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Texas lawmaker demands empty referendum on state secession ... again [1]

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Date: 2023-03-07

The Hill:

If the measure — known as the TEXIT Referendum Act — passes, a referendum on whether Texas “should reassert its status as an independent nation” would be scheduled for the next general election on Nov. 7, 2023. The bill would also require potential plans to be presented to the state legislature. “The Texas Constitution is clear that all political power resides in the people,” Rep. Bryan Slaton (R) wrote in a statement. “After decades of continuous abuse of our rights and liberties by the federal government, it is time to let the people of Texas make their voices heard.”

There are some tantalizing upsides to the prospect of Texas taking its haphazardly gelded bovine balls and going home. For one thing, it would make it nearly impossible for a Republican to secure an Electoral College victory in any presidential election. Even—or especially—when the GOP nominee is the worst human being on the planet, Texas will step right up to hand him 38 electoral votes.

For another, Ted Cruz would no longer be a U.S. senator.

But, alas, this bill is unlikely to go anywhere.

A coalition of Texas lawmakers — including Slaton — filed the same bill in March 2021, which was referred to the State Affairs committee. It did not, however, receive a hearing or a vote.

So clearly this is just more performative piffle from the same sorts of people who loudly oppose federal infrastructure bills before brazenly claiming credit for the goodies they bring to their constituents. Or, perhaps more accurately, it’s a lot like U.S. Congress members repeatedly voting to repeal Obamacare without having any plan for what would come next if they succeeded.

Texas may be better equipped to survive on its own than, say, Mississippi, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t devolve into a quasi-libertarian hellhole over time. I mean, look at it. It’s chock-full of Texas Republicans. The state—not to mention over 5.2 million people who voted for Joe Biden in 2020—wouldn’t have a prayer. Judging by modern-day Republicans’ eager embrace of fascism, in a worst-case scenario they’d end up looking like Vladimir Putin’s Russia, but with less oil.

Of course, Slaton’s overwrought statement about his bill hints that it’s just red meat and gristle for his government-hating minions.

“On this 187th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo I’m proud to file this bill to let the people of Texas vote on the future of our State,” Slaton stated. “Texas was born out of a desire for liberty and self-governance, and that desire continues to burn in the hearts of all Texans.”

Uh-huh. And you know what burns in the hearths of all Texans? Grandma’s prosthetic leg the next time the energy grid shuts down, because the state is stuffed to the gills with blinkered libertarian goofballs.

We probably won’t get rid of Texas that easily—nor should we, considering the price our nation paid to keep the Union together the last time it faced a “national divorce.” That said, it is sometimes tempting to call red states’ bluff—just to see what would happen.

RELATED STORY: Marjorie Taylor Greene again argues 'red states' should separate themselves from federal government

I have a feeling it wouldn’t be just the lack of electricity that would shock them.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/7/2156727/-Texas-lawmaker-demands-empty-referendum-on-state-secession-again

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