Democratic members of Texas’s legislature have absented themselves for votes on voting rights to deprive the body of a quorum (“smallest number of people who must be present at a meeting so that official decisions can be made.” Black’s Law Dictionary, 10th ed., 2014, p. 1446).

Texas GOP politicians were just as miffed as Democratic members of Oregon’s legislature when GOP members there walked out earlier this year. The GOP was angry in 2011 in Indiana when Democratic members... There seem to be two reasons for anger over walkouts.

(1) Legislators are paid to be there, but aren’t there. (2) Walkouts screw democracy. On (1), we should be told if there is an absentee policy for elected officials; e.g., Indiana’s legislators are part-time. From their work-product, I think we should encourage time off.

On (2), democratic principles are screwed by gerrymandering, filibusters and voter suppression. Each has been a tactic employed by both of the two “major” political parties. The GOP outrage today was that of Democrats before and GOP and so on.

We all should be outraged by this gamesmanship. Two not-for-profit corporations were formed by people (mostly? Nearly all? men) who were so smart they formed private clubs to dominate, and thereby screwed, our democratic system.

The irony is these walkouts occurred to block efforts to impair the rights of people (who would be inclined to vote against GOP candidates) to vote. You cannot defend the filibuster in the same breath as you condemn Democratic officials’ walkouts.