It's Official - Wendy Has Filed For Governor

A few weeks ago, State Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) said she would be running for the Democratic nomination for governor for next year's election. Now she has made that official by filing the necessary paperwork. Here is the note she sent to all her supporters last Saturday:

It’s official --

Today I filed my candidacy for Governor of Texas. It’s full steam ahead from now until next November.

I am running because we need to create quality jobs in Texas, improve education, and give our veterans the respect and care they deserve. I am running because the promise of Texas made it possible for me to go from a tiny trailer, to a successful business, to the state Senate. But today, that same story might not be possible. I want to ensure that every Texan has those same opportunities.

And our campaign is a story all its own. Not mine -- but yours.

It’s the story of Stephanie: “I'm a wife, a mother of two, and a graduate student who is also employed in my academic department. When I graduate I will have a burdensome student loan to pay off when I should be concerned about saving up for my children's college.”

And George: “I have been a carpenter my entire working career. I have become more and more disappointed in our elected officials over the last decade. I feel the working people have all but lost their voice.”

When we close the book on our campaign, I want its pages to be filled with stories from all Texans.

I want to hear your story, too. Click here to let us know what you’d like to share.

One young Texan sent us a story. I have to say, if our campaign was a book, this would be on the very first page -- “I cannot vote because I am too young, but I know that Wendy Davis will create a bright future for myself and my peers, along with future generations.”

That single sentence sums up exactly what we’re trying to do here. Except for one detail -- I can’t create a better Texas alone. We’ll create it together.

Thank you.

Wendy

Democrats Have A Real Chance In The 2014 Texas Governor Race

When State Senator Wendy Davis declared her candidacy for governor on the Democratic ticket a few weeks ago, the state Republican Party just laughed, and said their likely candidate (Attorney General Greg Abbott) would crush her in the statewide race. But it looks like their optimism may have been a bit premature.

First came a Texas Lyceum Poll. It showed Abbott had an 8 point lead (29% to 21%), but half of Texas voters said they didn't know yet who they might vote for in the governor race. That, along with some pretty impressive donations flowing into the Davis campaign, gave Democrats some confidence that they might actually have a shot at winning in 2014 (something they haven't been able to do for over 20 years now).

Now a new poll has been released, and it is a state poll that has been pretty accurate in the past in predicting just where the state's political dominoes will fall. It is the University of Texas / Texas Tribune Poll (conducted between October 18th and 22nd of 1,200 registered voters, with a margin of error of 2.83 points). And the UT/TT Poll, taken about a month after the Texas Lyceum Poll, shows a tighter race with only about 5% now separating the Republican and Democratic candidates (40% to 35%, with 5% supporting a Libertarian candidate and 20% undecided).

The poll gets really interesting when you look at the voter choice by political preference. It's no surprise that Republicans overwhelmingly support Abbott and Democrats overwhelmingly support Davis. But the Independents (the group that may well decide the eventual winner) is almost evenly split between the two candidates -- with 32% favoring Abbott and 31% supporting Davis, and the largest percentage of all (37%) still unsure which candidate to vote for.

The bottom chart shows why this race is getting tighter. It turns out that the favorability of the two candidates is almost identical. About 36% view Abbott favorably and 24% view him unfavorably. And 37% view Davis favorably while 24 view her unfavorably.

The upshot of all of this is that Abbott is not going to have it as easy as some originally thought. For the first time in many years, I think we may have a real race on our hands for governor -- and either candidate could win. It will be interesting to see how Abbott and Davis fare in the coming months, but Democrats should be encouraged by this new poll.

Poll Shows Democrats May Have A Real Opportunity In Texas In 2014

Attorney General Greg Abbott is the presumptive GOP nominee for governor in the 2014 election. And today, State Senator Wendy Davis is expected to announce she will be running for the Democratic nomination to that office.

The conventional wisdom has been recently that Abbott would easily defeat Davis in the general election. After all, Texas is a red state and Abbott has over $22 million in his campaign chest (while Davis has just over $1 million, so far). But a new poll shows that "conventional wisdom" may not be so wise after all.

It is the recently released annual Texas Lyceum Poll. They polled 1,000 Texans between September 6th and 20th (and the poll has a margin of error of 3.1 points). The survey showed that Abbott does have an 8-point lead over Davis at this time (29% to 21%), but he is still far from the percentage he would need to be elected. At least 50% of Texans have not made up their minds between those two candidates -- and that means Democrats may well have their best opportunity in a couple of decades to put one of their own in the governor's mansion.

