#standwithwendy against SB5

I'm not usually a fan of the filibuster, but damn son. Sen. Wendy Davis lasted for nine hours before the GOP broke her filibuster to prevent a vote on SB5 the Texas bill that would close all but 5 women's health clinics. At midnight (East Coast), she was still standing and still at 1:00 am, which is when this whole thing should have been over. Her democrat colleagues were trying to run out the clock with points of order inquiries, which are special inquiries and must be hear. The mens came to her aid, well the Democrat mens and even one pro-life female senator who thought they stop Sen. Davis' filibuster too soon.

Sen. Watson called out one point of order, which had everyone radio silent while the GOP trying to find away around it. The rotunda was full in the Texas state capital, and they were prepared to spend some time. When Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called a vote, the gallery lite up. They chanted Wendy, let her speak, and eventually shame. The senators were unable to vote. The people were not silenced for 13 minutes before midnight, and then continued because the GOP tried to vote after midnight. At this point, Sens. Van De Putte, West, and Watson cried foul because the emergency session was over.

Mostly, this portion of the evening was about which rules the Texas GOP wanted to recognize and which they didn't. For example, they jumped the gun on silencing Davis because she strayed from topic, and then they didn't want to abide by the midnight rule. As the GOP voted after midnight, 180k people were watching on youtube alone, plus whatever was watching on the Texas Tribune. After that the Senate shut down the live-stream. As senators left, they were unsure whether they voted. Then troops were brought in. Is it just me or when you represent the people you usually don't have to be protected from them.

As of this morning, the bill is dead (this was from Sen. Davis' twitter). According to the New York Times: "But at 3a.m., Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the presiding officer of the Senate and a Republican supporter of the bill, told lawmakers and reporters that although the bill passed on a 19-to-10 vote, the bill could not be signed in the presence of the Senate and was therefore dead, blaming "an unruly mob using Occupy Wall Street tactics" as the primary cause." Owned. Sounds like someone is looking for a scapegoat, but I don't think Occupy will mind in this case.

The quote of the night goes to Sen. Leticia Van De Putte: "At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be heard over the male colleagues in the room?"

This set off the gallery, and was when Lt. Gov. Dewhurst started pushing for the vote. But those damn ladyfolk and their constant chatter.

One of my favorite tweets this morning:

"An unruly mob using Occupy Wall Street tactics" killed #SB5 last night, says the Lt. Governor. Neat. #StandWithWendy #Occupy
— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) June 26, 2013

This all goes to bring a few things to the front. 

1. Striking down the VRA is going to have long reaching consequences across the US as the GOP clings to power. 
2. The GOP is clinging to power, which means more attempts to prevent voting and restrict the rights of others. We're going to see this against women and people of color. I'm guessing because the swinging of public opinion they might leave the gays alone because DOMA will set the tone as to whether they continue to be GOP targets.
3. One person change democracy last night. Sen. Davis spoke truth to power, which inspired her colleagues, her constituents, and the nation. That said, this was an Occupation of the Texas Capital, and it was amazing. If there was a learning moment last night, it was that the tyranny of a few will not be tolerated, and if your government doesn't represent you then take it back.
4. The reproductive rights movement changed last night, or it should have. We'll have to wait and see what is next, specifically in Ohio. Ohio is gearing up for their anti-women fight, and it is going to be ugly. Most likely, the Ohio GOP will take notes on what happened last night like they did in Wisconsin after the anti-labor legislation both states tried to pass.
5. With the raise in Hispanic voters (and African American voter turnout, but specifically Hispanic in Texas) will Texas (and other swing or traditionally red states) go blue? This one I have no answer for. It was speculated after the Presidential Election and again with the talk of immigration reform. 
6. The largest lesson from Texas last night can be found below, which I think is adequate...

 

Because today is DOMA, so hold on to something and clutch some pearls.