Performative culture war puppeteering is not solving our problems.
Opinion By Dr. Glenn Rogers
Just when we thought political theater and disinformation had peaked and we were looking longingly to the end of this vicious campaign season, a suspicious mailer landed in Republicans’ mailboxes on the eve of early voting. The sender was listed as the Texas Transgender Student Union. The mailer targeted “students of” the families addressed and directed them on how to emancipate themselves from their parents and transition away from their biological sex.
At the time of writing this column, there is no verification of precisely who masterminded and distributed the pamphlet, but the organization named in the pamphlet says it is not responsible, and it’s widely believed to have been sent by Republican operatives. The final determination of the individuals and groups involved in the creation, funding and distribution will hopefully be forthcoming, but likely after votes are counted.
The arrival of this mailer had the desired effect: immediate social media outrage and a visceral reaction, intensified by the targeting of innocent children. In a highly competitive political environment, chock full of misinformation, this undoubtedly ranks No.1 in the arena of disgusting tricks.
Weaponization of the trans issue is not confined to attacks on Democratic candidates. When convenient, attacks on fellow Republicans have been implemented, gladly funded by Texas oligarchs Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks.
In the 87th Texas Legislature, Dr. Tom Oliverson, chair of the House Insurance Committee, authored a bill, HB 18, to create a prescription drug savings program to serve uninsured and under-insured citizens with lower cost prescriptions for insulin and cancer drugs. Rep. Bryan Slaton, bankrolled by Wilks and Dunn-funded PACs, offered a performative amendment to “ban puberty blockers” from the program. Every representative who voted against Slaton’s amendment was slammed by groups and linked to the propaganda mouthpiece Texas Scorecard for supporting “gender modification.”
The truth, however, was that the medicine Slaton sought to ban from the program was a life-saving drug used by prostate cancer patients. Oliverson said on the House floor, “So essentially, if you’re voting for this amendment, you’re voting against prostate cancer treatment. It’s kind of a no-win deal. I’m frustrated that [Slaton’s] decided that this is a great opportunity to sort of blow up what is otherwise a good work product.”
Many of my Republican colleagues voted for Slaton’s amendment, even though we had another bill in committee (HB 1399 by Matt Krause, which I co-authored) that would have ended gender transitioning for minors. Compliant Republican legislators acquiesced in the House “fear chamber” to keep Dunn and his merry band of miscreants off their backs. Ever since that vote, accusations of my support for child gender modification have persisted, never mind the truth.
For the past several years, megadonors, now including Elon Musk, have funneled millions of dollars through PACs, candidate accounts and political organizations to influence Texas elections. In a climate where political kingmakers reign supreme, every elected official or candidate is either under attack or controlled. There is no middle ground.
The theocratic oligarchs rule by fear, financial support or both. Their weapons of choice are deception and distraction. Take the transgender issue. For years, operatives and puppet politicians have used the transgender issue to lie about representatives they cannot control and to turn voters against them.
After previously donating $12 million to Gov. Greg Abbott, helping to fund his scorched earth attack on anti-voucher rural Republicans, Jeff Yass has continued to donate to Republicans in Texas. The largesse has recently included $3 million for a PAC heavily used by House Speaker Dustin Burrows in his effort to protect the Republican majority that passed school vouchers this past session. Recall that it was their vote for school vouchers that earned almost every Republican House member the endorsement of President Donald Trump last year. By ramming vouchers through, they made Trump, Abbott and Yass incredibly happy.
Recently, Musk donated $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund which then sent almost the same amount to Texas PAC. The Texas PAC has subsequently sent seemingly endless mailers in support of Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign. Many of the advertisements again play up the transgender issue. Is it an attempt to distract voters with culture wars so that they overlook serious issues like funding public schools, regulating data centers and fighting corruption?
Billionaires and a trillionaire can spend unlimited amounts of money in these elections, and the Supreme Court let them do it in the Citizens United decision. Paxton recently praised that ruling, saying that super PACs saved him in this race. Yet then privately, from leaked audio, Paxton complained that he has no control over his campaign and that the folks in Washington were controlling the message. Paxton’s leaked audio provides further proof that he is a puppet — just what the megadonors ordered.
Politicians in Texas have spent too much time ignoring the voices of everyday Texans. Too many politicians fear the elite donor class more than they fear the voters. As a result, constituents are left with nobody to fight for them in Austin or Washington.
It is time we voted for leaders who live by the words of historical Texas heroes Sam Houston, “Do right and risk the consequences,” and David Crockett, “Wear no man’s collar.” As true Texans, we should put preservation of our constitutional republic over rigid party loyalty. Politicians who do not listen to “We the people” but rather only answer to the men behind the curtain threaten the representative government our founders fought so hard to pass on to us.
Many Republican Party activists demand we come together and get behind the candidates with an “R” next to their names no matter what. They have told us the time for family fights was during the primary election, the general election is the time for unity.
My response to them is this: The time to preserve our cherished constitutional republic does not end in March, or May or even November. The time to protect and defend this great republic is always now.
“This column originally appeared in The Dallas Morning News where Glenn Rogers is a contributing columnist.”
