Texas CSE Wonders: Where are the Chicken Ds?

This month, Texas Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) stormed the State Capitol to demand that the 53 Democratic legislators who packed their bags and left the state get back to work. The “Chicken Ds” abdicated their jobs in an effort to block state House Republicans from sending any legislation to Senate this session. Under state law, there must a quorum, or 100 of 150 legislators, on the floor before any business can be conducted. With the deadline for sending bills to the Senate looming, Texas CSE activists rallied to urge the Chicken Ds to return to the jobs they were elected to do.

“They are supposed to do the people’s business,” said Peggy Venable, director of Texas CSE, in a story about the walkout that appeared in The Los Angeles Times. “Instead they are taking a vacation at the taxpayers expense. They are acting like truant schoolchildren.

“Democrats don’t seem to know how to be in the minority. It is time they grew up.”

Texas CSE organized a rally at the Capitol with nine other organizations, at which they demanded that the Chicken Ds end the walkout, which blocked more than 200 bills in the Texas House. Venable carried a calculator, to demonstrate the estimated $700 million the walkout cost Texas taxpayers, and a clock, to show that time for action on Texas Freedom Agenda items was running out.

By far the most entertaining and effective piece of CSE grassroots theater was CSE activist Maggie Seebaldt’s performance as a “Chicken D.” Photos of Maggie appeared in The Washington Post and USA Today, as well as smaller dailies across the state. It is likely to be the photo that will be remembered when people think of the Democrats walking out on their legislative duties. Besides The Los Angeles Times, Venable was quoted in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and CSE’s efforts were also mentioned on the local Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC news broadcasts, as well as on KIXL radio.