The Junk-Legislation War of Attrition

In states in which the GOP controls the entire legislative, executive, and often judicial branches of government, generating and preserving bullshit laws (and case law) is effectively free. Given the present composition and disposition of the US Supreme Court, that advantage rises to the highest level of judicial review in the U.S.

Defeating those laws costs money. It also causes very real pain and dislocation.

It's a form of political-economic warfare.

Florida's obvious First-Amendment free-speech violating gag law is one example. In another case, Texas passed a law requiring companies doing business with the state to maintain a politically neutral (at best) stance on gun control. Anti-abortion laws targeting the poor and minorities (the Confederacy rises again) a third.

I've been starting to think how blue states might consider responding to this. All-out legislative warfare seems suboptimal, but may be the best available option.

There's been some action along these lines, including curtailing any state-sponsored travel (at the state level), or companies (often entertainment and sports franchises) boycotting states with highly-oppressive legislation.

The US constitution itself limits states' capabilities in some regards, though there might be options for action here, and again, where Democrats control the entire governmental apparatus, this might be a lower-cost option for response.

Targeting both GOP-dominated states and significant funding and enabling concerns behind the GOP might be options ehre.

#Spitballing #USPol #ArtOfWar #WarOfAttrition #MoreMoneyThanGod