By Alan Bean

Is Greg Abbott the Attorney General of Texas or is he a flak for the National Rifle Association and the GOP?  He can’t be both.

If Abbott is Texas Attorney General (and in the picture to the left, he certainly looks the part) he represents and speaks for all Texans, not just those who voted for him.  His public rhetoric should reflect that fact.

But on Monday night, Abbott told a partisan crowd in Waco that a group of Democrats working to turn Texas blue is “far more dangerous” than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

It’s okay for the crowd to be partisan; but Abbott came to town as a representative of the state of Texas.  In theory, at least, he should be speaking for all Texans and to all Texans (unless an election in the offing).  Associating the state democrats with the crackpot leader of a failed state suggests that Texans are either Republicans or they’re the enemies of all that is good and decent.  This comes perilously close to denouncing the democratic system, in particular, and political pluralism in general. (more…)