The Texas Democrat Party is calling on twenty-two Texas Republicans to resign from public office or be removed. Texas Democratic Party Chair, Gilberto Hinojosa, said in an interview that the party’s Executive Committee met and agreed to call for the resignations on Monday. The Republicans are accused of trying to overthrow the will of the people and inciting the violence that occurred on January 6 on Capitol Hill.
“There has to be consequences for this. And we believe these people need to resign or be removed from Congress.” Hinojosa puts Senator Ted Cruz at the top of the line of those who must go. Along with Cruz, there are 16 Texas Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying the election and the Democrats threw in the name of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for good measure. Paxton flew to Washington and spoke at the rally before the riot occurred.
Hinojosa went on to say, “This responsibility lays squarely on Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and all these Republicans that fed this narrative, knowing that it was a lie.”
It’s a fever dream that is nothing new to Texas political observers. Texas Democrats are not shy about calling out Texas Republicans and their criticism often includes calls for resignations. It’s political theatre. It’s good for fundraising. Texas Democrats began calling for Cruz’s resignation on January 6. The Castro brothers, always ready to pounce, didn’t miss the opportunity. Rep. Joaquin Castro was quick to tweet. His brother, former Mayor of San Antonio, and failed presidential candidate Julian agreed with his twin brother. I expect somewhere along the line, Julian will be a part of Biden’s administration. He served as HUD secretary in Obama’s administration.
Someone on the Senate floor should ask for @SenTedCruz’s resignation tonight.
— Joaquin Castro (@Castro4Congress) January 7, 2021
Cruz isn’t going anywhere. The usual suspects are calling on him to be held accountable. The Houston Chronicle called for his resignation. The paper went so far as to accuse the senator of having blood on his hands. Businesses with PACs have announced a halt to political donations to Republicans involved in the rally and the objection to accepting the electoral votes. Some businesses will also pause on donating to Democrats until they decide how they will go forward in financial contributions to the political system.
Needless to say, the Texas Republican Party objects to calls from Texas Democrats for resignations. The chairman points to the violent riots during the Summer of Love, as well as past objections from Democrats, made against the election of Republican presidents, and does some whataboutism. He’s right to do so. He calls hypocrisy.
But Texas Republican Party Chair, retired Lt. Col. Allen West, pointed to the violent protests in Washington, D.C. after President Trump’s inauguration and those by Antifa and Black Lives Matter over the summer.
West called Democrats hypocrites.
“We can go back to 2017, we can go back to 2005, when we saw Democrats are the exact same thing that was done with the challenge of the electors. They don’t have the same type of standards that they want to hold themselves accountable to.”
“There’s a certain group of people that are now saying, you can have not free speech, but you can have acceptable speech and acceptable speech means that that is what we consent to. And we will allow you to say, you cannot go out there and squash political opposition speech, that is fascism. And that’s what I see happening.”
Ironically, Hinojosa points to the fact that it is Trump’s refusal to formally concede the election that stirred up his voters.
“This was a national concerted effort by Republicans all across the country to raise questions as to the legitimacy of this election. And it fed into the narrative that Mr. Trump was worth putting out. And all these people got all riled up.”
That is a convenient excuse but I don’t remember any calls for resignation for the Democrat members of Congress who boycotted Trump’s inauguration or for Democrats who objected to electoral votes in other years. West is right, it’s about canceling the opposition. Democrats were calling for Trump to be impeached before he was inaugurated and they didn’t let up over the last four years. Marches across the country were held the day after Trump’s inauguration – the pink pussy hat became a symbol of The Resistance.
We are back to business as usual in The Swamp, the third term of Barack Obama. Ted Cruz, and the other Texas Republicans in Congress, will likely redeem themselves with voters in their opposition to Biden’s administration over the next four years, with the work beginning now. Look for the Republicans to take back Congress in 2022 and Ted Cruz will be campaigning for any Texas Republican who asks for his help.
