Absentee Texas Democrats could get BOOTED from the legislature for fleeing, betraying voters and trying to sabotage democracy
By ljdevon // 2025-08-19
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Imagine this: You hire a contractor to build your home, pay them in full upfront, and then they vanish mid-job — leaving your walls half-finished, your roof exposed to the storm, and your family stranded in the chaos. Now, replace that contractor with an elected official, the home with the state of Texas, and the storm with a legislative session where critical laws hang in the balance. That’s exactly what’s unfolding in the Lone Star State, where more than 50 Democratic lawmakers have abandoned their posts, not just once, but twice, in a calculated effort to paralyze government and deny the will of the people. Their weapon? A cowardly refusal to show up for work. Their justification? A baseless claim that election integrity measures — supported by a majority of Texans — are somehow "racist." But their real motive is far more sinister: to preserve their own power by any means necessary, even if it means burning democracy to the ground. This isn’t just political theater — it’s a full-blown mutiny against the very idea of representative government. And while these absentee legislators sip coffee in Washington, D.C., lobbying for federal overreach, real Texans — like state Rep. Briscoe Cain, whose wife suffered a heart attack while he fought alone in Austin — are left picking up the pieces. The question now isn’t just whether these Democrats will face consequences, but whether Texas Republicans have the spine to restore order before the rot spreads any further. Cain's new one page bill can hold the crybully Democrats accountable, booting them from the legislature for not showing up, for betraying voters, and attempting to sabotage democracy. Key points:
  • Texas House Democrats fled the state for a second time, denying quorum and halting all legislative business, including election integrity bills, property tax relief, and redistricting.
  • State Rep. Briscoe Cain refiled HB 257, a bill to automatically vacate the seat of any lawmaker who skips seven consecutive legislative days without excuse — because "if you abandon your job, you don’t deserve the title."
  • Republicans are divided on how to respond, with some demanding arrests, stripped committee assignments, and even redistricting to remove Democratic seats, while others accuse GOP leadership of "feckless" inaction.
  • The Democrats’ exodus reveals a deeper crisis: a political class that would rather dismantle democracy than lose an election, using racial fearmongering as cover for their power grab.
  • Historical precedent shows this isn’t new — but the stakes have never been higher, as trust in institutions collapses and Americans grow weary of politicians who answer to no one.

The great Texas walkout: When lawmakers choose vacation over duty

The scene was almost comical if it weren’t so infuriating. On a sweltering July afternoon, as Gov. Greg Abbott called a second special session to address election integrity, redistricting, and other pressing issues, the Texas House chamber sat eerily empty. Not because of a natural disaster or a terrorist attack, but because more than 50 Democratic lawmakers had packed their bags, boarded private jets, and fled to Washington, D.C., where they’ve spent weeks lobbying for federal voting laws that would override Texas’ sovereignty. Their message? "We’d rather beg for D.C.’s help than do our jobs." This wasn’t their first rodeo. Back in May, during the first special session, the same group staged a similar exodus, killing a sweeping election integrity bill that would have banned drive-thru voting, tightened mail-in ballot rules, and expanded poll watcher access — measures designed to restore confidence in a system where one in five Texas voters already believe fraud is rampant. The Democrats’ justification? That these reforms would "disenfranchise" minority voters, a claim so flimsy even the Washington Post’s fact-checkers have called it out. Yet the media repeats it like gospel, because in 2021, accusing your opponents of racism is the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card — no evidence required. But here’s the rub: Texas’ election laws are already more permissive than those in blue states like New York and Delaware. The state allows early voting for nearly three weeks, requires no excuse for mail-in ballots (for those over 65), and has extended polling hours. The real issue isn’t access — it’s accountability. And the Democrats know it. Their walkout isn’t about protecting voters; it’s about protecting a system that allows them to harvest ballots, exploit loopholes, and cling to power in a state that’s rapidly turning red. When you can’t win on policy, you change the rules—or in this case, you burn the rulebook and hope no one notices.

A bill to fire the no-shows: Why Briscoe Cain’s HB 257 is a test of GOP backbone

If there’s one thing Texans despise more than government overreach, it’s a quitter. And state Rep. Briscoe Cain, a Republican from Deer Park, has had enough. On Friday, as Abbott called the second special session and Democrats remained AWOL, Cain refiled HB 257, a one-page bill with a simple, brutal message: "Show up for work, or lose your job." The legislation would amend Texas’ government code to automatically vacate the seat of any lawmaker who skips seven consecutive legislative days without an excused absence. No hearings, no appeals — just a pink slip for dereliction of duty. Cain’s reasoning is blunt: "Texans deserve lawmakers who show up. If you abandon your job, you don’t deserve the title." It’s a principle most Americans would agree with — unless, of course, you’re a Democrat who believes elected office is a part-time gig with full-time perks. But here’s where the plot thickens: Cain’s bill can’t pass without a quorum — the very thing the Democrats are blocking. It’s a Catch-22 that exposes the absurdity of the situation. The GOP could arrest the absentee lawmakers (as Speaker Dustin Burrows has threatened), but that would require Texas Rangers to hunt them down like fugitives — a spectacle that would play right into the Democrats’ martyrdom narrative. Alternatively, Republicans could strip Democrats of their committee assignments, seniority, and chairmanships, a move some hardliners like state Rep. Andy Hopper are demanding. Yet so far, GOP leadership has done little beyond sternly worded press releases, leading critics like state Rep. Brian Harrison to blast Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for "weak, feckless" leadership. The irony? While Democrats scream about "voting rights," they’re actively disenfranchising the millions of Texans who elected them. Rural farmers, small-business owners, and working-class families — many of them Hispanic and Black — are left without representation because their so-called champions would rather play political tourist in D.C. than fight for their districts. Meanwhile, Cain’s wife lies in a hospital bed after a heart attack, a stark reminder of what’s at stake when politicians put power over people.

How Texas’ meltdown mirrors America’s democratic decay

This isn’t just a Texas problem—it’s a microcosm of a nation where the ruling class has declared war on the very idea of self-governance. From the 2020 election chaos (where states unilaterally changed voting rules under the guise of a pandemic) to the Jan. 6 narrative (where peaceful protesters are labeled "insurrectionists" while actual sedition — like Democrats fleeing their posts — is celebrated), the rules no longer apply to those in power. The system is rigged, and the fix is in. Historically, legislative walkouts aren’t new. In 2003, Texas Democrats fled to Oklahoma to block a GOP redistricting plan (they failed). In 2019, Oregon Republicans walked out to kill a climate bill (they succeeded, temporarily). But what’s different now is the scale of the betrayal and the stakes involved. This isn’t about a single bill — it’s about whether elections still matter, whether laws still apply, and whether the people still rule. The Democrats’ endgame is clear: If they can’t win at the ballot box, they’ll ensure no one can. By sabotaging election integrity laws, they keep the door open for mass mail-in balloting, ballot harvesting, and the kind of "Zuckerbucks"-fueled electioneering that turned Georgia blue in 2020. And if Texas falls — if the GOP fails to hold the line — the entire country could follow. Because if politicians can simply walk away when they don’t get their way, then democracy is already dead. We’re just waiting for someone to bury it. Sources include: JusttheNews.com X.com Enoch, Brighteon.ai
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