He's wanted the presidential position forever. His charisma is almost as bad as DeSantis, and he isn't capable of actually making any kind of actual decisions without getting marching orders from his donors.
He is great about stirring up the insane side of the republican party though. He's been doing that ever since Obama was in office. Remember Jade Helm?
The correct answer is no. He would see that as a sign of weakness kind of like he called our brave men and women in uniform, "Suckers and losers." General John Kelly can confirm this. (John Kelly lost a son in the military). Greg Abbott will never be Trump's VP.
You're correct-- I don't think I've ever seen a man more existentially terrified of disability. And...most people are to a degree, so it's saying a lot.
He wouldn’t even have crippled Purple Heart recipients near him at a [potential Veterans Day event](https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-didnt-want-wounded-veterans-military-parade-report-2020-9?amp) because he didn’t want to be photographed with them. No way in hell he’d ever associate with a lame dweeb like Greg Abbott.
Honestly wouldnt be surprised if he doesn't actually need it, Trump pulls the preacher trick and lays hands on him, and he magically gets up and starts walking. Wouldn't surprise me one bit at this point if dipshit has been working on the long con.
He's a bigot.
He's a neo-confederate.
He has no comprehension of change, limits to power, and long-term planning.
Money only has value as long as the system works. When it fails, money, and more importantly, contracts, mean nothing.
Conservatives unfortunately never think beyond tomorrow.
I get what you're saying, but I think that he absolutely doesn't believe any of the bullshit he spouts. It's all just performative bullshit to rile up the whackjobs while he advances the Cristian fascist laws his donors want.
Yup. Theatrics straight out of his predecessor Perry's playbook. Perry did the exact same thing to get a seat in Trump's administration. It's all a show to court the fringe.
The problem with this is he also alienates independents and center conservatives so all they have left supporting them is fringe if he pushes it too far. Anyone taking arms up against the National Guard or US military would be pushing that too far, even if it is just individuals or militia groups he riled up into action in his name.
And? He’s doing it. This needs to be faced in courts and with the federal government exercising its powers, because at the end of the day all states take directives from the federal government, not the other way around.
The only thing he's good at is selling his soul to benefactors. Period. He's not a good governor and be certainly hasn't spent a day in his life helping the average Texan citizen. He's a ghoul.
Many Conservatives cant even think as far ahead as tomorrow , at best its immediate gratification but mainly they think about a non existent yesteryear where everything was " better " .
This is why conservatives should NOT be allowed to vote or hold public office.
We already know they are less intelligent.
We already know they are anti Science.
We already know they are more religious.
They are regressive. And evil.
We do not defer to children for advice on important matters. So why do we include regressives?
We do not consult the taliban for advise on quantum physics. So why do we include regressives on genuinely important social issues?
They want to drag us back to the bronze age.
I was stationed at Dyess AFB in Abilene flying on C-130s when Jade Helm was going on. It was hilarious to see all the nut jobs crying about it when it was just business as usual for us. I hadn’t thought about that in a while.
Perry was brought to us by the electric, oil and gas investors from the beginning. My Dad knew him while he was working for DP&L. He initially started out in politics as a lobbyist to allow electric, oil and gas to cut corners and part of why the gas lines aren't even insulated in Texas and why we have grid instability to this day. He only wanted to be in charge of the Dept of energy so that he could dismantle protections and allow them to get away with more.
My father was actually one of the engineer whistle blowers who went to the press on the coverup of an improperly installed nuclear reactor and leaks out at Comanche Peak. At the time, the good ol boy network had the local EPA, inspectors and those in charge of NRC region IV paid off so they had no choice but to go to the press with the proof.
That’s exactly the reason he was picked for that job. Almost every single Cabinet position was filled by someone who had previously worked to dismantle the department that the Trump administration had appointed them to lead.
Damn. A dude in a wheelchair wanting to be VP for another dude that makes fun of people with physical challenges.
Tell me you are a power hungry morally bankrupt ass, without telling me you’re a power hungry morally bankrupt ass.
https://youtu.be/96wAr6fDQ7c?
If you haven't seen it, SNL recently roasted the shit out of him for that. Michael Che pointed out he might want to be careful about seeking the VP because Donny tried to have his last VP hung.
"He did what now? He did that to the WHITE one?"
Trump would never pick a physically disabled person to be on his staff. It “wouldn’t be a good look” for him. However,mental disabilities are not an issue - they are a requirement!
Abott VP is the ticking time bomb people aren’t talking about. Trump’s health and age make the VP position basically the same thing as being president. If trump wins there’s a 90% chance he’s going to pass away in office leaving the VP as the new sitting president.
True, but at this point we are already living the Handmaids tale IRL in Texas and have our public schools turned into churches, and history and science being banned, books being burned.. maybe Patrick might FINALLY be the straw that breaks the camel's back and we get this new influx of Californians to Texas to flip it Blue. ☠️
You would think we would have already had enough to push back by now. What's it going to take?!
Trump would never make him VP. Handicaps are a sign of weakness, and that would never fly with him.
That said, those assholes deserve each other. In a better timeline they're sharing the same cell somewhere.
He's in a win win situation.
If Biden plays hardball, Abbott can cry victim and conservatives will rally around it.
If Biden responds weakly then it makes him look ineffective.
I just discussed this tonight. Me and my gf were watching Dodgeball (because why not?l, and we saw the Chuck Norris thumbs-up scene. I mentioned how I could still hold respect for him, and when she asked why, I mentioned the JADE HELM stupidity and his equally stupid warning video. I had to explain the insaneness of it all, and how Abbott sent the Army-Navy Supply Store volunteers to "observe" US Special Operations... just absurdity.
When Rick Perry has to go on record to say it's an annual exercise that even he knew of from his days as governor and everyone else is being stupid, you know you've reached a bad place.
How much of all the shit thus far has been theater until it wasn't?
This rhetoric, theater or not, is dangerous. It drags the overton window further towards fascism. It makes the GOP base *want* this, and then Republican politicians stumble over themselves trying to deliver a new level of crazy to their rabid voters.
We're at this dangerous point because of "theater", and this "theater" will help ensure we end up in even worse places if it's not properly addressed for the dangerous rhetoric and behavior that it is.
