What a deeply humiliating hour.
At a session titled “The Texas Republican Agenda,” three Texas House Republicans—Mitch Little (who represented Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial), Jeff Leach (who voted to impeach Paxton), and Daniel Alders—spent sixty minutes insulting the audience’s intelligence.
Fast-forward to the very first question from the floor: “In 1992, I joined a Republican Party that championed family values, compassionate conservatism, fiscal responsibility, and law and order. Today, the party is defined by the Epstein files, a $40 trillion national debt, severe human rights violations by ICE, and January 6. What happened to your party?”
When pressed repeatedly to address it, Mitch Little refused, claiming he didn’t agree with the question’s premise. But what is there to dispute? The Epstein files are real. Adultery, lying, cheating, and corruption are rampant. The $40 trillion debt grew largely under Republican watch. ICE abuses continue, and those behind January 6 have largely evaded accountability.
Dressed in matching suits, these three white men faced a room full of informed audience members who posed tough, necessary questions. Yet the moderator failed to push them on the obvious: Republicans have held absolute control of Texas for 30 years, yet they promise to “fix” education, property taxes, and state infrastructure—problems created entirely under their watch. Where have they been for three decades? Texas is increasingly unaffordable, public education is starved of resources, and anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric has been normalized.
The sole moment of value came when Jeff Leach admitted Ken Paxton should debate James Talarico—a rich stance coming from a man who voted to impeach Paxton, only to turn around, campaign for him, and promise him his vote. Leach also rightly labeled Bo French’s recent comments as racist, yet openly acknowledged he will still be voting for him.
We are not stupid. At least those in the room.
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