Instead of doing their jobs as lawmakers on Monday, Texas Democrats gabbed a 30-rack of Miller Lite and hopped on a private plane (maskless) to jet on up to Washington, D.C. for a vacation. And like the good party shills that they were, ABC’s World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News cheered them on because they were saving the country from the evil Republican menace and their election integrity bills, or something.
Declaring it the “battle in this country over voting rights,” sensationalist ABC anchor, David Muir trumpeted how “Democratic lawmakers are now leaving the state to block the vote on a Republican measure, all in their effort, they say, to protect voting access in Texas.”
ABC congressional correspondent Rachel Scott hyped that they were “once again, using the only tool they have left to block one of the most restrictive voting bills in the country.” Adding: “They say they're in it for the long haul.”
Reading off only a fraction of what the legislation would do if passed, Scott took issue with the provision that barred sending out unsolicited ballots and scoffed at Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R):
The bill would ban 24-hour polling locations and drive-through voting, which have increased turnout among minorities. Prohibit election officials from sending absentee ballot applications from people who have not requested them. And give partisan poll watchers greater access to polling sites.
Tonight, the Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick telling our station KTRK Democrats are abandoning their responsibility.
“But Vice President Kamala Harris cheering them on,” she touted with an enthusiastic tone.
And as she wrapped the segment, Scott suggested “these Democrats are trying to make the point that this is much larger than Texas.” She then warned: “We have seen 16 states pass laws that make it tougher for people to vote. This is about putting pressure on Congress to pass voting rights legislation.”
Over on CBS, anchor Norah O’Donnell kicked off the segment by boasting, “Democratic lawmakers bolted the state capitol this afternoon to prevent passage of a new election law, and they say they're prepared to stay away for weeks.”
Correspondent Mireya Villarreal spoke to one cackling state Democrat, Jasmine Crockett, as she was preparing to board their private flight.
“Jasmine Crockett is one of nearly 60 lawmakers who fled the Lone Star State for Washington, D.C. Grinding the Texas legislature to a halt and preventing Republicans from taking action on a controversial voting rights bill,” she said. “Had they stayed in-state, Texas Rangers could have routed them up and returned them to the Capitol.”
Villarreal smeared the legislation as “an attack on minority voting rights” and scoffed the bill’s author for calling it “common-sense reform”:
VILLARREAL: Over the weekend, in Austin, hundreds gave public testimony in marathon all-night hearings with critics calling the GOP-backed bills an attack on minority voting rights. But Republican State Senator Bryan Hughes who wrote the bill called it common-sense reform.
STATE REP. BRYAN HUGHES (R) After this bill Texas will have even more hours and more days across the state for in-person early voting.
“But people who have left tell me they plan to stay out of state at least 30 days until the legislative session is over, to make sure this voting rights bill doesn't get passed into law here in Texas,” she concluded.
Their celebration of the cowardly antics of their party was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Liberty Mutual on ABC and Amazon on CBS. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
July 12, 2021
6:40:38 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: In the meantime, we're going to turn next to the battle in this country over voting rights. Tonight in Texas, one of the states trying to enact strict new voting laws, Democratic lawmakers are now leaving the state to block the vote on a Republican measure, all in their effort, they say, to protect voting access in Texas. ABC's Rachel Scott tonight on what this could mean for the larger debate across this country.
[Cuts to video]
RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, Texas Democratic lawmakers fleeing the state. Once again, using the only tool they have left to block one of the most restrictive voting bills in the country. They say they're in it for the long haul.
GENE WU (D-TX state rep.): As long as it takes to kill this legislation, whether that is a few days or whether that's for the remainder of the special session, that's up to -- that's up to the Republicans.
SCOTT: The bill would ban 24-hour polling locations and drive-through voting, which have increased turnout among minorities. Prohibit election officials from sending absentee ballot applications from people who have not requested them. And give partisan poll watchers greater access to polling sites.
Tonight, the Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick telling our station KTRK Democrats are abandoning their responsibility.
LT. GOV. DAN PATRICK: That's not how you conduct business in government. That's anarchy at the capitol.
SCOTT: But Vice President Kamala Harris cheering them on.
VP KAMALA HARRIS: I applaud them standing for the rights of all Americans and all Texans to express their voice through their vote, unencumbered.
[Cuts back to live]
MUIR: All right, Rachel Scott. Tonight, those Texas lawmakers are heading to the nation's capital. They say they're willing to stay there for weeks if they have to all to block this Texas bill?
SCOTT: Yes, and David, these Democrats are trying to make the point that this is much larger than Texas. Already, we have seen 16 states pass laws that make it tougher for people to vote. This is about putting pressure on Congress to pass voting rights legislation. And tomorrow, President Biden will be in Philadelphia to make the case. David?
MUIR: Rachel Scott live in Washington. Rachel, thank you.
CBS Evening News
July 12, 2021
6:38:15 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Well, tonight the fight over voting rights in Texas has reached a new level of hostility. Democratic lawmakers bolted the state capitol this afternoon to prevent passage of a new election law, and they say they're prepared to stay away for weeks. CBS's Mireya Villarreal reports tonight from Austin.
[Cuts to video]
MIREYA VILLARREAL: Tonight, Texas Democrats on the run.
Where are you?
JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX state rep): I'm at the airport.
VILLARREAL: Jasmine Crockett is one of nearly 60 lawmakers who fled the Lone Star State for Washington, D.C. Grinding the Texas legislature to a halt and preventing Republicans from taking action on a controversial voting rights bill. Had they stayed in-state, Texas Rangers could have routed them up and returned them to the capitol.
CROCKETT: We kept saying if we have to pull the trigger we'll pull the trigger. [Transition] We heard rumblings they were planning to lock the chamber. And they were going to hold us in there till those bills got passed.
VILLARREAL: The Texas bill would mandate new I.D. requirements for voting by mail and ban drive-through voting sites and 24-hour voting. 16 other states have enacted similar legislation. Houston representative Garnet Coleman is also skipping town in protest.
GARNET COLEMAN (D-TX state rep.): We do drive-by for alcohol, so you can't do drive curbside voting? Where are our priorities?
VILLARREAL: Over the weekend, in Austin, hundreds gave public testimony in marathon all-night hearings with critics calling the GOP-backed bills an attack on minority voting rights. But Republican State Senator Bryan Hughes who wrote the bill called it common-sense reform.
BRYAN HUGHES (R-Texas state rep.) After this bill Texas will have even more hours and more days across the state for in-person early voting.
[Cuts back to live]
VILLARREAL: Republican Governor Greg Abbott calls this partisan politics and says by Democrats leaving they have prevented important legislation from getting passed in the state. But people who have left tell me they plan to stay out of state at least 30 days until the legislative session is over, to make sure this voting rights bill doesn't get passed into law here in Texas. Norah.
O’DONNELL: Mireya Villarreal, thank you.
