Texas at the Vanguard of the Culture War
Texas Republicans are “the tip of the spear” to weaponize the right-wing culture war against truth, justice, and American democracy.
Texas was the first state to support Trump’s Big Lie of election fraud by suing 4 states to block their electors from being counted. The 1836 Project is an attempt to whitewash the ugly history of Texas slavery, racism, and white supremacy. And now, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is calling for an “emergency session” to pass voter restrictions that target black and brown voters just ahead of his own reelection campaign.
By Edgar Sandoval, David Montgomery and Manny Fernandez
“As long as you’re a white, Christian evangelical, gun-loving, Bible-toting, race-baiting person, hell yeah, Texas is for you,” Mr. Johnson, who is Black, said in an interview. “They got all kinds of freedoms for them. Believe me, I’d like to tell you that I’ve got a lot of friends on the other side of the aisle. But I can’t lie to you like that.”
Texas lawmakers approved a bill to do away with the state’s handgun permit and training system, after similar efforts failed to gain momentum in past years.Credit...Matthew Busch for The New York Times