On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted profiles of the current U.S. House Representative for Texas’ 17th District, Bill Flores, who we noted prior to reaching office in the 2010 Tea Party Wave, worked as an executive in the energy industry, including as a CEO of a fracking company, and another oil drilling company that he ran so well, it declared bankruptcy at a cost of $7.6 million to taxpayers. Flores has already shown us the depths of his hypocrisy, voting against disaster relief aid for victims for Hurricane Sandy, and then only a few months later, crying out for disaster relief for the man-made disaster of no oversight that caused an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas.
Flores was talking about impeaching President Obama for “violating the Constitution” in 2013 town halls, and alongside Louis Gohmert proposed legislation that would offer $1 million dollars to anyone who could provide information about IRS Commissioner Lois Lerner’s long deleted e-mails. Lastly, during riots in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, Bill Flores went on the Family Research Council’s “Wall Builders” show with Tony Perkins to explain the cause of civil unrest was actually… GAY MARRIAGE. Yeah, he said that. As well as putting out a press release after the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling calling it an “unfortunate display of judicial activism”.
On February 22nd, 2017, Bill Flores ditched his own town hall to meet with his consituents, citing “a scheduling conflict”, and left the good people of Texas’ 17th to hold the town hall with their representative in absentia. We’ll note that within a year, Rep. Flores has become so flippant in regards to his constituents that he’ll block them from his social media accounts for having the nerve to criticize him, at all. Any illusion that Flores has the interests of the people who elect him at heart should be dissolved by that fact.
Texas’ 17th Congressional District has a +13 Republican lean, which allowed Flores to coast to re-election in 2018 with 57% of the vote (note, he under-performed the partisan lean of his district by 6-7%). Thus, Bill Flores has returned to Congress to resume being a partisan s***:
- January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Flores also voted against HR 648, because he was gleefully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
- February 28th, 2019: Bill Flores votes against HR 1112, a bill which would have required universal background checks on all firearm purchases, and close the gun show loophole.
- March 14th, 2019: Rep. Flores votes against HJR 46, which sane members of Congress voted for to reject Donald Trump’s “national emergency” regarding the U.S. border and his attempts to reallocate funds for a border wall without Congressional approval.
- April 4th, 2019: Bill Flores is one of 158 Republicans who choose to vote against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely because they feel the 2nd Amendment remaining absolute is more important than preventing people with a history of domestic abuse from owning a firearm (which statistics show, makes them more likely to use those firearms against women in their lives).
- May 17th, 2019: Flores votes against The Equality Act, which would have prevented discrimination towards Americans based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
- June 4th, 2019: Rep. Flores votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
- July 16th, 2019: Bill Flores votes against a resolution to condemn Donald Trump for his racist statements that four people of color in Congress should “go back where they came from”.
Bill Flores has managed five terms in office, and we’re mercifully going to be spared a sixth, because he’s announced he’ll be retiring and not running for re-election in 2020. We would like to wish him the finest “GOOD RIDDANCE” salutes at this time.