It will not be easy. Abbott is a formidable candidate with a lot of money, and Texas still leans toward the GOP. But if the Democrats can properly fund Senator Davis and then work their tails off for her, she has a legitimate chance to win.

And that poll shows that may not be the only opportunity for Democrats. A huge section of the electorate still is undecided about which party to support in races for the U.S. Congress, and in races for the Texas House. The gerrymandering completed by Republicans in 2010 will probably save many of those races for them, but in close districts the Democrats could well pick up some seats.

Texas is not a blue state -- at least not yet. But it may not be as red as many think either. Texas could be well on its way to becoming a purple state -- a state where candidates from both parties have a good chance to win. It will be interesting to see what the polls show when we get closer to the 2014 election, but these early numbers should encourage Democrats.

Run Wendy, Run !

This graphic is from the Facebook page of Texas State Representative Lon Burnam. It is the campaign donations of State Senator Wendy Davis (who is considering a run for governor on the Democratic ticket in Texas) and Attorney General Greg Abbott (who is the leading Republican candidate for that job).

Just a cursory glance will tell you which candidate is the candidate of the rich monied interests. Davis got 49% of her donations from people donating less than $100, and only 18% from people donating more than $10,000. Abbott got only 1% of his donations from small donors giving less than $100, and 72% (nearly three out of four) of his donations came from people giving more than $10,000.

If you are rich, then Abbott is your candidate. But if you're not, then you would get much better representation from Wendy Davis being governor. There's a reason why so many rich donors support Abbott -- because he has a history of favoring the rich over ordinary citizens.

Political Dream Team

This is my idea of a political "Dream Team" -- four tough, smart, caring, Democratic women, who will put the needs of the people above the greed of corporations. We need to give Elizabeth Warren some help by sending Alison Grimes to the Senate, elect Wendy Davis to the governor's office in Texas, and put Hillary Clinton in the White House.

Donations Flow To Wendy For A Possible Run for Governor Of Texas

(Image is from the Facebook page of Senator Wendy R. Davis.)

It has only been a few weeks since State Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) did her filibuster to stop the GOP's anti-woman bill, but short time has been very lucrative for her future political career. The GOP finally rammed that anti-woman bill through the legislature, but that hasn't taken the luster off of the political appeal of Senator Davis -- and people are responding to her.

According to the Texas Tribune, contributions to Senator Davis totaled $933,000 -- and that was just in the two week period between June 17th and 30th. Counting the money left over from her 2012 campaign, that means she now has over $1,000,000 in the bank -- and the money is still coming in.

That's not enough for a gubernatorial run. The GOP favorite, Greg Abbott, has more than $20 million in his campaign chest -- and Davis will need a lot more money to make a legitimate run for statewide office. But it's still early. She has time to get the money together before the real campaign starts next year. And she doesn't need to equal Abbott's funding -- just get enough funding to to pay for a credible advertising campaign.

That, combined with the newly energized Democrats (who are ready to work their butts off for her) could give the Democratic Party it's best shot at the governor's mansion in twenty years. I'm starting to get a bit exited myself.

Could Wendy Davis Beat Rick Perry ?

(State Senator Wendy Davis addresses a crowd of supporters in Austin on July 1st.)

With her filibuster to kill the Republican anti-choice bill in the first legislative special session, she became a household name among Texas Democrats. She energized them, and immediately vaulted herself into contention for statewide office. Many Democrats, including state party chairman Hinajosa, have begun to call for her to run for governor. She hasn't yet said that she would do that, but she is the first candidate for Democrats in many years that has them excited, and willing to work their butts off.

The question, of course, is -- does Wendy Davis have a chance to actually beat Governor Perry, or is the idea of her candidacy for governor just a pipe dream, destined to fail (as Democratic statewide candidates have been doing for the last 20 years). The folks at Public Policy Polling decided to find out, and they took a survey of 500 Texas voters between June 28th and July 1st. The poll has a margin of error of 4.4 points. At first glance, the survey doesn't look real good for Senator Davis. Here are the numbers right now for a race against Perry:

Rick Perry...............53%
Wendy Davis..........39%
Unsure..........8%

That's a 14 point gap -- not good! But the race is not being held today, and there are some other questions in the survey that show Davis could possibly narrow that gap significantly. Take for instance, the favorability ratings of the candidates. The people of Texas know who Rick Perry is, and a majority of them don't like him very much. His approval rating is upside-down, with 45% approving of him and 50 disapproving (and 5% unsure). On the other hand, Wendy Davis has a 39% approval rating and only 29% disapproval rating, while 32% of respondents said they didn't know her well enough to say either way.

