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- [00:00]
A
What's happening in Texas right now will have national consequences and it is extremely important that we keep an eye on it. I'm Cameron Caskey from Bulwark. I'm joined today by Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons from the Texas State Legislature to talk about it. How are you?
- [00:15]
B
You know what? I'm doing well, all things considered, it's a, it's a pretty stressful time, but, you know, hanging in there. How are you?
- [00:22]
A
I'm okay. I was talking to someone from Texas State House and I guess I had not realized just how bad the flood situation still was in Texas because the media has kind of turned away from it and started to focus on other things, like Donald Trump writing friendly letters to Jeffrey Epstein. But can you give me an update on what's happening right now?
- [00:44]
B
Yeah, you know what, I totally get that it's no shortage of bad news, but unfortunately there was massive devastation that happened incurred in Kerr County. We lost children, we lost people. And right now I think the efforts are just very focused on trying to get people back to maybe not even a sense of normalcy, but how to clean up, try to help people put the pieces back together. And so as much as these things are natural occurring, they're acts of God. Every single time we have one of these major floods or storms, regardless of where it happens in Texas, this is typically what you see in the aftermath is lots of, lots of people impacted. And unfortunately, it's going to be a little bit before, you know, people are able to get things all the way back together. It's a very serious situation.
- [01:38]
A
Well, from what I understand, there's also still over 100 people missing. And there have been a lot of conversations about how politically we can prevent future disasters like this from occurring and what exactly can't be done by the government to protect people who are in areas that are at risk of flooding like this. And some folks rush to say that we can't politicize events like this, but when, you know, when policy impacts people's lives, we have to take a look at what exactly that policy means. And one of the things that I learned was that the Texas state legislature only convenes for like six months once every other year.
- [02:19]
B
Yeah, it's, it's. So as a person, a lifelong Texan and who's a person who's organized outside of building, I currently serve within the building. It's still mind blowing that a state as large as Texas, you know, the. If we were our own country, we'd be, you know, eight largest GDP. And to know that, you know, for 30 million people, we only meet on a biennium for 140 days. That's the, that's the session to try to conduct the state's business and you know, in an efficient way. It's. Yeah, it's, trust me, it's wild being on the inside of it. It's.
- [02:55]
A
In even numbered years, the state legislature doesn't even meet. That seems so redundant and weird. And apparently it's just because. It's just sort of because. And because like in the 1800s, it took a while to get to Austin or something like that.
- [03:10]
B
Yep, that's kind of what it is. It's the, you know, you gotta think I'm in Houston, I'm what, two and a half hours out in a car. But think about where there's a time where you're riding a horse. Imagine being the state rep from El Paso who has to, you know, travel by horse to Austin. Just it's a, you know, it's a relic from aforementioned gone past. But I think the other piece of it is us as state representatives. And I can kind of understand this rationale, maybe back then doesn't work as well now, is that we should be closer to our constituents. You know what I mean? We're not in D.C. we're not in Congress. And having us as part time legislators, giving us a year or so to be back with our constituents, I think was some of the rationale behind designing a part time legislature. Now fast forward to now. We're a very large state and there's so many things that are happening yearly that we should be able to kind of work on. It is a little bit frustrating. And then when you understand kind of the way things work in the legislature, so, you know, we don't go in on the very first day with committee assignments. So there's all of these other procedural aspects that really, when you think about it, kind of shrink that 140 days.
- [04:19]
A
So I definitely want to talk about the gerrymander wars because that is such a serious issue and something that I think has more national consequences than people might understand. But before we get into that, my question for you is like, so, you know, from an outsider's perspective, somebody who lives in New York City and has been in Florida for the past couple weeks, my thought would be that the Texas government would be immediately meeting to focus on nothing else in the entire world except for floods. I learned that there were, I believe, 12 different pieces of legislation that Democrats were going to be introducing to address floods and flood prevention that were all killed by Republicans in the state. So you'd figure that the state would come together and see what can be done as quickly as possible. But it's my understanding now that the special session that Governor Abbott is called is also going to be focusing on trans bathroom bans and some other kind of culture wars trumpy stuff that has nothing to do with the floods at all.