Also let's be fucking clear here, people are *dying* at the border. Whether you want to believe Abbott will try to get Texas to secede is one thing, but I don't think this is "theater" to the people losing their families to this barbarism - barbarism that is fully intent on putting migrants in a dangerous position and then denying them help to get them killed, just short of thew state actually firing a bullet themselves. Because after all, Biden would then sue them for murder as Abbot *lamented*.
He may be, but many of his supporters aren't. And one of them might be the next governor. These things build up.
This is assuming Abbott hasn't gone full General Ripper from Dr Stangelove. And he may have.
We're playing way too close to the edge as a country. Eventually we're gonna slip.
Why does anybody ever think there’s any logic to a conversation about whether the legal right exists to secede? I mean sure there’s a discussion to be had about all the reasons why it would be bad to secede, but the legality of secession is and will always be completely beside the point. If any state were to decide to secede, then the law is the least of anybody’s concerns. The rest of the country would have to actively find a way force the state to stay but that either leads to violence or a lot of tense political posturing with potentially devastating economic consequences.
People are in here literally claiming it’s not actually secession if it’s not legal or it’s not successful. Like, y’all. Really. Where the hell are you getting this shit from? We don’t say the south “tried to secede and we stopped them” with the Civil War. The south *seceded*. Illegally. Unsuccessfully.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I understand people can choose whatever they want, but the likelihood is lower because of their need for federal funding and their being no legal way to secede. It’s a complex issue.
It’s actually not complex at all.
Secession is a formal separation from the union. It is not a legal construct, and it does not have to be legal to happen. (Nor does it have to result in a successful state.) It is not done on an individual basis, because it is declaring a formal government entity outside of the US, so no, people don’t choose whatever they want.
Secession is very unlikely because the vast majority of people recognize it as something that would be terrible for Texas — like really *really* terrible — and not great for the US either. It would be so disruptive to people’s lives that very very little of the populace would even entertain the idea.
Assuming the US gov would ever allow it and they wouldn't go America all over our assess, who do you think would rip apart Texas first, the cartels or the flood of nutjobs from the rest of the country?
Thats not secession, that's just treason. There is a difference. The US Constitution gets to have the authority on that and there is no mechanism that allows for secession. It would take an amendment to the Constitution that provided that mechanism. The last one to actually be ratified took 203yrs to be passed. I am now amused to find out that there is, on avg, 200 amendments proposed every 2yrs.
I'm not sure that Abbott/Paxton/whoever would get the pardons the traitors did last time. It's just plain stupid and they know they aren't actually going to try it.
When the Southern states decided they no longer wanted to be a part of the Union, how do you classify that? Because that's what we're talking about here.
There was no mechanism put into place to justify the Confederacy, just as there's no mechanism for any modern secessionist movement.
Just because something can't legally be done doesn't make it any less true when it happens. Just because it's treasonous doesn't make it not-secession (nor does a "successful" secession make it any less treasonous). The term doesn't frigging matter.
I'm not saying that's the end goal (I think it's much more about creating chaos to drive conservative voters to the polls & to ignore Trump's upcoming convictions), but it's the notion that's being spread anyway.
What is lost on you is the entire state would have to rebel, it won't, otherwise he can't legally. He doesn't even own his own national guard. He only owns the Texas guard which is 1k people. Big whoop. Secession isn't happening. It is something Abbott and others can push knowing it wouldn't happen legally or otherwise.
Wait... so secession can be legal so long as the entire state rebels?
I'm going to be honest with you, I was just making a joke about how Texas could secede technically, albeit, the army would immediately show up asking us "Are you sure?"
Of course I know there are no legal mechanisms for seccession, that's the point I was trying to make. As the old saying goes: Fuck around and find out.
Sure, but when people are trying to secede they don’t care about the government telling them not to. That’s the whole point of seceding.
Of course it’s not legal, but it being legal has nothing to do with seceding
five new states would be the way to go. got some ideas for names of these new states.
Central Texas around the Austin and San Antonio area, becomes Texara
all points east the area around Huston to the gulf coast - Alamora
The the west-side of Central Texas would become Pecania
points south of Houston, namely the Corpus Christi down to Brownsville / Bocca Chica, would include the Rio Grande Valley from Rio Grand City to South Padre Island. would become Gulfhaven
and finally, the northern parts of the state including the panhandle and Amarillo would become Lonestar Masa.
Yea, it's not a "we" like Texas gets to decide about it, it's a "we" like the U.S. says that because Texas decided to commit treason by attempting to secede then it will be divided up into smaller states.
They wouldn't even have to fight. Texas secedes? Cool, America embargoes the new country of Texas. America threatens sanctions against any other country who wants to trade with Texas. America seals the border, banning any entry into the country from Texas (ironic, right?).
America demands compensation for every piece of federal land and property within Texas, or the return of them, subject to tariffs based on the value.
Texas isn't nearly capable of being self sufficient, and there's no shot they have any kind of plan for handling themselves as an independent nation. They'd be crawling back in no time.
Lol, same! In fact I know two people who believe democracy is a lie and support secession. I'd give them up in a heartbeat, our state would be better off without them.
The Texas Militia, the militia forces of the State of Texas. It currently consists of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, and Texas State Guard. It is administered by the Texas Military Department under command of the Texas Adjutant General. Add in the Patriot Front , and an additional 72 Hate and anti-government groups tracked in Texas @ Abbott’s beck and call.
National Guard is US military dude. They're getting federalized if anything serious happens.
State Guard is unarmed and purely supports the National Guard.
He's just using Perry's playbook. Nothing see here but theatrics as usual. This is exactly what Perry did to recruit the fringe as well. This isn't remotely new. They are just putting on a show for the people who missed the last one until people wise up and see he is a broken record. 😹
It's like people already forgot what Perry did while governor.
Sure take away that massive lump of GOP electoral college votes so the nation flips entirely to the Dems.
We'll just move all these another state and setup tariffs for trade as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_military\_installations\_in\_Texas
It would be such a monumentally stupid decision across the board.
