The story should have been the substance of the bill, which would have required every abortion clinic in Texas to upgrade to an ambulatory care center - the practical result of which would have been to shut down every single one of them.
But the story turned out to be the mass chaos perpetrated by an angry mob - shouting so loudly that no one was even sure what was happening on the floor of the Texas state senate - while a Democrat senator named Wendy Davis staged a 10-hour filibuster that was labeled "courageous" for some reason.
By the end of the night, no one was sure if the 19-10 vote that was finally taken in favor of the bill would count, because it had to take place before midnight as that was the end of the legislative session.
Now, by morning, it's clear that the vote did not happen in time and the bill is dead.
Congratulations, Democrats. We know your priorities. Let someone propose a bill that limits the power of unions, you'll take your entire caucus to a hotel across the state line for weeks to keep it from passing.
Let someone propose a bill restricting abortion, you'll stage a near-riot.
Oh, and guess what had the attention last night of a certain Democrat from outside Texas:
Whatever.
You all know my thoughts on abortion politics, but that doesn't mean Democrats deserve a pass for nonsense like this. They know who butters their bread, and they know their marching orders: Protect the killers of babies at all costs, no matter what you have to do. Even if they have to pull this crap.
There is some thought that Gov. Rick Perry may call another legislative session, and there is lots of hand-wringing among the bill's supporters to the effect that GOP senate leaders blew it by waiting until the last minute to call the vote. Personally, I can't get past the fact that baby-killing is such a high priority to the Democratic Party that they are willing to resort to such measures to keep it legal. But even worse is the fact that a majority of the American public still agrees with them, which takes me back to my question about whether votes like this - even if they pass - really make any difference at all.