- [05:27]
B
So, Cam, I can totally understand why, as normal human being with compassion, that would be confusing for you, unfortunately. You know, as a person who's. Who's been in Texas and has been in the legislature for the short time that I've been in it, but being around it and adjacent to it, it's not that surprising. Disappointing. Yes. Do I find it awful? Absolutely. But there's very little that shocks me now. And to know that in my mind initially, when we received the charge, we'd have to return on July 21, once that flood happened and we were just kind of all focused on rescue efforts, trying to help people kind of put their lives back together and people around the state wanting to know what we can do to help. I thought that the governor would probably say, you know what, maybe let's push back for a week or two so the representatives who are local to that area can kind of help figure some things out if some of you all want to go help. Just thinking about the people who are impacted. And so when that didn't happen, I said, okay, surely when we go, the highest priority is going to be addressing issues that obviously we know we cannot prevent storms. But the things that happen in the aftermath, when people are not made whole, when people are not made safe, and when there are lives that are lost, those are policy concerns and we shouldn't focus on that policy and we're just not.
- [06:55]
A
Yeah. And I feel like it's just so hard to talk to people, myself included, by the way, I don't understand any of this about state level government and local government. So people around the country would probably be outraged to see that the state of Texas is talking about it's like an abortion pills ban, trans bathroom ban, and of course redistricting. They would be furious that that's what was being discussed after the floods. But since it's the state legislature, I feel like the average American's attention span can barely even focus on the house. So going to the state house is just too many details for everybody. They're just assuming things are good. But so there was going to. Correct me if I'm wrong. We knew there was going to be some sort of special session. Then the floods happen. And then three days after that, Pam Bondi sends the governor a letter saying that the districts have been drawn illegally and they're actually racist. These are all, of course, minority coalition districts, mostly black and brown people in big cities. And then the special session gets announced and the agenda is announced. And there's some stuff that sounds a lot like it was sent directly by Donald Trump because he's concerned about losing, losing the House in the midterms. Do we think that these new redistricting plans that the Republicans are announcing are just part of the Trump agenda? Or do you think Governor Abbott is just suddenly super concerned about racism?
- [08:25]
B
You know what? If I had to. Had to guess, you know, maybe the governor just said, you know what? We got to make sure these districts are equitable and good for black and brown.
- [08:33]
A
Yeah, exactly.
- [08:33]
B
Yes.
- [08:34]
A
That's Greg Abbott.
- [08:35]
B
That's Greg Abbott for you. The. The compassionate conservative, right? Absolutely not. I don't think for one second that is a primary concern for him. What I do feel in my heart is that their king, Donald Trump, gave them an order. And at some point, we stop our state leadership. State leadership stopped thinking about that yellow flag that they love so much that says don't tread on me, and decided we actually like getting treaded on. And it's not just me as a Democrat who thinks this is ridiculous. As a Texan, and I'm one of those arrogant Texans, I'm sandy cheeks from SpongeBob. I'm wearing the big old cowboots boy boots. I'mma argue with you and tell you everything is bigger and better in Texas. And so for us, for me, just to kind of see this type of just, you know, rolling over and showing your belly to get a pat on the head from the president. It bothers me. Like, it really does. It's like we're not. That's like something. I don't know. You know, I'm be a little shady, but I feel like, you know, they can do that in Florida or Oklahoma. This is Texas.
- [09:38]
A
Well, listen, you're not going to catch me defending the state of Florida. Even before Florida became Ron DeSantis Florida, I was still done with that place. I was good. Even, even blue Florida, I didn't like. So you can imagine how I feel about red Florida. But for me, it's just like, so Trump wants to get five new house seats out of Texas. Whether or not he can actually get five isn't really the problem. The problem is that if Texas is able to get away with this Redistricting, other states will follow. How do you feel seeing Gavin? I love myself. I'm the greatest person of all time. I'm so great. I need to be on TV all day, Newsom, talking about redistricting wars and talking about blue states doing it as well. Because I see that and I'm like, yeah, that's kind of the only option at this point.