Since it is still quite a while until the next gubernatorial election, there is plenty of time for Davis to reach out to that 32%, and win them over. Why do I think she could win them over? For one thing, she is on the side of the public in the issues currently being discussed. Here are some interesting numbers:

DO YOU SUPPORT WENDY DAVIS' USE OF THE FILIBUSTER?
Support...............45%
Oppose...............40%
Unsure...............15%

DO YOU SUPPORT OR OPPOSE PERRY'S CALL FOR A SECOND SPECIAL SESSION?
Support...............43%
Oppose...............44%
Unsure...............13%

DO YOU SUPPORT OR OPPOSE SB 5 (THE BILL DAVID FILIBUSTERED)?
Support...............20%
Oppose...............28%
Unsure...............52%

SHOULD RICK PERRY RUN FOR ANOTHER TERM AS GOVERNOR?
Yes...............30%
No...............60%
Unsure...............10%

The fact is the public is very split over the current special selection, and many of them don't really understand what the issues being debated in it are about (because many of them haven't been paying attention to it). But another recent poll by the Texas Tribune has shown that a significant majority of Texans don't want more anti-choice laws -- but would like to see Roe v. Wade left just as it is.

Add to that the fact that Rick Perry is not a real popular governor, and most (even Republicans) don't want to see him run again. Then you have the energizing of the state's Democrats. They are more energized and willing to work than they have been since the governorship of Ann Richards. And then you have one final factor -- the continued growth of minority voters in Texas (especially Hispanics), and the fact that Democrats are currently making a concerted effort to register many more Hispanic voters (and that effort is for the first time in quite a while, a well-funded effort).

None of this means that Wendy Davis would have an easy time in unseating Rick Perry. It would be very difficult, and she very well could lose. But it wouldn't be by any 14 points, and there is a small chance that she could actually win -- a better chance than any Democrat has had in more than 20 years. She would need the help of an army of energized Democrats, and enough funding to run a credible campaign. She has the first, and I believe she could get the second.

I have to admit, for the first time in many years, I'm excited about the prospect of having a good candidate with a chance to win -- in spite of these early poll numbers.

A Sea Of Orange In Texas

A couple of weeks ago, the Democratic Party in Texas was a dispirited bunch. Although engaging in a new voter registration effort, many doubted how much good that would do in the near future. After all, it has been more than 20 years since a Democrat held a statewide elected office in Texas, and both houses of the state legislature are dominated by Republicans.

But last week that changed. When Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) took the senate floor ina special session to filibuster an odious GOP bill that would close down 37 of the 42 clinics in Texas that perform abortions, thousands were inspired as they watched a live feed of the filibuster (and saw Davis speak for over 10 hours). The Republicans were able to stop the filibuster by abusing senate rules, but other Democratic senators took up the fight and delayed a vote for nearly two hours, using parliamentary procedures. Then the crowd in the senate gallery, inspired by Davis and the other senate Democrats, took over and killed the bill by shouting & disrupting until time had run out (a very effective act of civil disobedience).

The result was that many thousands of Democrats were re-energized across the state. They experienced a hope for, and belief in, change that they hadn't had for years. Now, it would probably have been smart for Texas Republicans to accept this defeat and go home -- in the hope the energy of Democrats would die down before the next election. But right-wing teabaggers are more hard-headed they smart -- so Governor Perry decided to keep the issue alive by scheduling a new special session (which started on July 1st).

And Texas women and Democrats responded. They organized a demonstration for the opening day of the special session -- and thousands showed up in Austin wearing orange (the color chosen to display outrage over what the GOP is trying to do to Texas women), turning the capitol grounds into a sea of orange (see pictures above).

The Republicans are going to try and ram that odious bill through the legislature again -- and they might well succeed in doing that (since they have the numbers, and have already shown a willingness to abuse the legislative rules). But doing that will just make sure that the issue stays alive until the next election, and that Texas Democrats (and women) remain angry and energized.

