I keep a stomach distress bag handy whenever I read a news article about Texas. Governor Greg Abbott is not good for my digestive health. A few weeks ago, he signed a law giving private citizens the right to sue anyone who “aids or abets” abortions. The idea is to weaponize abortion proponents and drive doctors and other healthcare providers out of the state.
There is a lot more to dislike about Governor Greg Abbott, but he is not alone in making proposals that many of us consider outrageous. In June, for example, State Representative Kyle Biedermann proposed legislation for the state to hold a referendum on whether a legislative committee should be created to develop a plan for “Texas independence.” Mr. Biedermann has had enough of Washington and its meddling in Texas affairs.
Texans are not alone in wanting their state to “go in a different direction.” Secession movements are also active in Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Vermont. I want to focus on Texas. My question is “Why not let it go?”
Legal experts tell us that it is “illegal” for states to secede from the union, but I wonder if America has the stomach for another civil war. My guess is no, especially given the reality that many of us see Texas as an obstacle to ratifying sane policies. More than a few of my liberal friends, when asked about Texas secession, shrug their shoulders, and say, “We’d be better off without it.”
I have my doubts about that, despite Greg Abbott, but note that the Democrats would win more elections and retain control of the House of Representatives if Texas quits the U.S. Personally, I will welcome a Senate free of Ted Cruz (R-TX).
If Texas left the Union, I would expect a mass migration out of the State back into the U.S. Greg Abbott might have to build a wall just to keep people from leaving. I also worry that Texas might attempt to seize “its fair share” of nuclear weapons and fashion itself a little North Korea that regularly makes threats against its northern neighbor (us).
If Texas seceded, might Donald Trump be tempted to move there and become King? That is possible. The prospect of a lifetime of power without the hassle of regular elections might just persuade him to quit Florida. And, once in power in Texas, Trump could plot with like-minded secessionists in other states and try to create a modern-day version of the Confederate States of America.
I am not likely to be conscripted into the Army for the purpose of fighting what is likely to be dubbed “Texit,” but if I were, I would think about a move to Canada. I would not want to take up arms against fellow Americans (yes, I still consider Texans fellow-countrypeople) and would not want to be shot by Governor Abbott or one of his followers. I suspect many Americans would agree.
If future presidents are faced with a real secession movement, would they bring a declaration of war to Congress? Would it pass? If it did not, where would that leave America?
I am comforted by the fact that despite the Maryland Eastern Shore being out of sync with the rest of the State, I don’t often hear about plans for a new State called “East Chesapeake” or “Crabonia.” That’s a relief. I think we would be dramatically worse off without the rest of the State, or the rest of the United States, to help us prepare for the next century.
Despite my friends who stubbornly remain loyal to Trump, I am confident that the Eastern Shore is moving in the right direction politically. While some Republicans tell me I am crazy to say that the re-election of Andy “Handgun” Harris is not inevitable, I also note that many Republicans tell me that, as of today, they would vote for Harris but have a few questions for him to answer. They want to know what he was up to in his White House meeting on December 21 and how he became convinced the 2020 presidential election was “rigged.”
I want to know the answer to these questions. I think I already know how Andy would vote if the issue of Texas seceding from the U.S. came to a vote in the House of Representatives. Even though Democrats might benefit from Texit, Andy would vote “Aye.” So much for the Constitution.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and, when the Constitution is not under attack, other subjects.
Matt LaMotte says
Are Texans ready to walk away from Social Security, Medicare, etc? Hmm…
John Dean says
Many of the Texans I have known leap before the look, so I don’t know.
More seriously, thanks for reading the piece.
Jerry McConnell says
I dislike Abbott, almost as much as the Texas right wing, Christian, extremist GOP-owned state and local governments ( except, thank God, for Austin).
However, as a nation the U S has too much invested in Texas to just boot them. Yes, a good number of folks there are disturbed. And troublemakers.
But there are some rational people there as well, who do in fact bear their primary allegiance to the USA—-They also have oil, and cacti.
Abbott is crippled in mind and body but there’s not much we can do about him if those gunslingers keep re-electing him.
Besides which, if we were to grant Texas an exit waiver, where do we stop? We sure as hell don’t want Arkansas sneaking around down there. Louisiana?
For crying out loud, Missouri’s BMOC is the certified defective high school cheerleader, Josh Hawley.
