The Point: The Texas Democratic rebellion ended with barely a whimper

View this email in your browser   August 20, 2021  | by Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski The Texas Democratic rebellion ended with barely a whimper After a six-week standoff that drew massive amounts of national attention, Texas House Democrats broke ranks late this week -- delivering a near-certain victory for Republicans seeking to push through the nation's most stringent voting law.   This was always inevitable -- but it ended with even more of a whimper than I thought it would. See, the problem for Texas Democrats is that they only ever had one-half of a good plan. They would flee the state, robbing Republicans of a quorum and, therefore, unable to pass any legislation, including the election bill. That half of the plan made sense. But that was the entire plan. There was no "then what"?     Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature and have one of their own -- Greg Abbott -- in the governor's office. Abbott had made clear shortly after the Democrats fled the state that he would continue to call special sessions until the election bill was passed.   That left Democrats with two options: 1) Stay out of the state indefinitely 2) Go back at some point and admit the fight was lost.   Option #1 was never really viable; are you going to permanently move out of the state in order to keep the legislation from being passed?   And so Democrats have slowly but surely been going for Option #2 -- and trying to spin it as best as they can.   "We took the fight for voting rights to Washington, D.C. and brought national attention to the partisan push in our state to weaken ballot access," said the three Democrats who returned to the state on Thursday, giving Republicans just enough House members to pass legislation. "Our efforts were successful and served as the primary catalyst to push Congress to take action on federal voter protection legislation. Now, we continue the fight on the House Floor." Which, well, sort of. Congressional Democrats did introduce another attempt to update the Voting Rights Act this week but its chances of becoming law remain murky.   The truth of this is that Texas Democrats always had a losing hand here. Republicans had the ability to keep calling special sessions until they got what they wanted -- and no particular reason to bargain with Democrats who had skipped the state.   The Point: The now-inevitable passage of Texas' voting law is a testament to raw political power -- and its unapologetic use so that one side can get what it wants. It's a tough -- but important -- lesson.   -- Chris   QUOTE OF THE DAY "It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter." -- Mike Richards, stepping down as the host of "Jeopardy!" on Friday -- just days after he was named to the job THE WEEK IN 16 HEADLINES This week, President Joe Biden defended his handling of the situation in Afghanistan as conditions deteriorated rapidly amid Taliban control. On Thursday, a bomb threat at the US Capitol reinforced fears of terrorism within America's own borders.   Monday US resumes operations at Kabul airport after US forces kill two armed men Biden admits Afghanistan's collapse 'did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated' Biden administration expected to advise Covid booster shots for most Americans Tuesday Biden administration embroiled in internal blame-shifting amid Afghanistan chaos An incoherent strategy doomed the 20-year US mission in Afghanistan, watchdog says as US withdraws US to ship first of the 500 million Pfizer doses Biden pledged to donate globally House Democrats face major divisions over infrastructure strategy Wednesday Georgia officials advance controversial review of Fulton County elections operations 'We're going to do both': White House argues it can offer booster shots to Americans while sharing vaccines globally Biden promised allies 'America is back.' Chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal is making them fear it's still 'America First.' Thursday President and first lady plan to get their Covid-19 vaccine booster shots once they're eligible, Biden says Police identify suspect who surrendered after claiming to have a bomb near US Capitol Pentagon ramping up Kabul evacuation efforts as many struggle to reach airport Friday Simple steps for coexisting with the coronavirus Europe left exposed as Biden walks America away from the world stage New pandemic school year is a nightmare for parents and a new test for Biden FRIDAY'S MUST-SEE TWEETS 1. Dan Patrick [slaps forehead] 2. Now Lindsey Graham wants to impeach?!?!? 3. Give Anthony Scaramucci this: He has a sense of humor 4. It had a good run 5. So an Irishman goes to the Iowa State Fair ... CHRIS' GOOD READS Politico's ticktock of the Biden White House during the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is absolutely fascinating.   Paul Krugman (of The New York Times) writes exactly what I feel: "The Quiet Rage of the Responsible" With the recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom looking like a possibility, there's been a lot more scrutiny on the Republican leading the field if Newsom is ousted: Larry Elder.  Politico's piece on Elder's actions toward a former girlfriend is deeply troubling. As is the KFILE story on Elder's past comments about women.   CNN's Clarissa Ward's reporting from inside the collapse of the Afghan government has been harrowing -- and amazing. Esquire goes into how Clarissa does it.   So, um, this is how every horror movie about the future starts, right?   The whole world of Disney is endlessly fascinating to me. This BBC piece digs into what we should make of Disneyland -- is it a piece of art or an example of out-of-control capitalism? MUSICAL INTERLUDE Sturgill Simpson makes some of the most interesting music around. After two albums of bluegrass tunes, he's back with a concept album: "The Ballad of Dood & Juanita." (Also, make sure to read this Rolling Stone profile of Simpson.) ONE BIG NUMBER 57 The percentage of Republicans who say that public elementary and secondary schools are having a negative effect on "the way things are going in the country," according to new polling from the Pew Research Center. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Unsubscribe from this list Check out other CNN Newsletters Create your CNN Account Share the Point Newsletter Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.   Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. You can follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter and connect with The Point on: Our mailing address is: One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303   Copyright © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., All rights reserved.

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