"If Tom DéLay gets his way, he'll pick up five or six to seven or eight seats, which will significantly solidify the Republican hold on the House of Representatives, perhaps for decades."
So important that, as usual, the Rethuglicans trample the rules to get the job done:
Redistricting ... normally occurs only once a decade, after the census. Texas redrew its congressional districts in 2001, but in the 2002 elections the GOP won major gains in the legislature, giving Republicans the sway to go back to the redistricting map and try for more.
Why? Because they can. The last time the Texas Thugs tried this maneuver, the Killer D's (Texas Democrats) thwarted DéLay by leaving the state to prevent a quorum. That's when the Texas Thugs, aided by national Thugs, politicized the Department of Homeland Security by using it to try to find out where the Democrats were.
That tactic won't work this time, since Thug Governor Perry called a special session. Bottom line is that the Democrats need to hold three State Senators to win: Eddie Lucio Jr., Kenneth L. Armbrister, and Frank L. Madla.
The Big Dog was right. All politics is turning national. Perspective from The Times here.