- [10:26]
B
You know what? I think sometimes we have to fight fire with fire. You know, these are very different times. This is not the Republican Party of, you know, George H.W. bush. It's not even the really the Republican Party of George W. Bush, to be honest. You know, there were some things we used to think were egregious. Remember when the Patriot act seemed like the most invasive, awful thing that the government can do? And then we fast forward to the Trump years and it's just like we're kind of stomping and trampling all over the Constitution. But it's like, what do we do? Because we can't just lay down and roll over. I think we're going to see something stupid happen here in Texas. And what we're about to try to do is kind of silly, right? You know, the governor's trying to help the president basically steal our democracy by finding seats. But in a way, you think about, how does that work? Like, when you really think about, like drawing maps, we're not talking about like land that doesn't vote. We're talking about people. And so in my mind, I'm like, this is mid decade redistricting. That means you've just done this, what, five years ago and you built gerrymandered districts to your liking as much as Democrats fought to maintain some seats and do things like that, to try to bring some equity to it. We're in a Republican controlled state. So whatever maps that passed absolutely had their stamp of approval. And so now we're coming in five years later and the President is saying, I need more seats. And you're going to go in and try to manipulate something that you've already manipulated. In a way, in my mind, it makes me feel like that may backfire. Because where do you get new Republicans from? Where do you pull them from? Where do you put them if you're going to, you know, reconfigure these districts? And yes, this is absolutely awful for us. I have congressional district 9 and 18 in my House district, a district that two districts that they want to combine, historically black districts. Removing our voice. But I also feel like in a way this, this, this could probably probably.
- [12:23]
A
Backfire on them because the demographics shift so rapidly in Texas. Right. Like, isn't the population just moving around so much that even if they did something like that, it might end up. It could have, like, a reverse effect.
- [12:36]
B
You know, that's just. That's what I'm thinking. And I was like. And maybe y' all have some, you know, some. Some different statistics. But from what I know, the growth that's happening in this state is minority communities. Black and brown people are the ones who are moving to this state. We are. It's. That's where the growth is. And so, you know, not to say that we all vote the same in our monolith, but you're trying to do something where it just. It's like you're really trying to pull blood from a stone. Where are these other people going to come from? And in a way, you're going to. They potentially are going to weaken some of their own districts and, you know, hopefully to their detriment. I don't want to see this happen, and I don't think this is something that's good for our state. But at the other. On the other side of it, I really hope that there are some negative consequences for them.
- [13:18]
A
Totally. I mean, if it's going to happen, might as well let it blow up in their face and have unintended consequences, especially to send a message to other states that maybe this is a bad idea. But, you know, I. I think there's kind of an obvious call to action here, which is call your representatives and tell them it's time to start kind of doing some redistricting wars around the country. Start, because we don't need to be nice. Like you said, it's just not there. It's not any sort of Republican party that's ever going to follow any rules like they are. They threw away the rule book, they burnt it, they shat on it. It's gone. So we need to start actually acting like an opposition party, but just as a member of state House. Is there anything you guys are actually capable of doing to oppose something like this? Or is this just something where Abbott gets to wave a magic wand?
- [14:10]
B
So what the hard part of. Of, you know, kind of having to come to terms with being in the minority party is that what you realize is you're essentially going to work to play defense and defense at all costs. So many issues that we face are things that are gonna do irreparable harm and reshape the composition of our state in a way that's not good. For people on one end, in my opinion. We're small, but we punch above our weight class. But sometimes the math is just the math. And this is why I'm always so adamant about we have to win. We have to win because once we are in that chamber and it's bad bill, bad bill, bad bill coming down the pipeline, the options we have in front of us are pretty limited and dire and drastic in a lot of ways. You know, I'm a labor organizer in this state, so I carry and I operate under a level of delusion that's just probably not realistic, you know, in comparison to some of my colleagues. But I just always feel like it's not over till it's over. But at the very same time, we're in a very tight position. The Republicans do not have a super majority, but it's 88 of them versus 62 of us. You need 76 or for the most part votes for something to pass. And so that, that always puts us at a disadvantage. They are going to always toe the party line. The day of the voucher vote they got the call from Donald Trump that they needed to vote yes and ignore the will of their constituents. And they did, overwhelmingly.