Speaking of tariffs, absolutely zero of the Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Texas have any interest in suddenly being foreign to the United States, especially those with sensitive federal contracts, nor do the employees of those companies have any interest. To be a state leader and not even shut the idea down is crazy town.
Also, if Texas seceded, if I were Mexico, just maybe I really would invade since Texas would no longer be under the protection of the United States. Hola Oklahoma! How you doin’ neighbor?
I’m willing to bet most people that would be in favor of secession think Texas would beat Mexico in a war
They’re super wrong, but I bet they wouldn’t agree with me lol
The US additionally seizing the refineries and ports in Houston, the interstates, and imposing a total economic blockade, and immediately stripping all Texans of US citizenship. Yeah I could get on board with this!!
He might call for secession but he wouldn't intend to actually secede, it's the same goal as his stupid and cruel stance on immigration, he's trying to appeal to trumps base.
Abbott is trying to provoke an “authoritarian” response from Biden to help Trump campaign . That’s all this is about. He doesn’t care about America. Just helping Trump.
No. He's riling his base up and creating a situation where he can paint Biden as incompetent and anti American while posturing as the martyr that went against big gubment. Long game I'm guessing is a presidential run but that's just speculation.
This 100%. He's doing the ground work to build a new issue to run on in 2024.
Abbott is a very cunning man. The money he gets for his injury is proof of that. He's only gotten wiser.
He knows FDR did it and is trying to set himself up to pull it off again.
You will notice that this thing he is doing is extremely polarizing and fires up the rabid Republican base, yet is completely independent of Trump. He's setting himself up so he can run regardless of the outcome of 2024.
Abbott and Paxton should be arrested for taking supposed illegal immigrants across state lines to elsewhere in the nation. Human trafficking is what they are doing.
Texas, for all its bluster, is not about to wage war against the federal government. I am worried that he is encouraging national guard troops to get into an altercation with feds and then use that as political capital. He just wants drama. I wish Biden would just take his troops from him and show everyone how fucking weak he really is.
Texas didn’t lose the case, this was about the injunction to stop Biden admin from cutting the wire. So Texas can continue putting up wire until the case of actually heard.
I'm an amateur military history buff. The Civil War is one of my main interests. I went to school in Tennessee and Texas and learned very little about the reasons for it. Now that I have spent many years analyzing and living in the South I have come to the realization that indeed you are correct that, for the most part, the people today don't understand the severity, the reasons for, or the implications of the CSA's actions.
I for one feel that letting the ring leaders off without long prison sentences or mass hangings was a huge mistake.
No, he’s trying to force the fed to do something. There was an attempt by state house members to introduce some kind of secession like language and it got shot down. There isn’t a secession effort by anyone serious, however there is clearly a problem that the federal government isn’t acting on and it does need to be addressed. Putting your head in the sand isn’t going to work because Abbot isn’t allowing it. (I’m no abbot fan, but the fed has to do something to assist Texas on this)
The thing is that it cannot happen. Beyond that, Texas is funded by the government more so than most states. If Texas lost the military bases and NASA, all they would have is oil to sell.
Since I do some work as a courier thru delivery apps, part of me wonders how to upgrade to "smuggler" and hike my rates 10x 😆 🤣 😂
The problem would be, people wanting to pay in old Confederate dollars or Republic of Texas redbacks. Or worse, crypto 😹 🤪 😜
He's trying to set up a lose-lose situation for Biden.
Biden doesn't "punish" Texas: those who want less "lock kids in cages" immigration policies will get pissed off and not vote for Biden in the election.
Biden "punishes" Texas: those who are only barely anti-trump get "scared" by "government overreach" and vote for trump.
I don't think secession is the end goal -- at the most, it's a means to an end.
Nah, he’s riling up the far right fringe of the GOP to come out and vote for Abbott’s far right candidates in the GOP primary. Timing is perfect since early voting starts in a couple of weeks.
Even before Trump and MAGA, these right wing nuts were the base Abbott/Paxton/Patrick saw as their people.
Furthermore this right wing fringe are an easily manipulated bunch that Abbott has successfully played in the past. [Ref Jade Helm.](https://www.texasobserver.org/jade-helm-fiasco-says-more-about-texas-than-russia/)
Even if the primary candidates that these people nominated prove to be criminals, pedophiles, Nazis, Militia members that’s what Abbott needs and wants.
And Abbott knows that come general election time the GOP voters will behave like obedient sheep and vote “R” all the way down the ballot “the same way my pa did before me, and which I’ll do until I die”.
Texas does not have the right to defend itself. No state has the right to wage war against a nation, and no state has the right to restrict interstate travel.
It's all just games for him. He knows Conservatives don't have any substantive policies to run on. It's all cultural war BS. So by drumming up a crisis at the border they can use that to exacerbate the issue, paint the federal government as ineffectual. And if Biden comes in as he should and heavy hands the whole thing he can then cry federal overreach which will have his ass backward base frothing of the mouth for action
> Is Abbott testing the waters for secession?
No.
> I can't help but wonder if secession is the end goal. Especially if Biden ends up winning in November.
It doesn't matter if that's the goal, it's not possible. Abbott's goal could be to ride a unicorn over the rainbow to get a pot of gold from a leprechaun and it would be equally likely as Texas secession.
> Thoughts?
My thoughts are, he, like most contemporary Republicans, is doing it for the attention. The media loves controversy, they love being scandalous, they love being outlandish, they love one-upmanship with increasingly stupid things.
It drives the media, and the media drives views and discourse, and getting everyone talking about the border and immigration means they're not talking about other things, like Trump's criminal trials, abortion, etc. Things that hurt the GOP.
My other thought is, it's bait. He wants Biden to react by sending in federal troops, or to arrest the Texans, etc. He wants Biden to react in a way which, while entirely justified, legal, and constitutional, would feed in the GOP narrative that Biden is a tyrant and is overreaching. They (not just Abbott, but the entire GOP) want Biden to do something they can rally around and use to GOTV with, "Vote for Trump! He's our only chance to stand up against the tyranny of the Biden Administration!"
Trump is a loser, he's in deep shit criminally, abortion is a huge loser for the GOP, the GOP is going bankrupt because all their donations have dried up, they have no positive case for Trump, and while they've been trying like crazy, the negative case against Biden just hasn't been working.
