Fox News congressional analyst Chad Pergram is good. He knows the ins and outs of the Hill. And he also recognizes rank hypocrisy when he sees it.

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Pergram: The grounds surrounding the U.S. Capitol had only been open for a few days on Monday. So it was no surprise to see some tourists and locals crossing the East Front of the Capitol, taking in the building and asking a handful of TV news crews who they were staking out. The answer was U.S. senators en route to a vote.

“Look!” shrieked a teenage tourist wandering by, spotting a TV crew kit sprawled on the ground. “NBC News!”

“Is this the front or the back of the Capitol?” inquired one man. “My wife said to meet her at a restaurant at the front of the Capitol.” The answer is that there is no “back” to the Capitol. There are two fronts. One on the West Front stares down the National Mall. The other faces the Library of Congress and Supreme Court.

“Is this where they attacked the building?” asked another passerby. Yes. But a complete answer is that rioters attacked the entire Capitol on Jan. 6. And then, a tall man in a linen shirt ambled by. He looked around. Said hello. And continued on his way. The man returned a few moments later. Per usual, he asked what the TV news crews were doing there. And then the man identified himself.

“I’m one of the Texas legislators,” he announced. The man then dug into his pocket, unearthing his Texas legislator ID badge. Democrat Joe Deshotel of Port Arthur, Texas. Deshotel is a wanted man – in addition to many other Democrats from the Texas statehouse.  Texas legislators fled the Lone Star State to prevent the legislature from constituting a sufficient quorum to conduct business – let alone pass a new voting law. In a parliamentary version of Texas hold ‘em, the statehouse directed the sergeant-at-arms for the legislature to “send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused for the purpose of securing and maintaining their attendance, under warrant of arrest, if necessary.”

When the legislature issues such an arrest order the Texas Rangers (not the baseball team) and other law enforcement agencies can conceivably go anywhere, deep in the heart of Texas, to apprehend the lawmakers on the lam. But the long arm of the Texas law only reaches to the state line. Those authorities have no power outside of Texas. So, the Texas Democrats fled to a safe haven: Washington, D.C.

“We have no input,” groused Deshotel about the GOP voting bill. “We are to (Republicans) a warm body to make a quorum. They ask for nothing in our opinions. It’s like just ‘drop dead.’” Woody Allen famously declared that “90% of success in life is just showing up.” That other 10% must be not showing up to block a legislative assembly from conducting business. Most legislative assemblies, be that the U.S. House and Senate down to town councils require a “quorum” (frequently a majority of all members) to meet. If you can’t meet, you can’t pass bills or laws…

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The “cut and run” approach goes back to 1979. Twelve state senators went AWOL for a few days to prevent the state from altering the Texas primary system. Those legislators were known as “The Killer Bees.” Still, there’s irony in the tactics of Texas Democrats.

To wit: By jilting Austin in favor of Washington, the Texas Democrats exploited a loophole in the legislature’s quorum rules to stall the voting bill. Yet, when the lawmakers arrived on Capitol Hill, they implored Democratic U.S. senators to alter their procedures on the filibuster in order to pass a voting bill they support. Republicans found this to be a little rich – especially after Senate Democrats embraced the campaign by their Texas brethren. “The Democratic majority in the Senate is concerned about minority rights in the Texas state [legislature],” mused McConnell. “Live long enough and you’ll see anything around here.”