- [15:40]
A
So it's so weird. And you notice that these are a lot of the politicians that also try to avoid talking to their constituents the most. I mean the amount of Republicans who are having town halls at this point is so embarrassing and anti Democratic and all that. But we know this. Looking at something like that and just looking at the how many seats there are for Democrats in your state house, I when I hear people talk about how certain states like Texas and Florida are lost causes, I get sort of annoyed because I think that it becomes this self fulfilling prophecy where if you act like a state can't be won, of course it can't be won. You're not trying. But what's your take on blue Texas? Because I think after Beto o' Rourke almost won that race or at least came pretty damn close, I feel like it's not an insane concept. It's just I don't understand what a Democrat in Texas would have to run on in order to win. Do you think it's possible at all?
- [16:38]
B
I absolutely think it's possible. And I know that we are going to flip this state in my lifetime. I'm betting on that. I'm banking on that. I think the problem, and it's kind of what we always tell people, Texas is not really a red state as much as it's a non voting state. If you look at the amount of registered voters, if you key in on the amount of registered Democrats that don't actually vote, we're up in the millions. Right. And some of these elections are lost by very, very slim margins. And so that lets you know, especially with cities like Houston and Austin and Dallas that are kind of these really pretty strong Democratic strongholds. The people are here. And it's because the things that we run on and whether or not we do a great job communicating that are things that matter for working people. The stuff that we're talking about, raising the minimum wage, expanding healthcare access, are things that I think resonate with most people. And so when you look at our state government and you look at the bills that were filed in the bills that were signed into law, we spend a lot of time doing things that are just regardless of your religion or ideology, are not things that are focused on the needs of Texans. So I absolutely know that we can win. I talk about how our pathway to getting 14 seats all the time because I want to be able to not have to play so much defense the way that we're playing now. But I want to be able to go to the legislature. I want to be able to go to session and think about the possibility of ensuring that all of my constituents have access to fresh food and good public schools that are fully funded in health care. And so I have to believe and I have to keep fighting for that type of future.
- [18:16]
A
Yeah. And I feel like when average Democrats, especially in the consulting class of Democrats who gave the Harris campaign possibly the worst advice I might have ever seen in politics, a lot of them would think that if it was possible for a Democrat to win in a state like Texas, it would need to be a moderate. That's the big word that they love to use state like Texas, you need someone who's a moderate. And for me it's just, I think that moderate has kind of become this word that means person who can appeal to the median voter. But I think a lot of the like platforms that someone can win a state like that on are platforms that are considered progressive. Like maybe they need to be pro gun and like post some pictures them hunting or some stuff like that. But I don't know how much that is a moderate thing versus like, you know, like catering to who your voters are. But I feel like progressive policies, especially in regards to things like health care, are going to go over better in Texas than something that is considered more moderate and trepidatious. What's your take on that?
- [19:23]
B
Well, when you think about what people are faced with and you have conversations with them. Yeah, affordability is always going to come up. Is that progressive? Is that conservative? No, it's a people centered idea. It's something that I think sometimes, and this is me coming as you know, I still consider myself an outsider, even though I'm an elected official. Is that when I'm talking to people and organizing and trying to get people to understand that the reason you're. You're not getting paid enough is because some CEO billionaire at the top is making all the money while you're doing all the work. And that directly impacts the neighborhoods you live in based on what you can afford, the school your kids go to. We're having the same conversations. And what I would hope is that when there is some real investment, and that's part of it, too, the lack of investment, national investment in Texas politics, it reflects that. But I hope that when people are deciding to send us money and help us win elections, that they're also listening to us and having understanding that people in East Texas, rural East Texas, love their public schools, and so they. And that's what they want to see funded. People in Houston love our public schools. We want to see those funded. There are things that we can agree on. We know that you shouldn't have to die in poverty. We understand that if you live in a neighborhood and you go to work every day, that you should be able to, you know, go to a grocery store down the street. Those are very common sense things that people are faced with. And so I think, you know, for me, I. It's. I. I understand that these are progressive policies, but these are just policies that work. And when you have those conversations with people, it resonates, it makes sense.
