The Next Shot Fired
The idea of Tucker Carlson running for president in 2024 is terrifying since we have already had one megalomaniac as the 45th POTUS.
Between 2008-15, the MAGA movement was birthed out of the TEA party which was not extreme enough for today’s Republicans or Libertarians. Town criers like myself were chewed up by family, friends, and coworkers who kept saying Trump wouldn’t win. Rural Democrats on the ground in ruby-red places ruled by former Democrats that flipped to Republican for financial reasons wink, during the Obama years; we knew different.
These angry folks were everywhere in our lives running our local governments, schools, churches, businesses, and a few in our state parties. Not only that, these once allies now community leaders became more vindictive, misogynistic and looking for ways to use the law to harm others not willing to hate others while double-clutching guns, Bibles, and flags. Reports of possible violence became factual to include: running campaign buses off the road, tossing Molotov cocktails into Democratic party’s headquarters, pulling guns and the lynching of a migrant in Texas. Then and current blue-dot Democrats here and in other states were cut off, with little outreach other than emails or lastly, zoom training meetings by state parties. Rural Democratic folks are left to fend for themselves or, fearing safety many just faded out of the political arena.
Trump lit a fire in 2015 and its burning embers from MAGA/QAnon holdouts have evolved to hyper-Christian nationalism with a touch of TEXIT, Constitutional Convention planning activists, coupled with Constitutional Sheriffs ready to “lock them up”. Locally, I have watched the actual glee of my neighbors wanting to shoot, kill, bring a rope, run them out of town, jail DEMs, or, hunt “illegals” inside a: school cafeteria, courthouse, polling location, beauty shop and grocery store.
I have paid close attention to four Texas legislative sessions with a gnawing realization there will be more flips in our state house and senate because legislators are following the path of least resistance to keep their jobs under the dome, to get to that sweet judicial size retirement when they reach the service/age requirement. Some of what is going on in Austin is, DEMs helping to pass GOP bills to get their districts’ projects into the budget and signed by the most vindictive governor — I see their actions as joining our jailers.
What’s in the future is anyone’s educated guess but, who cannot see the reddening in once blue-held seats? TX28 or, TX34 may fall into extremist hands as TX34 did temporarily in 2022. Both districts have Democrats, both are business-friendly conservatives who prefer immigrants to remain in Mexico before entry into the U.S., each has differing stances on social safety net issues.
South Texas counties' local seats are falling like dominoes one by one. When TX15’s district was drawn redder with its current 70%+ Hispanic population diluted with Caucasian voters with gerrymandering. In turn, the district voted in the most camera-hungry, gun-wielding, screeching freshman representative who is yet to accomplish anything but post glamor shots on social media. For now, extreme right MAGA Republicans are lining up to unseat the incumbents.
Looking at how the Tx GOP treat and dox their party members into submission, they don’t care and are ruthless, causing people to leave the public square, quit jobs or, move out of state.
So many registered voters only show up for presidential general elections to then, check out for the rest of the election cycle. Will 9 million registered nonvoters that “sat out 2022 elections” answer the wake-up call ‘Texans are in danger’ and turnout in 2024?
By their public admission; some of our neighbors are willing to kill, allow more kids to die in classrooms and, women to die on the birthing bed. Texans will be allowed to starve, breathed polluted air, and drink tainted water. I’m worried about a tipping point set off by a Tucker or Trump-type calling for a civil war or an election being overturned in 2024.
Remember what is happening in FL and elsewhere - was done in Texas first. We take the idea of Carlson running seriously. Please call in support of House Bill 2744 as a first step.
Just a quiet voice in a angry red county; not going anywhere.