House walkout likely to become an indelible part of Texas history
Whether or not you happen to support the excellent adventure of Texas Democrats, their desperate flight to Ardmore, OK, was a success. The Republicans' ruthless, self-centered redistricting plan died from lack of a quorum, and the Democrats were able to demonstrate some long-dormant resolve. What I enjoyed most of all was seeing Tom DeLay's pet project dying while he could do nothing but rail against the fates.
Call it what you will, but in Texas, knee-jerk ideology rules. Compromise, or anything faintly resembling it, seems to be a foreign concept to most Republicans, who seem quite happy with their "slash and burn, my way or the highway" brand of politics.
Hopefully, DeLay and his cronies will learn something from this humiliation. Unfortunately, their brand of arrogance cannot flourish in an open mind. No, it's easier for them to rant about the "perfidy" and "cowardice" of Democrats, while conveniently ignoring that it was their own refusal to address reality that sent the Democrats to Oklahoma in the first place.
It will be interesting to see how the history books will treat this episode. In Texas, though, the history books are written by Republicans. Don't hold your breath while you're waiting for anything resembling evenhandedness, eh?