- [20:59]
A
It's also just like a lot of stuff gets called progressive that you can break down, and it's like, not even that left wing. It's like, you know, running on affordability and stuff like that. People are immediately going to say is a progressive thing, and it's like, okay, but you want to run on. It's actually super cheap to be alive right now. But with the time we have left, I do want to ask you about the Astros, because I have some thoughts about the Astros right now.
- [21:25]
B
But beforehand, your thoughts about the Astros. Hold on now. I need. I need to hear that.
- [21:30]
A
I think that the Astros are definitely a very big threat to my team, the Milwaukee Brewers. Don't ask me why. That's my team. It just happens to be my team. But I. I said they're a threat. I don't think they're gonna. I don't think they were. Are gonna beat us in the World Series, but they're a threat.
- [21:46]
B
So I wanna push back on that. You know, just with some facts. I think that the Astros are absolutely going to beat your team. And I'm sorry, but I'm also curious, and I know we may not have a lot of time left, but can we just get a little bit of that background about why that is your team? I mean, you live in New York. You got the Yankees. You're from Florida. I mean, you. You had some. Some pretty solid squads to pick from, and you went, you know, okay, well.
- [22:10]
A
The brewers are number three in the National League right now, so it's a pretty solid squad. I used to work at a movie production company, and a colleague of mine is very, very deeply tied to the brewers administration, and when he and I started working on a TV project together, we were so excited about the project that we started talking shop too much. And, like, we were friends. So I said, this is one of those situations where, you know, mom wants to watch a reality show, dad wants to watch True Crime, so they both watch each other's show so they could sit on the couch together and have a nice night. I said, you know what? Because we're focused on this TV project, I'm going to get super into the Milwaukee brewers, so we can also talk about that. And then I just got addicted, because that's baseball, baby. But, look, it's a good time to be an Astros fan. I'm not knocking the teeth.
- [23:04]
B
I'm proud to be an Astros fan.
- [23:05]
A
You guys aren't the Cubs. You're an honorable organization. But just in regards to the Houston of it all, I did want to ask. Your shirt that you are wearing right now is from a community organization.
- [23:18]
B
So. No, it's actually one of the civic clubs in my house district. So this is Sunnyside Civic Club, the official Sunnyside Civic Club. Sunnyside is a historic black neighborhood over on the eastern side of my district, and I love all of my civic clubs and neighborhoods, you know, equally, but I had not had a chance to rock their shirt. And so we had a bunch of events in the city today, and I wanted to make sure that I was, you know, showing some love to my constituents in the community, so I got my Sunny side shirt on today.
- [23:49]
A
With civic clubs, do you ever have to deal with crazy parents the way that school boards do? Because I see those videos coming out of school board meetings of, like, the moms For Liberty type parents freaking out. It's like, do you have crazy?
- [24:01]
B
So I'm laughing because. So I'm not on the Moms for Liberty side, but I am a mom that did have a crazy school meeting.
- [24:09]
A
Video you popped off in a school board meeting.
- [24:12]
B
So. Okay, just a little backstory. So HISD Houston ISD is the largest school district in our state. It has been taken over by the state and it should not have been. And I did not agree with that. And so we had a superintendent that was installed by the state of Texas, basically kind of one of the Governor Abbott's puppets. And I went to a meeting. I didn't like what I was hearing. I gave him a piece of my mind. Someone recorded it, they put it on TikTok and it went viral. It was everywhere. And so like I said, not Moms for Liberty very much standing up for my community. That was losing their democratic right because we didn't just lose the control of our district, we lost our represents, our elected, elected school board, trustees. There's a board of managers that don't really answer to us. They've been appointed by the state as well. And so I was trying to really explain to the group and give him a piece of my mind that we were losing our rights essentially. And so just saying all that to say not all moms who are going crazy in school meetings are miles from Liberty.
- [25:14]
A
Listen, I hope to one day never have to be a father going crazy in a school board meeting. But if I must, I will. I have done my own fair share of losing my temper a little bit in public. And that's called democracy.
