abbott announces deals with two more Mexican governors to halt Texas’ vehicle inspections at the border The announcements come a day after Abbott reached a similar deal with Nuevo León’s governor, who agreed to add security at a major border bridge in exchange for an end to increased vehicle inspections by Texas troopers. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/0...49992258&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter If true... Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the Constitution reads: “No State shall, without the Consent of Congress . . . enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign power.” And his earlier stunt with the busses?
Case law for the above... an interesting history of immigration: https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/92/275
Where's my small government conservatives at w/r/t to this overbearing regulatory regime @StupidMoniker - a chance to put on the libertarian t shirt and build bbs cred @tinman you're a truck blockade enthusiast. @bigtexxx how is this impacting Conroe
I think he is taking a page from the Trump playbook. Do what you want and dare your political opponents to do something about it. If they do, tell your followers it's a partisan witch hunt.
Abbott has become the King of Texas. He's wielded more power than Bush, Perry, and Richards combined. I have some disagreements with current Texas Government school book writers that present the structural disadvantages that Abbott has in comparison to other governors. While the structural issues are a fact, that's more of history. During his reign, Abbott has strategically altered the power dynamic of Texas government. A state lege committee chairman came to speak to one of my classes (trying to be kind of vague because I kind of value my privacy, but whatever) earlier and I asked him about Abbott's power grab. I was nice about it - like the dean and other important admin people were there and this dude helps gets millions to Texas schools. Lege dude (solid red district, strong Christian conservative, military background, pro-Trump, but anti 1/6 which he can probably get away with because of his military background) said it's something the legislature of Texas is not happy with and they're looking into changing it, but gave no specifics. I know there were House Bills presented to limit Abbott's power, but I don't think they went anywhere. Big point is Abbott has constantly been using emergency powers to rule as King and usurp legislative power, successfully taking power away from the Lt. Governor, the Legislature, and the Texas Supreme Court. Is COVID over? New York, freaking New York has no longer been living under a state of emergency for months. Yet in Texas, Abbott has for the 24th month in row delcared a state of COVID emergency purely to have powers that don't exist in regular times. For better or for worse, Abbott has become the Sovereign of Texas.
This would piss off any conservative, however, since Abbott is playing politics and is pretending to go after the "bad hombres", conservative voters are happy to keep voting for this joke of a governor.
He gets away with so much because people don't want to criticize a guy in a wheel chair, but he is pure evil. DD
I don't think Abbott is evil, or we may have different definitions of evil. I think he's an opportunistic, calculating, empty suit that bends with the political winds. He's been very successful at rising in Texas politics through an uncommon path (law), with a blah personality, and consolidating power when liberals and hardcore conservatives hate him. He's built a coalition of support from business interests and non-hardcore conservatives along with the hardcores who pay less attention to politics, and he's become the King. It's quite impressive. Even though I consider politics the domain of the idiots, to become the most powerful King of idiots is still an achievement. I do see your wheelchair point. It was some hardcores that hot mic transitioned from criticizing his phoney conservatism to insulting his handicap that created backlash that allowed for more Abbott teflon reinforcement. But Abbott is not without his own hot mic issues. They just don't get traction in Texas. Here's Abbott practicing souding like he cares (during the winter storm): https://www.comicsands.com/texas-gop-greg-abbott-mic-2650799443.html
He got what he needed out of this. In his run for presidency he will be able to claim that he is a foreign policy expert by illegally negotiating deals with the governor's of several Mexican states in the name of protecting not only Texas, but the US.
If we got rid of all government welfare programs and similar government money sinks like requiring hospitals to treat people regardless of the ability to pay and we got rid of laws against controlled substances, I would say just have an open border. Allow for the free movement of goods and labor.
And now New Mexico gets our planned development. Whoever advised Abbott to do that move messed up. Or he just messed up. https://theweek.com/greg-abbott/101...rompt-mexico-to-move-lucrative-trade-link?amp
See DeSantis/Florida. All politics are national & the only thing that matters is what FoxNews is saying, and what goes viral on Facebook. All of Abbott and DeSantis' decisions are made with a pretty hard calculus that messaging at the FoxNews level is the primary objective. Everything in their sphere of influence to their voters is filtered through that medium and hits the local level after already penetrating voters via social/Fox. Sources like the Houston Chronical, etc. aren't going to be able to keep up with that engine as long as Facebook has the same algorithmic approach maintained. But to be clear... I do think the Grid issues from the ice storm did penetrate Texas voters, and will hurt Abbott, and I do think that the border stunt will penetrate a bit. Does that mean Beto can break through the juggernaut that is Right Wing/Fox talking point viral social media propaganda???.... probably not, but I do think he's more vulnerable than most Republican Governors because of those two overreaches that were more designed to be "The Next Trump" than anything else. In Abbott's case being "The Next Trump" and avoiding a primary contest go hand in hand. Needless to say I don't think Abbott is firing any advisors just yet.
