Posted on 10/12/2013 7:53:13 PM PDT by ziravan
On the surface, Texas is one of the reddest of red, Republican states. Republicans control every statewide office. In fact, no Democrat has won a statewide office in nearly 20 years nor has Texas voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976. Republicans also control both houses by large majorities. The tradition of Texas being a Republican state seems secure enough that outgoing Governor Rick Perry bragged that “the University of Texas will change its colors to maroon and white before Texas goes purple, much less blue.” So, with all of this power locked up in Republican hands, does this mean that Texas Democrats have very little opportunity to accomplish anything?
The answer would be quite the opposite, and no, I am not talking about Wendy Davis’ filibuster. While it did accomplish one thing, showing how a yelling, screaming, heckling audience could paralyze Republican Senators and the Lt. Governor, it did not stop the law in question (HB 2) from being passed. However, Democrats in both the Texas House and Senate are very successful at getting laws passed and enacted.
(Excerpt) Read more at hardhatters.com ...
“The universities always opposed.”
A new law was indeed passed and some universities have changed their policy. In some, students may have their handguns in their car on campus.
Like cancer cells spreading to other organs, these highly motivated libturds will relocate to targeted blue states until they have sufficient numbers to shift it to purple then red.
You conservative/libertarians or just those who have read the Constitution in Texas and the other red states had better think about that.
I’m sure there are many fine Hispanics who are Republican, but they are greatly outnumbered by Hispanics who vote Democrat, both nationally and in Texas.
It’s great that the party’s state chairman (???) is Hispanic, but most Hispanic votes in Texas go to Democrats. Bush was a shameless, nauseating panderer, yet the best he ever did in his four statewide races was maybe break even. Obama easily carried the Lone Star Latino vote twice. And correct me if I’m wrong, but Democrats have won the Hispanic vote in Texas in pretty much every important statewide race over the last 20 years.
The GOP dominates Texas because it has consistently won over 70% of the white vote since the mid 90s. However, thanks to unending mass immigration, the day will soon come when this dominating share of the white vote will no longer guarantee victory. I don’t see Texas going the way of California so long as the white population remains conservative, but it’s not hard at all to imagine Texas becoming a battleground state.
River Hawk is right, mass immigration is bringing in ever more future Democrat votes. Most Hispanics hold liberal views on the issues that really matter, and therefore most are natural Democrats. There is no reason to think this can change while mass immigration continues. Either the GOP will end mass immigration, or mass immigration will end the GOP. Unfortunately, I think it is rapidly approaching the point of no return.
It wasn't quite that neat and sudden, for instance in 1976 Texas voted democrat for president. In 1968 after Johnson, Texas voted democrat for president.
Other offices took a long time to become republican, for instance in 1993 when the GOP took the other senate seat. Rick Perry himself worked on the Gore campaign and didn't switch parties until late 1989.
They used to live in Mexico. That’s why TX will turn Dem. California was once Republican ... Ronald Reagan. Now, it’s all Mexican.
You seem to have a thing about CA. But it should be a thing about Mexico. Mexico is changing the trajectory of the world by invading this great country.
How the heck can any state remain strong while being invaded by Mexico!
The bills will still have to be signed by Gov Rick Perry....and that dude is no conservative.
NAFTA Superhighway....In State Tuition for Illegal Aliens...Forced STD vaccination of little girls....Perry is no conservative.
Orwellian newspeak from 2000 election night. Our side is stupid enough to use willfully incorrect terminology instead of repudiating it. I’m constantly criticizing FReepers for calling Conservative/GOP states “Red.” Democrats are the RED party.
And that POS Timothy Wirth too.
The reason Austin is so blue, is that the city council is elected by the entire city. The new single member districts will change the makeup for the future. All the gray hairs and hippies in west Austin vote in every election. Same with the "where is my free stuff" voters east of IH 35.
The mayor will be the only member elected "at large" in the future. Most conservative voters have stayed home in past elections, since they knew their votes meant little or nothing. Last city election had just over 10% turnout.
Texas and California have always been totally different.
Texas has always been conservative and Christian.
California has never been strongly either of those, it was moderate/libertarian republican even when it was republican.
Texas has depth and layers that California never had, Texas fights for itself and it’s conservatism and intends to do what is needed to preserve that.
Thanks, I did not know about the at large elections.
Explains a lot of the insanity.
OK, it’s turning Blue anyway. You can’t stop Mexicans.
You can evangelize Mexican immigrants and educate them.
In 2004, Hispanics who were Protestant Christians voted 56% republican, even with Obama and his perfect storm in 2008, they voted 48% republican.
The current city council did not want single member districts, but there was enough backlash from the citizens. When you only have 10 or 15% deciding for the entire city, the libs and the ut students ruled the elections.
I appreciate your optimism, but Texas is already exhibiting California-style qualities.
- Texas’ school districts now combine for more debt than California’s. Texas school district debt = $64 billion. California = $47.9 billion.
-Texas’ state spending per person now exceeds California, including education. Texas total spending = $3,891/person. California = #3,819/person. Texas state education spending = $2,043/person. California = $1,345.
Do these stats seems conservative to you? Texas has been a victim of its own success. No one pays attention to state politics. We assume, that because everyone is a Republican, its all gum drop forests and unicorns. We have open primaries, so the Democrats just show up and vote for the most moderate candidates.
People need to wake up in Texas.
Post 51 accurately described deep, fundamental differences between Texas and California.
You can just make your own post about the imperfections of Texas (or any state) without trying to pretend that you are correcting something I said, because you aren’t.
The cheap labor lobby is very powerful in Texas. A few years ago they were trying to pass a sort of weak version of the Arizona law and a couple of cheap labor magnates shot it down.
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Sounds very believable. Sad, too.
Then why not do what we do in Washington, we put pressure on them the legislators that support him Tea Style?
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Good idea.
The difference, i suspect, here is that Straus’s power base consists of the Democrats in the House. With their support (paid for with political favors and RINO positions on the issues) makes him virtually untouchable by the Republican members, as I see it.
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