(The above video is a compilation clip of two programs)
Texas trade associations are furious with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's PR stunt vehicle inspections at the Mexican border, which are having a damaging effect on the US economy.
On Tucker Carlson's show Thursday evening, Abbott claimed he was putting up blockades at all the ports of entry into Texas from Mexico to stop drug and human trafficking, but it's an obvious political stunt so he can claim to run for re-election on border security. Maybe he should have focused on the Texas power grid as much as he does immigration.
Abbott told Tucker Carlson his job was to "put the cartels out of business." How is he going to do that by inspecting vehicles?
"Make them lose money, " Abbott said. It's nutty that he doesn't care how much money Texans and the country at large are losing because of his antics. Narcissism rules the GOP.
It's just another PR stunt by a Republican governor that is hurting the entire US economy.
AG "loopy eye" Paxton called the move "genius" to Maria Bartiromo this morning on Fox Business.
“The governor has figured out we can stop trade along the border, slow it down, and it will create pressure on Mexico and some of their governors to work out a deal to help us with border security,” Paxton crowed.
Eric Kleefeld remarks, "Just blatantly unconstitutional."
CBS News reports, "The Texas Trucking Association, which has endorsed Abbott, said that the current situation 'cannot be sustained.'"
John Esparza, the association's president, said he agrees with attempts to find a remedy with Mexico's governors. But he said if talks take long, congestion could overwhelm bridges where inspections by Texas are no longer being done. "The longer that goes, the more the impact is felt across the country," Esparza said. " It is like when a disaster strikes."
What has the Texas governor accomplished so far?
As of Monday, the agency said it had inspected more than 3,400 commercial vehicles and placed more than 800 "out of service" for violations that included defective brakes, tires and lighting. It made no mention of whether the inspections turned up migrants or drugs.
To make believe his geek show is working, Abbott claims to be coming to agreements with Mexican governors, calling the so-called "agreements" border actions "Memoranda of understanding." Foreign policy is conducted at the federal level, so this is all just preening for the cameras, really.
See, Gov. Abbott is striking "understandings."
That's real progress. What a f**king joke.
How will Abbott police these agreements with another country?
He never will or have the power to do so.
Abbott is running his reelection campaign through Fox News and his xenophobic supporters.
But if Texas loses their electrical power through a massive cold front again and residents are stuck with no power for a week, Abbott's response will be, "at least he got some cars off the road that needed a lube job."
Meanwhile he is actually making inflation worse and causing a food shortage in the United States, both of which he wants to blame on Joe Biden.
Don't let him.
UPDATE: OOPS, it looks like Abbott's stunt backfired!!