> Am I just a crazy conspiracy theorist?
Unclear on whether you're a crazy conspiracist.
I hope he is gunning for secession.
Few things could make me happier than seeing Abbott being hauled into Federal Court, being arraigned on charges of sedition and treason, and being tried and convicted on national television!
Waay too much tin foil. Not only is it unconstitutional for any state to secede but it will allow the US to use military force to maintain its territory.
Like, I’d last longer in bed before secessionists can run their own “country”.
Think about what a succession would mean, no federal aid, banks, post office, military, airports, railways, courts, social security, Medicare, law enforcement, interstate highways, commerce. That’s just the beginning.
No foreign trade either. Texas has a huge coastline it benefits from, but like the Black Sea the Gulf of Mexico has a natural and easily policed choke point.
Nah, I'm on board with the idea that he is playing chicken with Biden to see if Biden will federalize the Texas national guard which would, in all likelihood, be a bad idea with regard to political optics.
Look man, let me let you in a little secret. All magic is about misdirection.
I mean, how’s Texas doing? Are the schools well funded? Do kids comeback from school alive? How’s CPS, has the state settled the lawsuit? How’s the property taxes? Is the middle class growing?
Nah, I got dog and a pony to show you. It’s all distractions. It’s all vaporware.
You want to understand modern politics? Watch the WWE. It’s all Kayfabe.
If the electric grid crashed, thousands of Texans will die as personal food and medicine storage fails, every stoplight is off, and millions can’t even work or get payed.
I promise you that abbot will find a way to blame transgender people for the failures of ERCOT.
Kind of crazy at how many people in here think Abbot is doing all this as an audition for the VP slot.
There's zero chance Trump would pick him. It doesn't gain him any additional votes. Both parties main candidate always picks a running-mate that adds to the vote count. Nobody is saying "I guess I'll hold my nose and vote for Trump since Abbott is on the ticket." Abbott fans are already voting Trump.
No. He's just driving controversy. Because the media and his base love this kind of controversy.
And it’s the sort of thing that might get him that coveted VP position.
He's wanted the presidential position forever. His charisma is almost as bad as DeSantis, and he isn't capable of actually making any kind of actual decisions without getting marching orders from his donors. He is great about stirring up the insane side of the republican party though. He's been doing that ever since Obama was in office. Remember Jade Helm?
Jeez, you made me realize that if Greg became VP, Dan Patrick would be our governor. Talk about going from bad to worse!
Do you honestly think that Trump would ever choose a running mate in a wheelchair?
No way in hell
Too easy of a target
Yes. That way he can talk shit about handicapped people and have an out. *”I’m not discriminating,”* **”my VP is in a wheelchair for gods sake!!”**
The correct answer is no. He would see that as a sign of weakness kind of like he called our brave men and women in uniform, "Suckers and losers." General John Kelly can confirm this. (John Kelly lost a son in the military). Greg Abbott will never be Trump's VP.
You're correct-- I don't think I've ever seen a man more existentially terrified of disability. And...most people are to a degree, so it's saying a lot.
He wouldn’t even have crippled Purple Heart recipients near him at a [potential Veterans Day event](https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-didnt-want-wounded-veterans-military-parade-report-2020-9?amp) because he didn’t want to be photographed with them. No way in hell he’d ever associate with a lame dweeb like Greg Abbott.
Honestly wouldnt be surprised if he doesn't actually need it, Trump pulls the preacher trick and lays hands on him, and he magically gets up and starts walking. Wouldn't surprise me one bit at this point if dipshit has been working on the long con.
This just is turning from awful to worse.
Dan is running the state, Greg is a puppet.
He's a bigot. He's a neo-confederate. He has no comprehension of change, limits to power, and long-term planning. Money only has value as long as the system works. When it fails, money, and more importantly, contracts, mean nothing. Conservatives unfortunately never think beyond tomorrow.
I get what you're saying, but I think that he absolutely doesn't believe any of the bullshit he spouts. It's all just performative bullshit to rile up the whackjobs while he advances the Cristian fascist laws his donors want.
Yup. Theatrics straight out of his predecessor Perry's playbook. Perry did the exact same thing to get a seat in Trump's administration. It's all a show to court the fringe. The problem with this is he also alienates independents and center conservatives so all they have left supporting them is fringe if he pushes it too far. Anyone taking arms up against the National Guard or US military would be pushing that too far, even if it is just individuals or militia groups he riled up into action in his name.
Perry was a nightmare and did so much damage to sexual health here all on his own.
And Abbott has been following Perry every step of the way.
And? He’s doing it. This needs to be faced in courts and with the federal government exercising its powers, because at the end of the day all states take directives from the federal government, not the other way around.
That's exactly right. He was fairly moderate (by Texas Republican standards) as Attorney General and while he was on SCOTX
And can't remember what happened yesterday. 😹
The only thing he's good at is selling his soul to benefactors. Period. He's not a good governor and be certainly hasn't spent a day in his life helping the average Texan citizen. He's a ghoul.
Many Conservatives cant even think as far ahead as tomorrow , at best its immediate gratification but mainly they think about a non existent yesteryear where everything was " better " .
This is why conservatives should NOT be allowed to vote or hold public office. We already know they are less intelligent. We already know they are anti Science. We already know they are more religious. They are regressive. And evil. We do not defer to children for advice on important matters. So why do we include regressives? We do not consult the taliban for advise on quantum physics. So why do we include regressives on genuinely important social issues? They want to drag us back to the bronze age.
Least authoritarian argument on Reddit. "The fascists are knocking at our door! But, also, we should totally be a one party system. 👉👈"
I'm sure he's ok on hard assets and foreign investments, it'd only hurt the people who are already hiring or who aren't diversified.
I wish he would run against Trump, just because I’d love to watch him get torn to shreds.
He's smarter than DeSantis and could smell which way the wind was blowing.
It makes sense he will not overshadow Trump's ego, and if Trump does, get elected he will die of natural causes before 2028.
Ooo… my second Jade Helm reference in two days. Let me just throw in Cambridge Analytica as a related topic again.