There is already talk of Senator Davis running for governor in the next election, and that would be guaranteed to turn out Democrats (and many Independents) in larger numbers than in many years. I think Wendy Davis might actually have a chance to be elected, but even if she falls short, she could turn out enough voters to flip several Republican seats in the legislature and change the balance of political power in the state -- and that would be a very good thing (especially with demographics favoring the Democrats in the future, as minorities become the majority population in the state).

Even perennial candidate for governor (and political gadfly) Kinky Friedman seems ready to jump on board the "Wendy" bandwagon. He said:

People texted me last week about Wendy Davis, saying this is the most excited they’ve felt about politics in a long time. . .She’s the Joan of Arc of the Texas Democrats. . .For Democrats to win again, they need to show some courage and get back independent voters. She’s doing that.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/06/29/4972503/to-kinky-friedman-a-wendy-for.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/06/29/4972503/to-kinky-friedman-a-wendy-for.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/06/29/4972503/to-kinky-friedman-a-wendy-for.html#storylink=cpy

For the first time in over 20 years, the political winds of change are blowing in the state of Texas -- and it feels good. Democrats are energized, and once again ready to fight for control of the state -- and ready to end the right-wing insanity that has gripped the state for far too long.

"Wendy Shoes" Now Top-Seller On Amazon

The picture above is of the feet of Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) as she was doing her exciting and courageous filibuster to kill the odious anti-woman GOP bill in the Texas legislature. She knew it would not be easy, so she opted to wear comfortable shoes -- her Mizuno running shoes. Those shoes have now become a symbol for her political courage -- and they are flying off the shelves at Amazon.com. In fact, they have now become the best-selling shoe on Amazon. That tells me there were a lot of people inspired by Senator Davis the other night!

People have also been using the customer review section at Amazon to make some great (and hilarious) political statements. Go over and read them all for a good laugh. Here is a sample of those comments:

The next time you have to spend 13 hours on your feet without food, water or bathroom breaks, this is the shoe for you. Guaranteed to outrun patriarchy on race day.

An essential tool for running down the clock in a state 773 miles wide and 790 miles long! These shoes are perfect for those days when you must spend 13+ hours standing, not lean on your desk or take any breaks - even for meals or to use the bathroom. The snazzy hot pink color brings out your inner badassness and helps you to "humbly give voice to thousands of Texans" and stop a "raw abuse of power" in its tracks. Raise a feminist army and lead the charge when your competitors cheat and change the rules on you. These Mizuno's are built to protect your feet from mudslinging and add sunshine to the political process. Highly recommended for fierce women and anyone who's not a Greedy Old Prick (GOP).

I bought them in pink with green stripe. I will put them on my feet when I need to run far. When I am tired, I will ask myself: WWWD?! Then I will keep running.

When I first began wearing these shoes I thought my reproductive rights were secure. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. Luckily these shoes are really great for kicking republican legislators out of office! They want to shut down reproductive and health care facilities for the poor in Texas? Use these shoes to shut down the state capital!
These go perfectly with any back brace you may need after good old fashion filibusting for 9 hours (with 4 more to go). What's that? Your crappy mean spirited colleagues on the other side of the isle say it isn't fair? That's right ladies, this shoe is completely washable, so just shove it up their ass.
Most importantly, even if you wear these gems without sox for three days straight, they still smell better than a republican Lt Governor who tries to push a law through past midnight, which is absolutely and completely illegal. Yea, pretty stinky I know.

Do you believe in human rights? Do you think a women's health is a matter for her and her doctor and not for aged religious fundamentalists? Then these are the shoes for you! They will carry you through a marathon and a 13-hour filibuster necessary to protect women from the bigotry and religious intolerance in Texas. Highly recommended for progressive feet!

Sometimes you have to take off your adorable kitten heels and slip on your Mizuno Wave Riders. These are the perfect shoes for kicking Rick Perry's ass. Thanks, Mizuno!

Whether you're running for governor or standing up for women's rights, these shoes really fit the bill! Standing up for 11 hours straight in a room full of men who are telling what to do with your baby-maker is no easy task. Fortunately, the Mizuno Wave Riders are always up to the challenge. They are sturdy enough to kick behind, yet classy enough to look good while doing it. I endorse these shoes!

