Settling Dust

It is after two in the morning here in DC. I need to go to bed. But I cannot sleep in good conscious until I make a few comments about the recent events in the Texas Senate.

First, to Senator Wendy Davis: my hat is off to you ma’am. There are very few issues on which we agree, and abortion is not one of them. However, your efforts today should be acknowledged. It was gutsy to attempt a thirteen-hour filibuster, and you did so with class and a great deal of respect for the democratic process.

The end of this situation has yet to be resolved – as of the writing of this post. Whether the bill passed or not is not important right now. The actions by both the members of the Senate and the individuals in the gallery have been deplorable. Members on both sides have used gimmicks and tricks to get their side the win. It would be easy to point out individuals that I believe are at fault, but I will not. This is a stain on the Senate and the state as a whole.

However, the most glaring assault on our democratic character was the action by the individuals in the gallery. When the clock got near its end, the gallery erupted as the Senate tried to proceed through multiple motions on the floor. The noise was so disruptive that the body could not hear the voices of the chair or one another. By cheering and chanting for nearly fifteen minutes, the mob effectively ran out the clock on the special session.

There are rules for decorum in the Senate chamber, and DPS officers removed many of the protesting onlookers from the gallery. At one point, I could hear someone yell, “we are the people” over and over, which I can only assume had the intention of communicating “we are the people, and we deserve to be heard”.

“We the People” of Texas have every right to have their voice heard, but where you lose me is in any defense of the actions on the gallery mob as any form of the democratic process. Allow me to explain just a few ways that “We the People” of Texas have been heard:

 “We the People” of Texas have elected Representatives and Senators to craft, debate, and pass our laws. Voting and elections is the most poignant and powerful voice the people have.

“We the People “ of Texas have had ample time to notify our Representatives and Senators of our support or opposition to the bill in question. Write a letter. Make a phone call. From someone who has been there and been apart of the process, let me assure you that the do matter and your voices are not ignored.

“We the People” of Texas, at least the opposition in this case, were vehemently defended in the form of Senator Davis’ filibuster. The filibuster is one of the most democratic tools in the arsenal of legislators. It gives the minority the chance to be heard regardless of the desires of the majority.

“We the People” of Texas were heard and their opinions were considered, so the argument that the actions of the gallery mob were in any way democratic is foolish. In fact, the founders of the United States voiced their concern about overbearing factions and the tyranny of the majority (Federalist 10). They specifically designed a system to combat those concerns.

The actions of the gallery mob were exactly what the founders were concerned about. They were ridiculous and undemocratic, at best. At the end of the day, this is not about abortion – it is about the travesty that the recent Senate deliberations became.

I blogged earlier today, saying that as Texans we are better than personal attacks on one another over partisan differences. The same is true here. As Texans were are better than this. We should expect and demand better from our elected officials. We should act in a way that is becoming of our great heritage as Texans and as Americans - we did not show that today. As the dust settles on the entire situation, remember that we are better than this and we need to act like it.