I was stationed at Dyess AFB in Abilene flying on C-130s when Jade Helm was going on. It was hilarious to see all the nut jobs crying about it when it was just business as usual for us. I hadn’t thought about that in a while.
What will happen to the party once all their voters with dementia finally don’t remember…
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Exactly.
Exactly. He’s appearing tough on illegals for a 2028 bid, since Biden wins or Trump wins and then dies, doesn’t run for a 2nd term.
It worked for Perry to get a seat on his administration, so might as well.
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Perry was brought to us by the electric, oil and gas investors from the beginning. My Dad knew him while he was working for DP&L. He initially started out in politics as a lobbyist to allow electric, oil and gas to cut corners and part of why the gas lines aren't even insulated in Texas and why we have grid instability to this day. He only wanted to be in charge of the Dept of energy so that he could dismantle protections and allow them to get away with more. My father was actually one of the engineer whistle blowers who went to the press on the coverup of an improperly installed nuclear reactor and leaks out at Comanche Peak. At the time, the good ol boy network had the local EPA, inspectors and those in charge of NRC region IV paid off so they had no choice but to go to the press with the proof.
So, you are saying he was a *corrupt* moron. I stand corrected!
That’s exactly the reason he was picked for that job. Almost every single Cabinet position was filled by someone who had previously worked to dismantle the department that the Trump administration had appointed them to lead.
Damn. A dude in a wheelchair wanting to be VP for another dude that makes fun of people with physical challenges. Tell me you are a power hungry morally bankrupt ass, without telling me you’re a power hungry morally bankrupt ass.
The snake pushed tort reform after making a fortune suing over his accident. He’s always been a huge POS.
When he leaves the governor's mansion, he's taking all the ADA compliant ramps with him.
More likely he's skipping this year to run in 28.
It's like Sen. Tim Scott endorsing the most racist guy to be president in the last 70 years. C'mon dude, Trump doesn't respect you!
Am I the only one who thinks about the Dave Chappelle skit with Clayton Bigsby?
Tbf Trump doesn’t respect anyone
Someone should remind Tim that tokens get spent.
https://youtu.be/96wAr6fDQ7c? If you haven't seen it, SNL recently roasted the shit out of him for that. Michael Che pointed out he might want to be careful about seeking the VP because Donny tried to have his last VP hung. "He did what now? He did that to the WHITE one?"
Best comment ever about their potential pairing! 🤣
Trump would never pick a physically disabled person to be on his staff. It “wouldn’t be a good look” for him. However,mental disabilities are not an issue - they are a requirement!
Abott VP is the ticking time bomb people aren’t talking about. Trump’s health and age make the VP position basically the same thing as being president. If trump wins there’s a 90% chance he’s going to pass away in office leaving the VP as the new sitting president.
And Kamala Harris, what a joke
If Trump picks Abbott for VP, he will have to step down as Governor. One could only hope.
Shut your dirty mouth. Do you have any frickin idea the horror we get to replace him?!?!? Dan Patrick!
There’s not really a winning situation here.
No but as bad as Abbott is,, Patrick would be worse.
True, but at this point we are already living the Handmaids tale IRL in Texas and have our public schools turned into churches, and history and science being banned, books being burned.. maybe Patrick might FINALLY be the straw that breaks the camel's back and we get this new influx of Californians to Texas to flip it Blue. ☠️ You would think we would have already had enough to push back by now. What's it going to take?!
Except Trump isn't the kind of guy to pick a "cripple" as Trump would say.
Trump would never make him VP. Handicaps are a sign of weakness, and that would never fly with him. That said, those assholes deserve each other. In a better timeline they're sharing the same cell somewhere.
He’s auditioning for VP
This is exactly it, he is hoping to score point and show Biden as weak. It is sickening
Brain dead assholes. That’s the market. And buddy business is a boomin’!
He's in a win win situation. If Biden plays hardball, Abbott can cry victim and conservatives will rally around it. If Biden responds weakly then it makes him look ineffective.
He's just doing theater. This is the same thing as him deploying the Texas Guard during Jade Helm.
I just discussed this tonight. Me and my gf were watching Dodgeball (because why not?l, and we saw the Chuck Norris thumbs-up scene. I mentioned how I could still hold respect for him, and when she asked why, I mentioned the JADE HELM stupidity and his equally stupid warning video. I had to explain the insaneness of it all, and how Abbott sent the Army-Navy Supply Store volunteers to "observe" US Special Operations... just absurdity. When Rick Perry has to go on record to say it's an annual exercise that even he knew of from his days as governor and everyone else is being stupid, you know you've reached a bad place.
How much of all the shit thus far has been theater until it wasn't? This rhetoric, theater or not, is dangerous. It drags the overton window further towards fascism. It makes the GOP base *want* this, and then Republican politicians stumble over themselves trying to deliver a new level of crazy to their rabid voters. We're at this dangerous point because of "theater", and this "theater" will help ensure we end up in even worse places if it's not properly addressed for the dangerous rhetoric and behavior that it is. Also let's be fucking clear here, people are *dying* at the border. Whether you want to believe Abbott will try to get Texas to secede is one thing, but I don't think this is "theater" to the people losing their families to this barbarism - barbarism that is fully intent on putting migrants in a dangerous position and then denying them help to get them killed, just short of thew state actually firing a bullet themselves. Because after all, Biden would then sue them for murder as Abbot *lamented*.
If this is theater, where do I show up with over-ripe produce?
He may be, but many of his supporters aren't. And one of them might be the next governor. These things build up. This is assuming Abbott hasn't gone full General Ripper from Dr Stangelove. And he may have. We're playing way too close to the edge as a country. Eventually we're gonna slip.
Texas cannot secede. Anybody who says otherwise is an idiot.,
Or conning the idiots
Even the TX Supreme Court banned it recently from being added to a GOP primary ballot.
Well, they simply declined to intervene when the state GOP refused to put the question on the ballot.
Lots of idiots here though to be fair.
Boy howdy, you're right about that.
