In 2011, fourteen Wisconsin Senate Democrats fled the state. They went to Illinois to prevent a quorum -- Wisconsin law required 20 members to be present for a vote -- and block a vote on then-Governor Scott Walker's public sector union reform bill, Act 10.
There were also massive protests, insurrections really, in Wisconsin for weeks. In the end, Wisconsin Republicans removed the fiscal aspects of the legislation and passed it without the Democrats' presence. Where there's a will, there's a way.
In Texas, Democrats once again fled the state to prevent a quorum and block a vote. This time, the vote is part of a special session on redistricting called by Governor Greg Abbott.
They think they're the good guys, of course.
Republicans thought they could rig Texas’ maps without the American people taking notice.
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) August 3, 2025
They were dead wrong.
Texas Democrats are leading the fight against the GOP’s assault on our democracy. pic.twitter.com/KVTKec2Ip3
This isn't the first time TX Democrats have run away instead of doing their jobs. They did the same in 2003, also to block a quorum and thwart a redistricting vote and again in 2021 to block voting restriction legislation.
You don't need me to tell you they are not, in fact, defending democracy. What they are doing is the exact opposite of defending democracy.
But this is who the Democratic Party is, and always has been.
Democracy, as we all know, is a system by which the majority rules. That means 50.1% of voters can make decisions for the other 49.9%. Democrats have screamed about the importance of democracy for years.
But what happens when the democratic vote doesn't go their way?
On November 4, 2008, 52.1% of California voters voted 'Yes' on Prop. 8, a bill that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. They weren't the only state, either. Alaska's Measure 2 passed with 68% support (1998); Mississippi's Measure 1 passed with 86% support (2004); Missouri's Constitutional Amendment 2 passed with 71% support (2004); Montana's Initiative 96 passed with 67% support (2004); Oregon's Measure 36 passed with 57% support (2004); Tennessee's Amendment 1 passed with 81% support (2006); Arizona's Proposition 102 passed with 56% of the vote (2008).
Arkansas, Georgia, and Kentucky all passed legislation banning gay marriage and civil unions in 2004, and all with more than 75% of the vote. Nebraska did the same in 2000, where Initiative Measure 416 passed with 70% support.
All told, 31 states voted to ban gay marriage and/or same-sex civil unions.
That was democracy. The people spoke overwhelmingly at the ballot box to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The Left disagreed, arguing that the majority's will couldn't override the rights of the minority, and they took the issue to court.
As we all know, the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell that gay marriage was a federal constitutional right.
So much for democracy, huh?
In Texas, the Republicans are the majority. They were voted into office, democratically, by the people of Texas. So was Governor Greg Abbott. They have every right to call a special session on redistricting.
And Texas Governor Greg Abbott absolutely must make good on his threat to vacate the seats of Texas Democrats who have fled the state. He has the Constitutional authority to do so and a message must be sent to the Democratic Party that they cannot get away with this 'resist' nonsense any longer.
I also recall that in the not-too-distant past, Democrats, including Hakeem Jeffries, praised Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford, saying she would rule to redistrict Wisconsin's maps in the Democratic Party's favor. I don't remember any Leftist outrage over this 'assault on democracy.'
And ever since President Trump took office, after winning not only the Electoral College but the popular vote, the Left has spent every day going to court to undermine the will of the American voter and hamstring the Trump administration.
Leftists define democracy as what happens when they win, and only then. When they lose, or face a loss, they suddenly throw wrenches into the democratic process by fleeing the state or going to activist judges to block legislation passed by duly elected representatives.
The Democratic Party is not the party of democracy, and they haven't been for a long time.