You can see where this goes….MS, AL,FL, the Dakotas, Idaho…..
Deirdre LaMotte says
It is not just Texas. It is any GOP controlled States, mostly in the South. They resist funding good public schools to educate the population with challenging curricula. Religious Fundamentalists’ fear an educated population. Business and the wealthy do too. So, these areas are far behind the rest of the nation in every measure: education, income, living
standards, longevity, health care, income, wealth accumulation. The right has these states in their control. These
citizens are fine using violence, brandishing guns to those they have been told to hate: moderates and Liberals are known as the devil’s spawn and lots of nice metal Churches are there to learn about politics and Churchanity.
Fox news is their drug, it doesn’t take much to get addicted. The Fox news gang certainly knows their audience
and the pathetic fear that is stowed requires constant reassurance that despite the evidence, their views are actually in line with reality.
Vincent De Sanctis says
Losing military bases and NASA would sober up most Texans very quickly. If I recall there is an agreement in the original document admitting Texas to the Union. Texas reserved the right to divide itself into up to five states. Although this is a hypothetical discussion I wonder which areas would prefer attachment to the USA?
John Dean says
Thank you for the comment. I wasn’t aware of the “5 states” language. That’s interesting.
I agree that Texit is foolhardy. Unfortunately, Texas is Texas.
And thank you for reading the piece.
Mickey Terrone says
If Texas’ secessionists are like their Confederate ancestors, they’ve been spending 99.9% of their time thinking about how and when to organize, orchestrate and perpetrate their revolution. I use that word because even Dear Old General Lee indicated that “Secession is nothing but revolution”. Back in the late 1850’s and right up to Fort Sumter, secessionists ignored the realities of actually managing a government rather than just complaining about one. When they finally created one in Richmond, it quickly became an utterly despised instrument of oppression.
I tend to believe the secessionists of the 21st Century are escapists trying to evade the realities of their minority status in American society. In Texas, the deluded white ultra-conservative, uber-christian minority understands they have to make a radical political move soon or be overwhelmed by people of color and whites who insist on their “heritage” of a democratic form of government. Thus, these secessionists have taken the words of their master, Donald Trump, to heart. Trump pointed out in 2020 that making it easier to vote in America would hurt the Republican party. He dismissed a Democratic-led push for reforms such as vote-by-mail, same-day registration and early voting as states seek to safely run elections amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I don’t want everybody to vote,” Paul Weyrich, an influential conservative activist, said in 1980. “As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.” Republicans often say they oppose voting reforms because of concerns of voter fraud – which is extremely rare – or concerns over having the federal government run elections.
This is the level to which the Republican Party has been reduced, nationally and locally. Note the high local profile involvement of Michael Peroutka, Maryland’s premier secessionist and neo-confederate activist. Note Republican County Council candidate Montgomery’s web page that includes articles suggesting the legitimacy of secession and the high priority of replacing the Talbot Boys statue with a “Unity” statue that includes another confederate flag. Any three of these Republican getting elected to the County Council will very likely see the County Court House with another Confederate flag, lawsuits with Talbot County reisting Maryland’s state education mandates and maybe throw in some talk of secession from the state because the Eastern Shore intends to maintain its “heritage” and rural status. We’ve heard “Delmarva” bandied about as an option, but Delaware is not a likely partner in Eastern Shore Maryland’s secession. Maybe just “Marva” will work.
While I recognize that two local vehicle owners have removed their “Secession Now” bumper stickers, I suspect this is diversionary. These extremists don’t want to discuss or defend the Talbot Republican Party’s radical positions. I suspect they maintain very similar ideas as their Texas brethren.
There is nothing funny about secession. Ultra-conservative Republicans have arrived at a desperate point. This county’s Republican slate of candidates appears to be a Talbot Boys Revenge Tour. complete with the righteous outrage over CRT and other depradations in the TC Public Schools.
We can be certain that “Handgun” Harris would take his cue from his Freedom Caucus twin brother, Crazy Louie Gohmert. These are all dangerous extremists and have no place leading the citizens of Texas or Maryland. Thus, we’d better take this seriously and not fail to protect our democracy by voting for Democrats at every level.
John Dean says
Thank you for a great comment-an addition to the discussion.
And thank you for reading the piece.
Mickey Terrone says
JD – You da man!