Ken Paxton is not known for his sweet disposition or easygoing ways. That’s an understatement. But for him to think that this one GOP race is so earthshaking that the entire Republican party is going to roll over and give him whatever he wants is a bridge too far even for Paxton. Paxton will drop out of the Senate race in Texas, but only if several pounds of flesh are delivered to him. The Hill:
Paxton said on Thursday he would consider exiting the race if Senate leadership eliminated the filibuster — the 60-vote threshold needed to clear most legislation in the upper chamber — and passed a bill that would require voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote.
The shift from Paxton comes after President Trump on Wednesday said he plans to endorse in the Senate GOP primary “soon” and called for whomever he doesn’t endorse to drop out of the race.
“John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill. Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation,” Paxton wrote on the social media platform X.
“The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare,” he added. “For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done.”
John Thune said forget about the filibuster going away and largely Paxton is barking into the wind right now. Nobody is going to take his threats seriously. He’s a legend in his own mind but not outside of it. And he’s greatly exaggerating his own importance and his ability to win or lose this race.
I suspect this is a performance for a party of one.
Well, actually two. I get your meaning but Paxton’s also doing this for himself.
And the only way the filibuster will ever go away in the Senate is when the party in power has no intention of ever again allowing free elections. I really believe that’s why Drumpf is pressing the issue but it’s why leaders of BOTH parties have strongly defended maintaining the power/threat of the filibuster. Leaders of both sides know that the filibuster is the only way for the minority party to be heard on an issue. Historically, most filibusters (especially in the past couple of decades) have eventually resulted in a final simple-majority vote but it allowed grievances about a bill to be heard IN PUBLIC which can press the voters back home to maybe contact their senators about how they should vote (or even make compromises to the bill in question).
I hope he gets smeared into a little puddle of grease and set on fire. Figuratively speaking, of course.