Jason BeetsThe latest article on my blog, Meticulous Musings, is a behemoth.
It's about twice as large as the longer articles on my blog.
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The article covers major votes in the US House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025.
I plan to post the article on Mastodon in a gigantic thread.
Given the length of the article, I will do so in several stages.
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If you find the article useful, or even mildly entertaining, consider donating to my Patreon.
The article took a lot of time, and effort, to write.
https://www.patreon.com/cw/MeticulousMusings
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South Texas has elected an idiosyncratic Democrat to the US House who supports El Salvador’s authoritarian leader and has voted against trans rights.
https://jasonbeets.blogspot.com/2026/02/vicente-gonzalez.html
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#Texas #Democrats #Elections #Politics #US #USA #USPol #USPolitics #House #USHouse
Vicente Gonzalez was first elected to the US House in 2016.
Gonzalez lives in the Rio Grande Valley, and he has represented the Texas 34th Congressional District since 2023.
https://gonzalez.house.gov/about
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In 2024, Gonzalez was reelected to the US House by 2.6%.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-texas-us-house-34.html
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According to Roll Call, Gonzalez was one of 13 House Democrats elected in 2024 in districts that voted for Trump.
https://rollcall.com/2025/01/22/democrats-house-trump-districts-midterm-elections/
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The Cook Political Report considers the House Race in TX-34 to be a tossup in 2026.
https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings
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Texas will hold its primary elections on Tuesday, March 3.
So next week, Texas Democrats will decide whether to choose Gonzalez to run as their party’s nominee in November’s general election.
https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/2026-state-primary-election-dates
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I disagree with some of Gonzalez’s positions, but I intend to consider his record fairly.
I will also discuss how Gonzalez has voted on key issues in Congress, from 2021 to the present.
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Section: Frontline Democrats
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Political pundits and news organizations on the center left often heap fawning praise on moderate Democrats in challenging frontline districts.
Often, this praise fails to include discussions about the votes in Congress these moderate Democrats have taken, which Democratic voters might disagree with.
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This article is primarily about Vicente Gonzalez, but I will also discuss problematic votes made by Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and Jared Golden.
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According to Roll Call, all five of these Democrats were elected in districts in 2024 that voted for Trump.
https://rollcall.com/2025/01/22/democrats-house-trump-districts-midterm-elections/
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All of these Democratic incumbents are running for reelection to the US House, with the exception of Jared Golden, according to the Cook Political Report.
https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings
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This article focuses on Gonzalez because:
1) His primary is only a week away.
2) He is a genuinely interesting politician.
3) It’s easier to focus on how one person voted on many important issues, than to focus on how several people voted on many important issues.
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I believe it’s important to celebrate Democrats who can win elections in challenging districts.
But I also believe it’s important to carefully examine the records of members of Congress.
In this thread, I hope to do both.
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This ongoing thread can be read as an article on my blog, Meticulous Musings.
https://jasonbeets.blogspot.com/2026/02/vicente-gonzalez.html
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#Politics #USPol #US #USA #AmericanPolitics #Texas #Democrats #Primary #Elections
Section: Supports Bukele
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In an interview with Politico, Vicente Gonzalez praised Nayib Bukele, the authoritarian leader of El Salvador.
“I think it’s undeniable what he’s done has been spectacular, in terms of bringing security to over 98% of the population that lived in turmoil for over a generation,” Gonzalez told Politico.
“He clean[ed] up the most dangerous country in the world and turn[ed] it into the safest in the hemisphere.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/05/29/bukele-trump-el-salvador-vicente-gonzalez-00363966
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Human Rights Watch has criticized the methods used by Bukele in his crackdown on gang violence.
https://www.hrw.org/americas/el-salvador
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El Salvador | Country Page | World | Human Rights Watch
Since taking office, the administration of President Nayib Bukele has launched an assault on democratic institutions, including by summarily replacing the attorney general and all the judges in the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber. In March 2022, pro-Bukele lawmakers adopted a state of emergency, suspending a range of constitutional rights in response to a peak in gang violence. Security forces arrested tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of children, and committed widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture and other ill-treatment of detainees. Dozens have died in prison. At the same time, authorities report a significant decrease in gang violence, including a drop in homicides. Severe restrictions on access to abortion, harassment and arbitrary criminal proceedings against journalists and civil society organizations, and poor accountability for human rights violations remain serious concerns.
“In March 2022, pro-Bukele lawmakers adopted a state of emergency, suspending a range of consitutional rights in response to a peak in gang violence,” HRW wrote on its profile on the state of human rights in El Salvador.
“Security forces arrested tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of children, and committed widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture and other ill-treatment of detainees.”
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The Guardian reported Vicente Gonzalez attended Bukele’s second inauguration in June 2024.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/27/vicente-gonzalez-el-salvador-nayib-bukele
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Gonzalez has co-chaired the El Salvador Caucus in the US House since July 2024, when it was created by Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.
https://luna.house.gov/elsalvador
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In his remarks announcing the creation of the El Salvador Caucus, Gaetz said its purpose will be, “to vindicate the choices that President Bukele has made.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__zhSUNvI0s
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'Prosperity On The March': Gaetz Praises El Salvador's Bukele For Rejecting 'Globalist Institutions'
"El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has converted El Salvador from the murder capital of the world, into a reliable and stable partner for peace and security for the United States of America,” Gaetz said during his remarks on the House floor.
"The El Salvador Caucus will exist to nurture and advance the US-El Salvador relationship, to encourage strong borders, strong culture, and the strong reforms President Bukele has put into effect.”
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I disapprove of Bukele’s human rights abuses and find it rather strange that Gonzalez, a Democratic Congressman, supports the authoritarian leader.
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This ongoing thread can be read as an article on my blog, Meticulous Musings.
https://jasonbeets.blogspot.com/2026/02/vicente-gonzalez.html
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Section: Votes against Trans Rights
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Vicente Gonzalez was one of only three House Democrats who voted in favor of a bill that would ban gender-affirming surgeries, hormone replacement therapy, and puberty-blocking medications, for transgender youth, nationwide.
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Late last year, Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), and Don Davis (NC-1) joined 213 Republicans to vote in favor of the legislation, which was introduced by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3492/text
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Ivan@jasonbeets "bringing security to over 98% of the population that lived in turmoil for over a generation" that's just curated propaganda for the little dictator, the issue before was being killed by gangs being an innocent, now the issue is being killed by the police being accused falsely of being a gang member, the killer just changed identity