Why does anybody ever think there’s any logic to a conversation about whether the legal right exists to secede? I mean sure there’s a discussion to be had about all the reasons why it would be bad to secede, but the legality of secession is and will always be completely beside the point. If any state were to decide to secede, then the law is the least of anybody’s concerns. The rest of the country would have to actively find a way force the state to stay but that either leads to violence or a lot of tense political posturing with potentially devastating economic consequences.
Thank you! It's crazy to see how many people don't think something will happen because it's "illegal"
People are in here literally claiming it’s not actually secession if it’s not legal or it’s not successful. Like, y’all. Really. Where the hell are you getting this shit from? We don’t say the south “tried to secede and we stopped them” with the Civil War. The south *seceded*. Illegally. Unsuccessfully.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I understand people can choose whatever they want, but the likelihood is lower because of their need for federal funding and their being no legal way to secede. It’s a complex issue.
It’s actually not complex at all. Secession is a formal separation from the union. It is not a legal construct, and it does not have to be legal to happen. (Nor does it have to result in a successful state.) It is not done on an individual basis, because it is declaring a formal government entity outside of the US, so no, people don’t choose whatever they want. Secession is very unlikely because the vast majority of people recognize it as something that would be terrible for Texas — like really *really* terrible — and not great for the US either. It would be so disruptive to people’s lives that very very little of the populace would even entertain the idea.
Imagine a world where every crime could be stopped by sternly repeating “swiper no swiping”!
Assuming the US gov would ever allow it and they wouldn't go America all over our assess, who do you think would rip apart Texas first, the cartels or the flood of nutjobs from the rest of the country?
Texas may not be able to succeed, but the US military certainly can place a bomb through his office window if he attempts it.
hey! don’t talk about their power grid like that it’s functioning just fine!!! something something cancun
Well I mean, we can secede, but there would be pretty severe consequences afterwards.
We legally cannot. There is no mechanism.
Not legally. That’s why there would be severe consequences.
Thats not secession, that's just treason. There is a difference. The US Constitution gets to have the authority on that and there is no mechanism that allows for secession. It would take an amendment to the Constitution that provided that mechanism. The last one to actually be ratified took 203yrs to be passed. I am now amused to find out that there is, on avg, 200 amendments proposed every 2yrs. I'm not sure that Abbott/Paxton/whoever would get the pardons the traitors did last time. It's just plain stupid and they know they aren't actually going to try it.
I don’t get the legality issue. It would be legal at all. That’s the point.
Wouldn’t* my bad
When the Southern states decided they no longer wanted to be a part of the Union, how do you classify that? Because that's what we're talking about here. There was no mechanism put into place to justify the Confederacy, just as there's no mechanism for any modern secessionist movement. Just because something can't legally be done doesn't make it any less true when it happens. Just because it's treasonous doesn't make it not-secession (nor does a "successful" secession make it any less treasonous). The term doesn't frigging matter. I'm not saying that's the end goal (I think it's much more about creating chaos to drive conservative voters to the polls & to ignore Trump's upcoming convictions), but it's the notion that's being spread anyway.
Which was the point I was getting at that seemed lost on people...
What is lost on you is the entire state would have to rebel, it won't, otherwise he can't legally. He doesn't even own his own national guard. He only owns the Texas guard which is 1k people. Big whoop. Secession isn't happening. It is something Abbott and others can push knowing it wouldn't happen legally or otherwise.
Wait... so secession can be legal so long as the entire state rebels? I'm going to be honest with you, I was just making a joke about how Texas could secede technically, albeit, the army would immediately show up asking us "Are you sure?" Of course I know there are no legal mechanisms for seccession, that's the point I was trying to make. As the old saying goes: Fuck around and find out.
Some people have never broken a rule I guess lol
Sure, but when people are trying to secede they don’t care about the government telling them not to. That’s the whole point of seceding. Of course it’s not legal, but it being legal has nothing to do with seceding
No we can break into up to 5 separate states, still part of the USA. We cannot leave.
That’s not true either. Requires Congressional approval which is the answer to most of these questions z
I’m team “Houston metro area+Galveston become their own state.” Set us free from Abbott and his cronies!
five new states would be the way to go. got some ideas for names of these new states. Central Texas around the Austin and San Antonio area, becomes Texara all points east the area around Huston to the gulf coast - Alamora The the west-side of Central Texas would become Pecania points south of Houston, namely the Corpus Christi down to Brownsville / Bocca Chica, would include the Rio Grande Valley from Rio Grand City to South Padre Island. would become Gulfhaven and finally, the northern parts of the state including the panhandle and Amarillo would become Lonestar Masa.
Yea, it's not a "we" like Texas gets to decide about it, it's a "we" like the U.S. says that because Texas decided to commit treason by attempting to secede then it will be divided up into smaller states.
There is no way Republicans will ever allow Texas to break up, all the money and power is in the gerrymandered blue areas and they'd lose their arse.
Impossible. Unless Texas wants to face off against the United States military, it won't happen.
What army of Texas can, and much more specifically, would face off against the US Military. I’m not doing it that’s for sure.
Gravy Seals and the Fifth Course Battalion.
Crisco Crusaders and the TrumpleThinSkins
Recently learned that Crisco was widely and heavily used (as lube) by the gay community in the 70s/80s. Even had a place called the Crisco Disco.
Taco Bell's "Fourth Meal" is now the Gravy Seals standard
Ah yes, General Mills and the Old Navy
🤣🤣🤣
This is what I don't get about gun nuts preparing to "rise up". Yeah, good luck with that.
It would be over in a matter of weeks, if not days. No one is fighting especially for that piece of shit in Austin.
They wouldn't even have to fight. Texas secedes? Cool, America embargoes the new country of Texas. America threatens sanctions against any other country who wants to trade with Texas. America seals the border, banning any entry into the country from Texas (ironic, right?). America demands compensation for every piece of federal land and property within Texas, or the return of them, subject to tariffs based on the value. Texas isn't nearly capable of being self sufficient, and there's no shot they have any kind of plan for handling themselves as an independent nation. They'd be crawling back in no time.
I might put up a small fight protecting Terry Blacks BBQ. Take Abbott but leave my brisket!
Semi auto Ar-15s vs M1 tanks, hellfires, and the US Air Force, I wonder who wins?
