Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.
Gov. Greg Abbott wants Texans to believe he’s discovered the affordability crisis.
After more than a decade presiding over a governorship all about catering to the state’s deepest-pocketed donors, Abbott spent last week rolling out a flurry of proposals under a new “Keep Texas Affordable” banner.
He’d have us believe he wants to cap the cost of inhalers and epinephrine at $25, create cheaper health insurance options for small businesses, loosen local housing regulations and make it easier for homeowners to build additions onto their property.
On paper, some of those ideas have merit. It’s hard to argue with lower drug prices, and economists across the political spectrum have long called for housing reform.
However, the timing is pure assclown.
For years, Abbott has built his political brand around border security, culture-war clown shows and bragging about just how friendly Texas is to big business. Meanwhile, the state has earned a litany of less flattering distinctions: the nation’s highest uninsured rate, soaring home prices, rising insurance costs and a persistent affordability crisis that’s still squeezing working families.
Critics have repeatedly urged the Republican governor to tackle those issues, but he’s shown considerably more eagerness to bully transgender Texans, demonize immigrants and lean hard into the MAGA agenda.
Now, as Abbott faces an increasingly competitive reelection campaign, affordability has suddenly become the new centerpiece of his agenda.
That ain’t coincidence, folks. It’s politics.
Recent polling suggests Abbott faces a more difficult midterm environment than the comfortable victories he and his handlers have come to expect. Cost of living has eclipsed immigration and crime as one of voters’ top concerns nationwide, making affordability the issue no statewide candidate can afford to ignore.
However, voters also have long memories. And many are smart enough to understand that any politician who only discovers their economic pain less than 100 days before the election never gave a wet shit about them in the first place.
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