Greg Abbott fails to stun in latest speech

"It means something to be a Texan," Greg Abbott said early in his State of the State speech on Sunday.

I mean, I guess? It also means something to be an Arizonan. A cat. A blade of grass. Texan doesn’t mean much for my identity. I just live here, man.

The speech didn’t become more inspiring. In fact, “Texas is the blueprint for America’s future” came soon after and though I agree wholeheartedly, I find nothing hopeful about that statement. What’s happening now, today to our federal government is just a faster, more chaotic version of what has happened to Texas over the past 30 years. It’s easier to ignore when it’s happening in slow motion and you have a life to live. It’s the same erosion of regulations and norms and ethics, but served with a howdy and a smug smile instead of a Nazi salutes and edgelord sneers.

Texas is the blueprint for America’s spring of 2025, then we can all hurtle off a cliff together into the unknown. Welcome to our nightmare!

As for the meat of the speech, nothing was surprising. Pass vouchers. He referred to public schools as “government-mandated schools,” which is a fun bit of propaganda. Skilled trades programs. Squatters? Property taxes. The border. End DEI.

"College professors have increasingly pushed woke agendas," he said. It’s true. I went to the University of Houston and I was introduced to the poetry of Mary Oliver. It absolutely ruined the trajectory of my life. I became obsessed with letting the soft animal of my body love what it loves. Terrible for the economy.

(An aside: I experienced the thrill of watching Mary Oliver speak once in a small room at UH. I remember the room was bathed in sun. It must have been cold that day as she was wearing a sweatshirt and a knit hat. She was crusty and told all the creative writing grad students to get real jobs. I loved her.)

The Houston Chronicle notes that there were a couple of key things missing in his speech that may set up fights between Abbott and Patrick:

Notably absent from Abbott’s address was any mention of consumable THC products that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has made it his mission this session to ban in the state. He also made no mention of the state’s abortion ban, which Patrick has said should be clarified to ensure doctors know when they can act in an emergency.

The pro-voucher folks went all in on Houston-area Rep. Gene Wu on Twitter today after Texas Democrats held an anti-voucher press conference.

Government schools. I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing that more and more, so be on the lookout for it and always correct them with “public schools.”

If you don’t know who Corey DeAngelis is, well, hold on to your hats. He has been a “school choice evangelist” and Christian political influencer for a while. But last October it came out that he’d done gay porn. October 2024 was a busy time for all of us, so I can understand if this news passed you by. Anyway, he’s still out there influencing and being virulently anti-gay after apologizing and blaming cancel culture.

Expect to see movement on SB2 this week, with the Senate likely to pass the bill. It’s in the House where things will be trickier.

Today Briscoe Cain introduced HB2342: relating to protection for a public school employee's use of terms consistent with biological sex. This would bar a school from firing teachers who insist on being shitty to trans and nonbinary kids.

Please contrast this reality with the story of Molly Carnes and her trans daughter, Ruby:

Given what a support our church has been throughout Ruby’s life, it’s absolutely infuriating to see Republicans in my own state twist our faith to argue that my child does not deserve rights. Christian lawmakers in Texas, members of my own religion, claim that trans people are sinful, bad, and broken, but that is anything but the truth. Trans people are a gift to the world. They show us how creative God can be, and they are the embodiment of a fundamental journey that every Christian must make. Each of us should ask: “Who has the Creator made me to be? What is the most true thing about me?” Trans people demonstrate for all of us how to be our most authentic selves in order to live the life for which we are destined, and Texas lawmakers would know that if they ever bothered to listen.

Unfortunately, if there’s one thing I know about Texas’s Republican lawmakers, it’s that they never bother to listen to anyone outside of their favorite steakhouse or golf course.