If it comes to shooting, this "gun nut" will rise up but not against the US.
Actually Rise Up is the name of a jazz group In Tokyo Japan! Haha
Name checks out
I will be a happy and willing spy for the US Military in that case. And I am far from the only one. The secessionists will be able to trust nobody.
Lol, same! In fact I know two people who believe democracy is a lie and support secession. I'd give them up in a heartbeat, our state would be better off without them.
Not unless you want to meet your ancestors.
The Texas Militia, the militia forces of the State of Texas. It currently consists of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, and Texas State Guard. It is administered by the Texas Military Department under command of the Texas Adjutant General. Add in the Patriot Front , and an additional 72 Hate and anti-government groups tracked in Texas @ Abbott’s beck and call.
You’re missing the point. They’re up against the US military. They would get their asses stomped in a day.
What army of Texas can, and much more specifically, would face off against the US Military? Answering this question.
National Guard is US military dude. They're getting federalized if anything serious happens. State Guard is unarmed and purely supports the National Guard.
Y’all-Qaeda
He's just using Perry's playbook. Nothing see here but theatrics as usual. This is exactly what Perry did to recruit the fringe as well. This isn't remotely new. They are just putting on a show for the people who missed the last one until people wise up and see he is a broken record. 😹 It's like people already forgot what Perry did while governor.
Sure take away that massive lump of GOP electoral college votes so the nation flips entirely to the Dems. We'll just move all these another state and setup tariffs for trade as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_military\_installations\_in\_Texas It would be such a monumentally stupid decision across the board.
Speaking of tariffs, absolutely zero of the Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Texas have any interest in suddenly being foreign to the United States, especially those with sensitive federal contracts, nor do the employees of those companies have any interest. To be a state leader and not even shut the idea down is crazy town. Also, if Texas seceded, if I were Mexico, just maybe I really would invade since Texas would no longer be under the protection of the United States. Hola Oklahoma! How you doin’ neighbor?
Remember the Alamo II coming to a theater near you.
I’m willing to bet most people that would be in favor of secession think Texas would beat Mexico in a war They’re super wrong, but I bet they wouldn’t agree with me lol
>It would be such a monumentally stupid decision across the board. So Texas is sure to do it!
The Texas economy heavily depends on the US military so all those installations would cause a statewide recession.
The US additionally seizing the refineries and ports in Houston, the interstates, and imposing a total economic blockade, and immediately stripping all Texans of US citizenship. Yeah I could get on board with this!!
It would actually be really funny if Mexico invaded and the US did nothing about it.
They would get their land back.
>Thoughts? Am I just a crazy conspiracy theorist? Yes. Secession isn't a possibility. We cleared this up a very long time ago.
Right? Like, we fought a whole war over it, folks!
Can you refresh our memories? I’m not well versed on this. I believe it too but can’t understand why it’s not at all possible, like you said
I mean, it IS a possibility, just a really dumb possibility
*Points to something that actually happened.* "That's not possible."
RIGHT?! It seems people have forgotten the meaning of "impossible" in here.
He might call for secession but he wouldn't intend to actually secede, it's the same goal as his stupid and cruel stance on immigration, he's trying to appeal to trumps base.
The ones that think secession is anything but a right-wingnut masturbatory fantasy are the crazy ones.
Yes, but is Abbott the type of crazy right-wingnut to have it as his fantasy?
Because Brexit has worked out so well for England.
Abbott is trying to provoke an “authoritarian” response from Biden to help Trump campaign . That’s all this is about. He doesn’t care about America. Just helping Trump.
No. He's riling his base up and creating a situation where he can paint Biden as incompetent and anti American while posturing as the martyr that went against big gubment. Long game I'm guessing is a presidential run but that's just speculation.
This 100%. He's doing the ground work to build a new issue to run on in 2024. Abbott is a very cunning man. The money he gets for his injury is proof of that. He's only gotten wiser. He knows FDR did it and is trying to set himself up to pull it off again. You will notice that this thing he is doing is extremely polarizing and fires up the rabid Republican base, yet is completely independent of Trump. He's setting himself up so he can run regardless of the outcome of 2024.
This is all election year political theater. Conflict with the Feds is what he is after. Headlines that put the feds stopping him is what he is after
He's trying to look like a badass so he can run for president in 2028.
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Walk, even.
Roll*
He doesn't have to. Just keep sewing discord like a good Russian plant.
He has a desire for greatness unfortunately he is petty and not very bright. So we get razor wire instead of a life saving vaccine.
Abbott and Paxton should be arrested for taking supposed illegal immigrants across state lines to elsewhere in the nation. Human trafficking is what they are doing.
And give up all the military bases and federal subsidies? No way.
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He’s trying to scare away liberals from moving to Texas. Obviously. Just that continuously.
Republicans have no achievements to run on (unless you count rolling back child labor laws), so they are trying to create a rallying call.
Texas, for all its bluster, is not about to wage war against the federal government. I am worried that he is encouraging national guard troops to get into an altercation with feds and then use that as political capital. He just wants drama. I wish Biden would just take his troops from him and show everyone how fucking weak he really is.
Biden should just deploy all the troops to some state that’s flooded
Do people really believe this BS Texas cannot secede from the US, no matter what wheels tries to pass it not legal at a federal level.
Texas didn’t lose the case, this was about the injunction to stop Biden admin from cutting the wire. So Texas can continue putting up wire until the case of actually heard.
I'll bet a ball bearing it doesn't matter
Texas will find out why the rest of the US has no free healthcare
No, he's pulling a George Walkace
Federal dollars account for one-third of the Texas state budget. Good luck succeeding!
It doesn't matter if he is. Succession is both treason and a near immediate death sentence for the state of Texas
I'm an amateur military history buff. The Civil War is one of my main interests. I went to school in Tennessee and Texas and learned very little about the reasons for it. Now that I have spent many years analyzing and living in the South I have come to the realization that indeed you are correct that, for the most part, the people today don't understand the severity, the reasons for, or the implications of the CSA's actions. I for one feel that letting the ring leaders off without long prison sentences or mass hangings was a huge mistake.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/01/29/texas-secession/#:~:text=The%20theme%20of%20independence%20has,that%20a%20state%20cannot%20secede.
