no, we don't. we have been living under minority rule my whole life. the r's have been gaming things in their favor since the dawn of time because they know ultimately their policies are not popular. we're looking at things through a current lens, but historians will will see this for what it is - one party completely capitulating and selling its soul for power to the worst and most abhorrent members of society. whatever bullshit they have pulled since Richards (I dunno, I was a kid at the time and I'm not keen to brush up on Texas history that I lived through) it has worked. but clearly they are doing this because they realize it won't last. they have to keep gaming the system (read: cheat) to maintain power. they've done it my whole life, this is just one of countless examples and a pretty extreme one, but anyone paying attention for any length of time should not be surprised by this