Texas Freedom Caucus kills more than 100 bills because other … – Salon

Famed political humorist Molly Ivins liked to call Texas the National Laboratory for Bad Government, which is why the nation as a whole should look with trepidation at the events that transpired last week in the state legislature. While the national press was riveted for good reason! by the ongoing scandal surrounding President Donald Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey, the Texas legislatureupped the ante when it comes to destroying the government in the name of right-wing ideological purity.

In sum, the self-described Freedom Caucus in the Austin legislature, claiming that the Republican-controlled body is somehow not conservative enough, decided to go on a bill-blocking spree at the end of last week, using procedural machinations to run out the clockfor more than 100bills, effectively killing off those bills.

The event was dubbed the Mothers Day Massacre by observers. Its a nickname that had an uncomfortably literal side to it, as two of the bills that were killed off withdelayingtactics were meant to address Texas alarming maternal mortality rate, whichdoubled from2011 to 2014, making the states maternity mortality rate the highest in the developed world.

Itwasnt just mothers who were victims of the Freedom Caucus stunt. Multiple bills meant to helpchildren were decimatedas well, including oneaimed at protecting children from sexual predators, legislationintended tostop schools from shaming children who dont have lunch money and a bill to encourage early literacy.

The caucus members were angry because the Houses leadership, which is also dominated by conservative Republicans, caused the demise of a handful of Freedom Caucus-friendly bills covering a range of far-right hobbyhorses, including attacks on abortion rights and public schools.In response the caucus killed dozens more bills.

Its not easy to write a bill thats so radical in its right-wing politics that it ends up being rejected by the Texas branch of Republican Party, a point that GOP state Rep. Dennis Bonnen emphasized to the Austin American-Statesman. So sanctuary cities is not a conservative issue for them? Bonnencomplained, referring to a bill signed into law on May 7 by Gov. Greg Abbott that is so racist and oppressive that the American Civil Liberties Unionhad to issue a travel advisory warningpeople who might be perceived as immigrants about the dangers of harassment and illegal detention by the police. Caucus memberRep. Jeff Leachsaid, after watching the killing of ahandful of radical right-wing bills: Weve learned time and time again, when a bully punches you again and again and again. You can walk away. You can be kind. But sometimes you got to punch back.

This behaviorby the Texas Freedom Caucus suggests thatthe newly hardened far right of the Republican Party is not merely not going away, but it may be more willing than ever to use the tactics of blackmail to try to turn the red states and eventually the country into aHandmaids Tale-style dystopia of their dreams.

A version of this, of course, has beenhappening on the national level, asthe Freedom Caucusof the House of Representativeswas able to push the American Health Care Act, also known as Trumpcare, even further to the right through obstructionist politics. Thesehardball tactics resulted in a billthat would strip away coverage mandates, slash Medicaid and allow discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.

Its hard not to see the Lone Star States version of the Freedom Caucus as an escalation of this strategy. This isnt just about changing one bill or even a handful of bills; its about demanding that the Republican Party move even further to the right and at an even more breakneck speed than before.

The anger that the Republicans arent moving hard enough or fast enough to the right is doubly alarming when one considers how far the party has already traveled. Political polarization has been a major political trend over the past few decades, but most of the shift is due to Republicansstampeding rightward. Yes, its also true that Democrats have become more liberal, at least on social issues.But as Nolan McCarty ofTheWashington Post explained in 2014, Despite the widespread belief that both parties have moved to the extremes, the movement of the Republican Party to the right accounts for most of the divergence between the two parties.

To be clear, the Texas legislatures Freedom Caucus didnt succeed, in the short term anyway, with its temper tantrum. Itstoo-far-right-for-Texas bills didnt end up beingreinstated on the legislative calendar and the caucus membersarent going to get a debate on them, much less a vote. But the caucus did manage to derail all other business in the legislature, and its hard to not notice that a lot of the dead bills dealt with issues that will get you called a snowflake on social media for caring about them saving womens lives, stopping school bullying,encouraging literacy.

The bigger issue lies inthevery existence of freedom caucuses, largely composed of right-wing radicals whoare willing to grind the government to a halt rather than compromise on their ideological purity. The members of this caucus held a self-pitying press conference when they identified as victims of bullying because they didnt get what they wanted. This isa narrative that not only justifies their behavior but that also encourages other extremist politicians to take a hard-line approach to getting their way. As the Republican Party has already shifted so far to the right, theres good reason to worry that these zealous tactics could actually work.

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Texas Freedom Caucus kills more than 100 bills because other ... - Salon