So, you are equating people rioting in the street as a violent reaction to another black person killed by the police to people engaging in their constitutional right to vote, which before trump reflected the very best in democracy by showing the peaceful transition of power from one president to another? Why would "blm" and whatever group your right-wing mind conjures up (odd, right wing white nationalist groups didn't come to mind) go nuts protesting at a polling location *before* any results are known?
It's not Trump supporters that they're being sent for. Old fat angry white people don't have the stamina to riot for longer than 5 minutes. It's pretty clear that Abbot is setting up for some sort of bullshit Trump victory announcement.
2020 is special. Political tensions are peaking and there have been mass protests/riots throughout the country. I think the reason is straightforward -- help ensure an orderly voting process. If you have people clashing at a voting site, that becomes an unsafe environment. The purpose of a national guard presence should be to prevent that from happening.
At this stage, right wing terrorists (who have also been the prime movers behind lots of so-called riots) are a bigger threat to the election process. I think deploying them to deter them is not a bad move. Of course, if they're going to go down to the 5th ward and start blockading the doors with tanks, it's another matter.
thats a lie...but it is true that trump told his cult members to go stand watch at election sites, he has said the election will be rigged and a fraud, he will most likely contest it and fight it to the supreme court, he told the proud boys to stand by, has said the only way he will lose is if there is cheating and emboldened right wing domestic terrorists and white supremacist groups.
Maybe a group of people arrive wearing MAGA hats and glorifying Trump. Or, the other way around, some people arrive with BLM shirts and ripping Trump. For some people, in the present climate, that's enough to justify a confrontation.
Why should the national guard be present at all is the real question. What rioting has happened in Texas?
But that's not the reason. They specifically said, for now, order is to stay away from polling places. Other than that, I don't hear a reason. Abbot providing his reason would be good and clear up things.
Since that hasn't happened in the history of U.S. elections, seems a pretty stretch of what might happen. On the other hand, we have seen trump call out for people to "monitor" polling places. And we have seen instances of voter intimidation in the past. Interesting, the Department of Justice defines voter intimidation as follows: The Department of Justice says that voter intimidation "normally requires evidence of threats, duress, economic coercion, or some other aggravating factor that tends to improperly induce conduct on the part of the victim."[3] Some examples of voter intimidation as defined by the Department of Justice are as follows: Violent behavior inside or outside the polling site Verbal threats of violence Confronting voters while wearing military-style or official-looking uniforms Brandishing firearms or the intimidating display of firearms Disrupting voting lines or blocking the entrance to the polling place Following voters to, from, or within the polling place Spreading false information about voter fraud, voting requirements, or related criminal penalties Aggressively approaching voters’ vehicles or writing down voters’ license plate numbers Harassing voters, aggressively questioning them about their qualifications to vote [1]
Here is an interesting article on voter intimidation in the United States by the folks at Lawfare... it includes examples. https://www.lawfareblog.com/defining-voter-intimidation-six-battleground-states
From Chron this morning, they want to be prepared for post-election demonstrations to protect state monuments and deter looting and destruction of property. They are not going to go to polling sites. And, looks like half the votes in Texas have already been cast anyway. I'm wary about policy to affect voter turnout, but it is fatiguing to see the liberal kneejerk reaction to jump at every moving shadow. Just go vote, and then don't burn anything afterward.
If you assume that the political climate in 2020 is no different than it was in previous years, then yes. Not sure why you would assume that.
So... if the political climate is different, what caused it to be different? And what will stationing heavily armed troops at polling locations do? And are you stationing them at every polling location, or just some locations (heavily Democrat locations? Inner city locations?)... and how do you decide? Will you deploy tanks in especially worrisome locations?