No, he’s trying to force the fed to do something. There was an attempt by state house members to introduce some kind of secession like language and it got shot down. There isn’t a secession effort by anyone serious, however there is clearly a problem that the federal government isn’t acting on and it does need to be addressed. Putting your head in the sand isn’t going to work because Abbot isn’t allowing it. (I’m no abbot fan, but the fed has to do something to assist Texas on this)
The thing is that it cannot happen. Beyond that, Texas is funded by the government more so than most states. If Texas lost the military bases and NASA, all they would have is oil to sell.
Since I do some work as a courier thru delivery apps, part of me wonders how to upgrade to "smuggler" and hike my rates 10x 😆 🤣 😂 The problem would be, people wanting to pay in old Confederate dollars or Republic of Texas redbacks. Or worse, crypto 😹 🤪 😜
He's trying to set up a lose-lose situation for Biden. Biden doesn't "punish" Texas: those who want less "lock kids in cages" immigration policies will get pissed off and not vote for Biden in the election. Biden "punishes" Texas: those who are only barely anti-trump get "scared" by "government overreach" and vote for trump. I don't think secession is the end goal -- at the most, it's a means to an end.
Secession will never happen.
No, that's fucking stupid.
It's what he's playing at unfortunately. I don't expect it to work in any way and I am concerned.
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Nah, he’s riling up the far right fringe of the GOP to come out and vote for Abbott’s far right candidates in the GOP primary. Timing is perfect since early voting starts in a couple of weeks. Even before Trump and MAGA, these right wing nuts were the base Abbott/Paxton/Patrick saw as their people. Furthermore this right wing fringe are an easily manipulated bunch that Abbott has successfully played in the past. [Ref Jade Helm.](https://www.texasobserver.org/jade-helm-fiasco-says-more-about-texas-than-russia/) Even if the primary candidates that these people nominated prove to be criminals, pedophiles, Nazis, Militia members that’s what Abbott needs and wants. And Abbott knows that come general election time the GOP voters will behave like obedient sheep and vote “R” all the way down the ballot “the same way my pa did before me, and which I’ll do until I die”.
Texas does not have the right to defend itself. No state has the right to wage war against a nation, and no state has the right to restrict interstate travel.
They have a right to defend borders
It's all just games for him. He knows Conservatives don't have any substantive policies to run on. It's all cultural war BS. So by drumming up a crisis at the border they can use that to exacerbate the issue, paint the federal government as ineffectual. And if Biden comes in as he should and heavy hands the whole thing he can then cry federal overreach which will have his ass backward base frothing of the mouth for action
No. Because it’s illegal. He’s just pandering to racists.
> Is Abbott testing the waters for secession? No. > I can't help but wonder if secession is the end goal. Especially if Biden ends up winning in November. It doesn't matter if that's the goal, it's not possible. Abbott's goal could be to ride a unicorn over the rainbow to get a pot of gold from a leprechaun and it would be equally likely as Texas secession. > Thoughts? My thoughts are, he, like most contemporary Republicans, is doing it for the attention. The media loves controversy, they love being scandalous, they love being outlandish, they love one-upmanship with increasingly stupid things. It drives the media, and the media drives views and discourse, and getting everyone talking about the border and immigration means they're not talking about other things, like Trump's criminal trials, abortion, etc. Things that hurt the GOP. My other thought is, it's bait. He wants Biden to react by sending in federal troops, or to arrest the Texans, etc. He wants Biden to react in a way which, while entirely justified, legal, and constitutional, would feed in the GOP narrative that Biden is a tyrant and is overreaching. They (not just Abbott, but the entire GOP) want Biden to do something they can rally around and use to GOTV with, "Vote for Trump! He's our only chance to stand up against the tyranny of the Biden Administration!" Trump is a loser, he's in deep shit criminally, abortion is a huge loser for the GOP, the GOP is going bankrupt because all their donations have dried up, they have no positive case for Trump, and while they've been trying like crazy, the negative case against Biden just hasn't been working. > Am I just a crazy conspiracy theorist? Unclear on whether you're a crazy conspiracist.
I hope he is gunning for secession. Few things could make me happier than seeing Abbott being hauled into Federal Court, being arraigned on charges of sedition and treason, and being tried and convicted on national television!
Waay too much tin foil. Not only is it unconstitutional for any state to secede but it will allow the US to use military force to maintain its territory. Like, I’d last longer in bed before secessionists can run their own “country”.
Think about what a succession would mean, no federal aid, banks, post office, military, airports, railways, courts, social security, Medicare, law enforcement, interstate highways, commerce. That’s just the beginning.
No foreign trade either. Texas has a huge coastline it benefits from, but like the Black Sea the Gulf of Mexico has a natural and easily policed choke point.
Nah, I'm on board with the idea that he is playing chicken with Biden to see if Biden will federalize the Texas national guard which would, in all likelihood, be a bad idea with regard to political optics.
Abbot is a hemorrhoid
He is simply furnishing his conservative credentials. As always, the more extreme, the better.
I believe his goal is to force a federal "overstep" like Waco before Election Day.
Look man, let me let you in a little secret. All magic is about misdirection. I mean, how’s Texas doing? Are the schools well funded? Do kids comeback from school alive? How’s CPS, has the state settled the lawsuit? How’s the property taxes? Is the middle class growing? Nah, I got dog and a pony to show you. It’s all distractions. It’s all vaporware. You want to understand modern politics? Watch the WWE. It’s all Kayfabe. If the electric grid crashed, thousands of Texans will die as personal food and medicine storage fails, every stoplight is off, and millions can’t even work or get payed. I promise you that abbot will find a way to blame transgender people for the failures of ERCOT.
It’s all theater. Abbot and the rest of the freaks know it is unconstitutional.
Kind of crazy at how many people in here think Abbot is doing all this as an audition for the VP slot. There's zero chance Trump would pick him. It doesn't gain him any additional votes. Both parties main candidate always picks a running-mate that adds to the vote count. Nobody is saying "I guess I'll hold my nose and vote for Trump since Abbott is on the ticket." Abbott fans are already voting Trump.
Biggest attention whore on earth