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Inside the secret plan for the Texas Democratic exodus: A phone tree, a scramble to pack and a polit
Source: Washington post
González said she got the call Sunday afternoon just as she was planning to head home to Dallas to pack for the still-hypothetical exodus. She decided to stay in Austin that night and pack the few items she had with her. The next morning, she got another call, telling her to meet at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union headquarters, near the airport in Austin. When she arrived, a giant silver coach awaited to drive the group to the private air terminal, and House leaders finally revealed they would be traveling on two 30-seater Embraer regional jets to the nation’s capital, with a fuel stop in Memphis on the way. The previous evening, they had shared the destination only with those flying or driving separately.
Secrecy was paramount, Turner and others said, because they did not want to alert House Republicans of their plans — nor risk some among them succumbing to political pressure and staying behind. They were fairly certain there was no legal means to stop them before the House gaveled into session Tuesday morning, but they did not want to take any chances, given the bellicose rhetoric coming from some Republicans, they said.
“It’s a big decision for a lot of the members,” said Rep. Joe Deshotel (Beaumont). “We didn’t want any outside pressure saying, ‘Oh you might not be getting reelected.’ We had a plan and we tried to keep to the script that we had.”
The leaders even considered confiscating the travelers’ phones until they arrived in Washington, according to an image of a schedule of Monday’s journey shared with The Washington Post, which read, “10:30 p.m.: Member Huddle — Return phones & provide hotel keys.” Turner said he nixed that plan when word started to trickle out by the time they congregated at the union hall.
Secrecy was paramount, Turner and others said, because they did not want to alert House Republicans of their plans — nor risk some among them succumbing to political pressure and staying behind. They were fairly certain there was no legal means to stop them before the House gaveled into session Tuesday morning, but they did not want to take any chances, given the bellicose rhetoric coming from some Republicans, they said.
“It’s a big decision for a lot of the members,” said Rep. Joe Deshotel (Beaumont). “We didn’t want any outside pressure saying, ‘Oh you might not be getting reelected.’ We had a plan and we tried to keep to the script that we had.”
The leaders even considered confiscating the travelers’ phones until they arrived in Washington, according to an image of a schedule of Monday’s journey shared with The Washington Post, which read, “10:30 p.m.: Member Huddle — Return phones & provide hotel keys.” Turner said he nixed that plan when word started to trickle out by the time they congregated at the union hall.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/texas-democrats-voting-exodus/2021/07/13/f391dc9e-e3ce-11eb-a41e-c8442c213fa8_story.html
4 replies
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I think it was Rachel last night who reported that one member wanted to take his pregnant wife and their toddler (unless the pregnant woman was the member) so they drove over 24 hours straight to get to DC, alternating parental duties and driving duties.
Bravo, Texans. 
