It is a time-honored tradition for the redistricting that determines who runs for Congress (and how) to occur once a decade, following the release of Census data. Republicans in Texas, however, thought it would be cute to use their newfound dominance in the Texas legislature to redraw House districts again -- even though redistricting had already been completed for the decade. The idea of the national Republican leaders who were behind this ploy was that if minority voters who voted Democrat could be tossed aside in the drawing of districts, Republicans would win a greater percentage of seats from Texas in the House of Representatives than their actual percentage support from within Texas.

One of the stereotypes of Texans is that they're all backward, redneck, regressive Republicans. A stereotype like this comes from some basis in reality; there is a strong conservative presence in Texas. But there is an equally strong tradition of grassroots populist progressive politics in the state: Molly Ivins and Jim Hightower are just two nationally prominent political figures who represent this strain of Texan thinking. In number, progressive Democrats strongly rival conservative Republicans in Texas.

Knowing this, the Democratic caucus of the Texas legislature displayed uncommon courage by refusing to allow the Republican Party to railroad through this illegitimate redistricting. Twice the "Texas Eleven," as they have come to be known, stopped the Republican shenaniganers in their tracks by leaving the Legislature and denying the Texas GOP the wherewithal to proceed.

Predictably, the Republican Party stopped at nothing to prevent the Texas Democrats from continuing their political stand. The Republicans called in the Department of Homeland Security to try and arrest the protesting legislators. They made up new laws on the spot that make the Texas Democrats pay tens of thousands of dollars every day. They convened special new sessions of the Legislature that are costing Texas taxpayers millions of dollars -- just for the purpose of shoving their radical and anti-democratic agenda through. They even recruited Rush Limbaugh to try and insult the Texas Eleven into submission.

In the end, the Texas Republican machine won its redistricting battle. But despite the dirty deeds of the Republican Party, Texas Democrats succeeded in demonstrating a new posture for embattled progressives: standing firm, standing tall, and standing together. Their action serves as a model not only for Democrats around the state of Texas, but for proud progressives across tha nation. We do best when we don't go woolly. We are at our best when we aren't afraid to fight for what's just and right.

The Texas Democrats didn't go woolly when the going got tough. Whether we hail from the state or not, we can all proudly and loudly say...

Don't Mess with Texas Democrats!