From 2005-2020, now-retired Austin Chronicle News Editor Michael King wrote about city and state politics from a progressive perspective in his weekly column, “Point Austin.” We’re pleased to bring back his column whenever he’s inspired to tackle the state we’re in.
In case any of y’all haven’t noticed, the Donald Trump Regime, manned by a thousand reactionary zealots, is in the process of imposing militarized authoritarian rule, beginning with the national Capital and soon to be moving to a location nearer you. Here in Texas, the Republican Party, responding to Trump’s demand for more “entitlements” in the state’s already gerry-rigged congressional delegation, has re-redrawn the congressional map to shove five more districts into likely GOP configuration. The national Trumpist goal is permanent unitary Republican government: Project 2025 without end.
Keep that in mind as you consider the local political kerfuffle over which of our incumbent Democratic congresspersons should succeed to the only Central Texas congressional district that our state Republican masters have deigned to allow to remain in Democratic hands. Should our next Congressman be now venerable incumbent Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who has served his constituents and the country energetically and honorably for more than 30 years? Or should it be relative newcomer Rep. Greg Casar, who was a firebrand City Council member and is now an energetic and effective member of Congress?
What should a good Democrat do?
If you’ve been following the story, you know that a preliminary decision has already been made. After hesitating for a few days, Doggett announced that if the new maps are sustained through the courts – likely, but not certain – he will stand aside and leave the redrawn, Austin-anchored District 37 to Casar, who declined Doggett’s recommendation for him to run in the new San Antonio-anchored District 35. In response, Casar praised Doggett, audibly younger to elder: “Lloyd Doggett is an Austin institution. I’ve learned so much from him. I’m grateful to him.”
(Politics is undoubtedly hardball. But curiously, there has been no published indication that the two men ever just sat down together and tried to talk this out for at least a publicly amicable solution.)
All well and good, I suppose, and in keeping with the simmering notion that at 78, it was time for Doggett to accept his extremely well-earned retirement. A Chronicle op-ed from prominent local Democrats – former state Sen. Wendy Davis is the headline name – noted Doggett’s age and bluntly asked him to “pass the torch to protect the progressive movement’s future.” Even The Washington Post weighed in, also citing Doggett’s age, and noting that he had been the first congressional Democrat to call for an aging President Joe Biden to step aside. (Neither story nor op-ed acknowledged how that decision turned out.)
Other online critics recklessly played a different card, charging Doggett with effectively blocking (by running for office) other Latinos – Gonzalo Barrientos, Eddie Rodriguez – from higher office. Things were definitely going to get nasty, and Doggett could no doubt see it coming.
At the Aug. 16 Fight the Trump Takeover Rally (at the Capitol), Doggett himself touched indirectly on the tension. He pleaded that we need every generation in the fight against Trumpism, citing as somewhat dubious examples both Bernie Sanders (84 next month) and Dolores Huerta (95). With many younger activists complaining (with considerable merit) that the national Democratic Party leadership is not just old, but too often failing to meet our currently extreme political emergency, Doggett’s argument would not be an easy one to campaign on. Later on, Casar delivered a fiery but fairly standard stump speech, not directly referring to the awkward conflict with Doggett at all. Si se puede! was quite enough.
So be it. If it becomes necessary, Doggett says he will step aside and leave the Austin congressional field to Casar. I don’t know if that’s the right solution, but on Doggett’s part it is certainly an honorable one. I do, however, want to note that while the Republican Party is ruthlessly imposing its tyrannical will not only on the electoral map, but on the country at large, in what looks increasingly like a fascist coup, we have here another instance of Democrats fighting over the remaining political scraps – or in this case, scrap. If the current plan works out successfully for Casar, Central Texas Democrats will be left with one representative in Congress instead of two.
Doggett and his family have previously moved several times when the GOP attempted to draw him out of Congress, in wildly distorted districts. It was not unreasonable for him to suggest that this time, maybe Casar could give it a try. It’s also not unreasonable for Casar to decline, even if the result is precisely the Republican goal of diminishing Democratic representation.
By November of 2026, if the country is not under implicit or explicit martial law, if the congressional elections indeed occur and are not ruthlessly unfree and unfair, if the U.S. Supreme Court imposes any legal limits at all on the Trump presidency and its many unconstitutional, illegal, and corrupt actions – perhaps that will all work out.
Maybe Austin voters can send Casar back to Congress, and the Progressive Caucus can issue a great many spirited and stern press releases.
In the meantime, I’m going to recall Lloyd Doggett’s decades of fighting against imperial wars, in support of national health care (in all its gritty, excruciating detail), in defense of the environment in Texas and nationally, against both the Republican Party and when necessary, his own Democratic colleagues, and always on behalf of all his Austin and Travis County constituents – tirelessly, effectively, and always honorably. Doggett’s will be very big shoes to fill.
Now can we return to fighting fascism?