Texas Hold-Up

The economy is tanking, Social Security is in trouble, and people are ticked off about the big ugly bill.  So what can Trump do now?  He might decide - no, he did decide - to tell Texas governor Greg Abbott to redraw the districts in the Texas U.S. House delegation so that the Republicans can gain five House seats and thwart any effort by the Democrats to win back the chamber in the 2026 midterms.  So Abbott, who was only too happy to oblige and called a special session of the Texas state legislature.  Democratic legislators quickly left the state and didn't come back until after the special session expired.  Abbott was thwarted, but like the bad guy in any dime-store Western novel, he'll be back.

And when he is, Gavin Newsom (above) will be there to meet him.  The California Democratic governor has vowed to get the California state legislature to find a way to gerrymander California's U.S. House districts if Texas gerrymanders its own.  Until Texas acts, California will stand pat, so if and when Newsom makes his move, he will be fighting back, not playing tit for tat.  Democrats are finally fighting back against Trump.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that none of them are serving in Washington.  and they might not be serving in Congress for much longer.  When they return after summer recess, Trump just might have them arrested and sent to a concentration camp.  He already has the National Guard running the place.

And if California successfully thwarts Texas . . . well, Trump is already looking to outlaw mail-in voting, and he plans to "investigate" voter irregularities in any states that do allow mail-in voting in the 2026 midterms . . . even if the governors and legislatures there don't have any basis to look into such charges and tell Trump not to interfere.  

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.