Tag: Texas

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Abortion Elections GOP

Ted Cruz Gets Testy When Asked About Abortion At Debate: ‘Why Do You Keep Asking Me That?’

Despite having repeatedly voted to restrict a woman’s right to control her reproductive system, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) got upset when he was asked to explain his position on the issue of abortion during a debate with his Democratic opponent, Rep. Colin Allred, Tuesday evening in the Lone Star State.

Debate moderator Jason Whitely of WFAA in Dallas asked Cruz, “Texas has one of the strictest abortion bans in the United States. There’s no exception for rape or incest, as you know. In 2021, you co-sponsored a bill in Congress that included those exceptions. But a year later, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, you said that you agree with the Texas law that has zero exceptions. So tonight, the question is, where do you stand on this? And we’re asking for your personal opinion as a Texan and as a father.”

Rather than respond, Cruz began to filibuster.

“Well listen, abortion is an issue many Texans and many Americans care deeply about. And it’s an issue people of good faith can disagree. People are genuinely and deeply pro-life. People are genuinely and deeply pro-choice. And there are all sorts of positions in between. I agree with the United States Supreme Court that under our Constitution, the way we resolve questions like that, questions on which we have real and genuine disagreements it’s at the ballot box, is voting.”

Whitley tried again, asking, “Senator, you do not directly answer the question,” he said. “I wanna ask you again. Do you support or oppose exceptions for rape or for incest? Again, asking as a Texan and a father tonight.”

Cruz dodged the query a second time.

“So, I wanna be very clear,” Cruz began before attacking Allred.

Whitley pressed a third time.

“Senator, I wanna give you 60 seconds,” he said. “I wanna ask you again. Why is this an issue you won’t address, about saying whether you support or oppose exceptions for–”

Cruz attacked the moderator and asked, “Why do you keep asking me that?”

Well, Ted, he probably asked because he wants to know if you’re still an anti-choice extremist. And since you’re running for reelection, it seems the least you could do is reply.

Here’s the video:

 

Categories
GOP Social Media

Ted Cruz’s Warning To Texans About Hurricane Beryl Comes Back To Bite Him Right On The A*s

Bless his atrophied heart, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) just couldn’t resist humiliating himself for the entire internet to see with a tweet he sent out urging Lone Star State residents to stay safe as they prepare for Hurricane Beryl.

According to HuffPost, Cruz made his comments in response to another social media posting.

The Donald Trump loyalist on Sunday shared a video from Jim McIngvale (aka “Mattress Mack”), the founder of Gallery Furniture in Houston, offering help “if things get bad” when the storm hits.

“Mack is an American hero,” wrote Cruz. “Stay safe & avoid high water as the hurricane makes landfall.”

Of course, being that this is the same Ted Cruz who abandoned the state he supposedly represents in the Senate during a massive 2021 winter storm and headed to Cancun for a mini-vacation with his family, Twitter users quickly reminded him of his cowardly actions three years ago and how the irony in his pretending to care was just too damn much.

Categories
Elections GOP

Texas Senate Gives Gov. Greg Abbott The Authority To Overturn Elections

The Texas Senate has given the power to overturn elections in the state to one man, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

The bill which passed is aimed specifically at Harris County, which is home to the state’s most populous city, Houston, which is majority Hispanic and black.

HuffPost reports the move is unprecedented, even in state like Texas.

The legislation penalizes county officials for running out of ballot paper at some voting sites in the 2022 election, the Houston Chronicle reported. Still, more importantly, it gives Republican Gov. Greg Abbott “precedent-setting” power to undo election results.

The measure would give Abbott’s appointed secretary of state the authority to hold a new election in the county if it runs out of paper at 2% or more of its polling sites for more than an hour, the newspaper noted.

Harris County, it should be noted, votes largely Democratic, and voted 56% for Joe Biden in 2020. Both Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz (R) also lost Harris County when they ran for reelection.

Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) noted, “You want to vest in a political appointee the ability to make a decision as to whether or not an election should be overturned and reheld?”

And Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said the bill was “about targeting the largest county in the state, which is led by people of color.”

The bill now goes to the Texas House, where it’s likely to pass, meaning that one man would have the right to tell voters in the state’s largest county that their ballots are not going to be counted.

 

Categories
Abortion Elections GOP

Powerful Abortion Ad Aimed At Greg Abbott Goes Viral As His Poll Numbers Slide

Unless you live in the state of Texas or happen to be a political junkie who regularly follows campaigns in other states, you may not have seen the hottest political ad of the 2022 midterm elections.

The ad, which is aimed at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), has quickly gone viral, and is being shown all over cable television and online, where it is quickly earning the reputation as the most brilliant political ad in years.

Newsweek notes:

The Mothers Against Greg Abbott PAC posted the ad on Twitter on Monday, where it has since amassed more than 3 million views.

It begins with a nervous couple waiting in a doctor’s office. When the doctor enters, he solemnly tells them their baby has a “catastrophic brain abnormality.”

Nancy Thompson, the founder of the Mothers Against Greg Abbott PAC, explained the purpose of the ad:

“(It shows) the absurdity and horror of the government making a deeply personal decision – a decision which should be made between a woman and her health care provider. The video has been well received… We’re getting donations, and we’re not going to stop.”

Could a political ad in deep red Texas actually manage to turn the tide against the incumbent Abbott, who is facing a challenge from Democrat Beto O’Rourke? That depends on who you talk to, but the polls suggest that Abbott is indeed vulnerable and facing the political battle of his life, according to Axios:

In December, after the well-known Democrat announced his campaign, 54% of voters supported Abbott, compared to 37% who supported O’Rourke, a Quinnipiac University poll showed.

This month, 48% of voters support Abbott compared to 43% who support O’Rourke.

What, you may ask, is happening in Texas, long thought to be a conservative stronghold? In a word, pessimism:

Texans think Texas is on the wrong track and have expressed pessimism about their personal finances and the national economy.

Abbott’s approval rating has slipped to 43%, and 26% of Texas Republicans disapprove of the governor’s handling of the electric grid, according to the latest polling figures from the Texas Politics Project.

Additionally, following the money shows where the momentum is in the last three months of the race, with O’Rourke outraising Abbott since February.

Will Beto pull off one of the great political upsets in electoral history? It’s too soon to say definitively, but if it does happen, a viral campaign ad may well prove to have been the beginning of the end for Greg Abbott.

 

Categories
Gun Crime Joe Biden

WATCH: Greg Abbott Greeted By Boos And Jeers As He Arrives To Meet With President Biden

When he went to meet with President Joe Biden, who was in Texas to meet with the relatives of those who lost loved ones in the Uvalde school shooting on Sunday, it quickly became clear that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is not exactly very popular in his home state at the moment.

Abbott, who has refused to discuss new gun laws in the Lone Star State despite the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary school that left 19 children and two of their teachers dead, was roundly booed and jeered by crowds who had gathered to see President Biden’s arrival.

Here’s the videos:

Abbott is facing an uncertain bid for reelection in November, when he will face Democratic nominee Beto O’Rourke. Texas hasn’t had a Democratic governor since Ann Richards won in 1991.