You’ve probably read plenty about the indictment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton already—and I wouldn’t be offended if you’re sick of reading about it (I can sympathize). If you’re not, though, I’d like to refer you to my column in the next issue of Texas Monthly:
The people of Texas have no real recourse here, nor do we necessarily deserve one. Republican voters could have taken the trouble to educate themselves about the basic characters of the candidates on offer; again, several of Paxton’s transgressions were known before the election. If Texans, especially Republicans, don’t want an alleged felon for attorney general, they should keep that in mind next time before they nominate and elect one. Meanwhile, Democrats may be enjoying some schadenfreude at Paxton’s expense, but they too are partly responsible for his election. If Democrats competed effectively in statewide races, if Republicans had any fear that nominating someone like Paxton might lose them a general election, then we might have avoided this embarrassment. As for the Texans who don’t vote—well, their own behavior tells us that their preferences don’t matter.
The October issue of Texas Monthly will be arriving in mailboxes early next week, and available on newsstands starting on September 17.