Perry Embarrasses Himself Again (Oops)

 A few days ago, State Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) stood up for women's rights in Texas by filibustering a Republican bill that would have closed 37 out of 42 clinics in the state that perform abortion procedures.

In doing that, she embarrassed both Lt. Gov. Dewhurst and the GOP senators -- who tried to pull every sneaky trick in the book to stop her. They failed, because the Democratic senators and the Crowd in the capitol gallery took up Davis' fight when it looked like her filibuster might fail because of the underhanded tricks of the GOP. Time ran out on the GOP bill, and it died.

Not being smart enough to let sleeping dogs lie, Rick Perry decided he would take up the fight against Senator Davis. And as usual, he took the low road by trying to humiliate Davis instead of trying to engage her on an intellectual level (which he probably couldn't do anyway). He brought up the fact that she had been a single teen mother, and said she evidently had learned nothing from that experience.

Well, he probably should limit himself to arguing with those on his intellectual level (although I admit there are not many politicians on that low a level outside of Perry's own party). Senator Davis (who has a degree from Texas Christian University and a law degree from Harvard University) wasn't about to take Perry's insults. She responded:

"Rick Perry's statement is without dignity and tarnishes the high office he holds. They are small words that reflect a dark and negative point of view. 

Our governor should reflect our Texas values. Sadly, Gov. Perry fails that test."

And then she went on to respond to Perry's calling a new special session to try once again to pass the odious anti-choice bill:

"Misplaced priorities of legislative leaders squandered a tremendous opportunity to make much needed improvements in our transportation infrastructure and help create good jobs and bring businesses to Texas. Despite urging by responsible members of the Senate to bring up the matter of transportation, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst derailed as much as much as $1 billion per year in transportation funding by stubbornly pushing divisive, failed legislation attacking women's health care options. 

If leaders are serious about using this second called special session to improve the lives of Texans by repairing and expanding our transportation networks, they will find no greater ally than me. If they intend to keep pushing their extreme personal political agenda ahead of the interests of Texas families, I will not back off of my duty to fight on their behalf. "

Two New Political Stars And A Raucous Crowd Combine To Defeat GOP's Insidious Attack On Choice In Texas

Texas Democrats have been a dispirited bunch for a long time now. It has been more than twenty years since a Democrat held statewide office, and prospects for the future seemed dim because there were really no politicians in the party with true statewide appeal. That changed dramatically on Tuesday night, when a couple of female State Senators put themselves in the limelight to stop an odious anti-choice bill that would have closed 37 out of 42 clinics in the state that do abortion procedures -- and in the process they inspired and renewed thousands of Democrats across the state.

The new Texas political stars are Sen. Wendy Davis and Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (both are pictured in the top picture). Davis got the ball rolling by declaring she would filibuster the bill (which had to be approved by midnight, when the session ended, or it would die). She got the floor about 11:15am and began her filibuster -- and then she held the floor for over 10 hours. She was helped by the other 11 Democratic senators who lobbed her "softball" questions to keep her filibuster growing, but the real work of the filibuster was on her capable shoulders -- and she performed admirably.

With only a couple of hours to go before midnight, the Republican majority was able to stop her by claiming for the third time that she was not being germane to the bill with her discourse. It was not true, but truth or rules have never been very important to Texas Republicans. The the other 11 Democratic senators stepped forward with a barrage of parliamentary maneuvers (points of order, parliamentary questions, etc.).

One of the most prominent of these senators who sprang to the defense of Se. Davis was Sen. Van de Putte. And with only about 15 minutes until midnight, she challenges the senate president by demanding to know "At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over her male colleagues". The crowd in the gallery began to applaud her, and that applause turned into more than twenty minutes of shouting and applauding that delayed a vote on the GOP bill.

With time running out, the GOP tried to hold their vote -- but as Democratic senators pointed out the vote was not finished before midnight, and by Texas law, the session was over at midnight. This caused a big mess -- as Republicans claimed the bill was passed since the vote started before midnight, and the Democrats claimed the bill was dead since the vote was not finished before midnight. And the official senate record backed Democrats, showing the bill was passed on 6/26 and not on 6/25 as required. The Republicans then tried to fix that by illegally altering the senate record (see below).

The top picture shows the original senate lot, and the bottom shows the log after being altered by Republicans. The senators then argued among themselves for a while -- and about 3am the Republicans backed down and admitted the bill had been passed after midnight, which means the bill was DEAD.