- [25:29]
B
How about. And show people? Because, you know, we say politics is a combat sport and I absolutely agree with that. Because when it comes to people's rights, when it comes to allocation of resources. Yeah, sometimes you gotta get a little, you gotta put your mean face on and let people know you're not playing with them.
- [25:47]
A
Rep. Laura Ashley Simmons, one more question for you. Since while we have an older skewing audience, we are trying to expand into the Zoomer world. Who is your favorite zoomer artist right now?
- [25:59]
B
Oh, okay. Oh, that's, that's tough. And let me tell you, I'm an elder millennial. I'm gonna be 38 in October. I'm up there, but I have. So I have an 18 year old son and a 10 year old daughter. Oh, gosh, this is hard. And I'm only gonna say this because my daughter, my daughter really likes Billie Eilish and Olivia, is it Olivia Rodrigo Are they? Yes.
- [26:29]
A
Billie Eilish, Olivia, Rodrigo, both.
- [26:31]
B
Yes. I sound like such an old woman, but my. I, I'm aware of them because my daughter enjoys them and so we listen.
- [26:40]
A
But that's the caviar of Zoomer artists. She's got good taste. And what is your. What is the 18 year old son listening to?
- [26:47]
B
So he listens to everything. So a couple of years ago he wanted a vinyl player for Christmas. So of course, you know, as a good, you know, mom, I have to make sure that he has exposure to a wide variety. So right now he's into Tyler, the creator, but he has like Osley Brothers albums. He has some Michael Jackson albums. He had like a Louisvon and Selena. It was like a 25th anniversary like gift set. So we have that. So he listens to pretty much everything. He's a really cool, kind of quirky kid.
- [27:16]
A
Sounds like it. That's. He's got some range.
- [27:18]
B
My God, it's very impressive. I'm always impressed.
- [27:21]
A
Were you like, I don't, I'm not that good at pre 2000 music. But 38, does that make you like a Blink 182 girly or like, so.
- [27:31]
B
I'll, you know, I'm from Houston, I'm from the South. So, you know, we were listening to a lot of Destiny's Child. Um, I was, you know, Nelly was really big at one point. You know, you, you probably just know him as maybe Ashanti's husband and baby's daddy, but you know, he had, he had some hits. Lil Wayne, of course. Yeah. You know, Weezy. And I'm talking about not like young money. I'm talking about like pre young money, cash money. Like I don't know if you're familiar with juvenile and you know, back that. I don't know if I can cuss back that thing up.
- [28:02]
A
I mean, I pretty much have only listened to musical theater since I was 9 years old.
- [28:10]
B
So you gotta do some wrecks then you gotta, you gotta put me on to, you know, some, some musical theater. And I'm gonna put you on to some early.
- [28:17]
A
We have so many fucking theater kids in politics. Way too many, way too many theater kids in news broadcast. It is such a toxic infestation. And I can tell you as a recovering theater kid, we need more children doing the arts, but we need less theater kids. I don't know how exactly that works, but, you know, you're the politician, so try and figure that out.
- [28:41]
B
You know, I can't knock theater kids too much. My son was a stage background stage managing for the production of the Tech Kids.
- [28:48]
A
Tech kids are cool.
- [28:51]
B
Medium. We get more tech kids.
- [28:53]
A
Techies, yes. We love techies. Techies lean, very progressive in their politics. Don't ask me why it's a thing. You could check Twitter. But anyway, Rep. Simmons, thank you so much for joining me on this lovely weekend. Everybody, call your representatives, tell them to do redistricting wars and fight the Republicans the way that they're fighting. With that. Thanks so much for joining. We will see you all soon.
- [29:16]
B
Thank you for having me. Yes, if you're in Texas, call your reps coming to Austin. Fight real hard. So thank you so much and we'll.
- [29:22]
A
See what happens with the Astros. Maybe we'll see you in the World Series, maybe not.
- [29:26]
B
I. I'm pretty sure you will. I'm sure of it. I'm betting.
- [29:28]
A
See you there. Bye, everyone.