The now-famous Wendy Davis, whose filibuster the other night successfully stopped a conservative, anti-women bill from being passed in Texas’ senate knew perfectly well that her efforts would be overcome, sooner or later, by Texas’ governor and conservatives in the legislature.

The abortion bill whose defeat shook the Texas Capitol this week has been revived.

The day after Democrats brought down the bill in one of the most climactic — and heavily publicized — days of the state Legislature in recent memory, Gov. Rick Perry announced another special session to take up the controversial legislation, which would impose some of the strictest abortion regulations in the country. …Texas Tribune

Wendy Davis’ future is looking very much brighter, though.

As The Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty and the Tribune’s Morgan Smith reported Wednesday, Davis acknowledged that Democrats wouldn’t likely be able to block the legislation in another special session.

“Obviously, if he brings that back again and the management in the Capitol on both sides manages time better than they did when we started this past special session, that bill will pass,” Davis said.

But inevitably, much of the Davis coverage focused on her political future, which many considered bright even before her filibuster. …Texas Tribune

She has set her sights on the governor’s job. Maybe even in 2014. That could be a lot harder than standing on her feet for a dozen hours, talking, “not leaning on anything” and being kept from taking bathroom breaks.

“Joel Burns, who succeeded her on the Fort Worth City Council … disclosed that Davis was equipped with a catheter, but nixed an offer of a continuous IV drip. No food or water is permitted during filibusters, and the rules were made even tighter on Tuesday, he claimed, saying she was deprived of the customary hard candy and ice chips. At one point, there were moves to confiscate a stack of letters from women as a ‘fire hazard,’ but the effort was dropped, said Burns.” …Fort Worth Star-Telegram, via Texas Tribune

In the end, though, Texas Republicans — already facing a Democratic resurgence — have been weakened further by Davis’ impact on Texas voters.
“We now have a Wendy Davis problem,” Republican political consultant Matt Mackowiak, who has faulted Republican leaders in the Legislature for Tuesday’s events, told the Houston Chronicle. “We created an unbelievable opportunity to launch a first-tier Democrat.” …Texas Tribune

Cross-posted from Prairie Weather

Posted on June 27, 2013 at 06:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)