The governor may call another special session and get the bill passed (even if they have to lock the public out and do it in secret). But for right now, the bill is dead. And the Republicans did nothing good for their image, since their shenanigans were observed by hundreds of thousands of Texans and other Americans. I watched the proceedings on the Texas Tribune's live YouTube feed. More than 182,000 people watched on that feed, but that was just a portion of those watching the proceedings, since there were approximately 199 other live feeds -- not to mention all the traffic on social media like Twitter and Facebook.

And while the Republicans were humiliated, thousands of Texas Democrats (and others) were energized -- and Sen. Wendy Davis and Sen. Leticia Van de Putte were able to increase their political capital immensely. They are now both credible candidates for statewide office. And combined with the new statewide Democratic effort to register new voters, this means Democratic prospects in Texas are brighter than they have been in many years.

To put it bluntly, it was a great night for Texas Democrats and a terrible night for Texas Republicans.

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NOTE -- Yesterday, the teabagger governor of Texas said he was calling a second special session of the Texas legislature. Three issues are on the agenda -- transportation funding and juvenile justice (both of which died in the last session because Republicans wasted the whole 30-day session trying to shut down the state's abortion clinics), and of course, the same old anti-choice legislation that was filibustered to death in that first session. He seems determined to keep the issue alive, and give Democrats something to make sure their supporters remain energized and engaged.

Arson At FW Democrat's Office

Is this what the state of politics is devolving into in Texas these days? If you can't vote someone out of office, you try to burn them out? The picture above shows the front door of the office of State Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth). About 4:00pm on Tuesday, someone set fire to the outside door of the Democrat's office, probably with a Molotov cocktail. The senator called it a "homemade explosive device".

It could have been even worse if the fire hadn't been quickly discovered. Instead of just arson, it could have resulted in arson and murder -- because there were two workers in the office when the fire was set. Fortunately, they heard the device hit and one of them quickly put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.

The arson is being investigated by the Fort Worth Fire and Police Departments, and they are being aided in that investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety (State Troopers -- who investigate any attack on a state official). I hope they are able to quickly apprehend this criminal (or criminals) and deal out a severe punishment.This is not a political act, but a criminal act.

But it may well have been a criminal act based on some political beliefs. Davis has been a thorn in the side of right-wing Republicans since being elected. She opposed their deep cuts to Texas' already poorly funded schools, and she has strongly defended women's health and Planned Parenthood. She also took the state to court when the Republican legislature tried to gerrymander her district to prevent her re-election (and she won).

I don't think Republican officials had anything to do with this crime, but their over-the-top political rhetoric could well have persuaded some right-wing teabagging nut-job to do it. This is the kind of thing that can happen when you label political opponents as "enemies" of the state or country.

Ultrasound Bill Passes Texas Senate

Two-bit Rush Limbaugh wanna-be, Dan Patrick, is still trying to become the culture war hero of the ultra-right, and he's willing to throw Texas women under the bus to do it. He's now decided that Texas women need his guidance, since they are obviously too stupid to make their own decisions about their own bodies.

In this legislative session, Sen. Patrick (R-Houston) authored a bill which would require a doctor to force any woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound, view that ultrasound and listen to the fetal heartbeat. Fortunately even the Republican-dominated Texas Senate is not that cruel.

The bill was blocked, largely due to the efforts of Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth), the Texas Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Patrick then scaled back the bill. He would still force the women to have the ultrasound, but they could now refuse to look at it. The doctors still objected. They said this would violate a woman's right to refuse an unnecessary medical treatment.

Patrick obviously cared nothing about the rights of Texas women, but it was clear the bill could not be passed, so he changed it again. He had to get something passed to keep his ultra-right supporters happy. The third version of the bill just says a doctor must offer an ultrasound to any women asking about an abortion, but the woman has the right to refuse it.

Patrick claims he is just trying to protect women's health. Nonsense! The bill has nothing to do with protecting the health of women. As Sen. Davis says, the bill is just "about shaming a woman" who faces a tough and very emotional decision. Other say even this weakest version of the bill is about bullying women.

The bill was finally passed in the Senate, so I guess Patrick gets his pyrrhic victory. Fortunately, Sen. Davis (pictured) and the doctors were able to make sure the bill is toothless.