Castro brothers predict Texas will turn to “blue” state soon

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Houston Chronicle

Castro brothers predict Texas will turn to “blue” state soon
Sunday, January 20, 2013

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and his brother, Rep. Joaquin Castro, see a lot of blue sky in Texas’ future.
Very blue.

The twin brothers predicted to a national TV audience Sunday that Republicans will lose their iron grip on Texas _ that within two presidential election cycles, the currently “red” state will shift from a GOP stronghold to being dominated by Democrats.

On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the prominent Texas Democrats also said that President Barack Obama and Congress should tackle the economy, education, immigration reform and gun laws this year.

“It’s changing. It’s going to become a “purple state” then a “blue state” because of the demographics, because of the population from folks coming from outside Texas,” Julian Castro said.


Read more: http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2013/01/castro-brothers-predict-texas-will-turn-to-blue-state-soon/#7376-6

[narnian60]

1. Hopefully in my lifetime!

[illegaloperation]

61. It needs investments.

Democrats will have to invest time, effort, and money to turn Texas blue.

And that means NOT to underestimate the time and money it takes. Texas may not go blue until 2024 (by a more conservative estimate) or 2020 (by more moderate estimate) and it will be a very expensive project.

Of cause the payoff is worth the cost; just don't lose hope.

[RedstDem]

2. If they're right

I hope we can get the democratic party cleaned out of dino's quick...

[JimDandy]

4. Yes, that will be a Texas-sized challenge! n/t

[yurbud]

13. I'll stop telling people THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE is a documentary.

[okaawhatever]

30. +1000

[yurbud]

48. I didn't even feel that way until I saw a FRONTLINE episode interviewing Texas judges about DNA

proving prisoners were falsely convicted.

they seemed more narrow-minded, dim-witted, and cruel than the average lynch mob member.

after I saw it,I was afraid to even visit Texas and I'm WHITE.

[freshwest]

3. Yay! I love the twins and their story. They're the future of Texas

[Voice for Peace]

24. I think you're right, something special going on with those brothers.

[fleur-de-lisa]

5. I sincerely hope so!

[DollarBillHines]

6. Didn't Obama win all of the metropolitan areas?

Once the elderly, fundie rural crazies die off, Texas will be indigo.

[illegaloperation]

60. Almost.

Fort Worth is still red.

[SWTORFanatic]

7. It will happen, but I'd say 2028 at the earliest for it to be

a swing state or "leans blue"

I am worried that fundies will infect the north though, to get away from those "gosh darn mexicans"

[Voice for Peace]

25. a couple of years ago,

would you have expected gay marriage to become almost
mainstream, or pot to be getting almost legal? I would have
said, maybe in a generation those things could come to pass.
But not this fast.. and yet..

The good stuff seems to be accelerating.

[Rozlee]

8. The Castros are the perfect foils to prevent George P. Bush and Marco Rubio

from gaining footholds in Texas. We Hispanics voted strongly against Ted Cruz, but unfortunately, our low voter turnout and redistricting have kept Republicans in power. Hispanic youth, though, seems more galvanized. I don't know if the Castro twins are being overly optimistic about Texas turning blue in two more presidential election cycles. But, I sincerely believe it will turn a tipping point purple by then. What's more likely is that by that time, Arizona will be bright blue. Even in Florida, Obama came within 3 points of winning the Cuban-American vote, thanks mostly in part to their youth vote and Florida attempts to keep minorities from the polls. If Rethugs lose Texas, it may be the K-T event that makes them go the way of the dinosaurs.

[graham4anything]

9. and in 2020, led by both of them gerrymander it back

(that is why I am not in a rush to ban gerrymandering at this point.
We need to get it back like it was in LBJ's day.

the irony is how the new demographics will win back what racism took away througout the south.

there won't be a major state red in just a few years.
(another reason not to change the electoral vote system.)

[Comrade_McKenzie]

28. Absolutely. The electoral college is just fine the way it is. nt

[harmonicon]

34. Do you not understand how fucked up that logic is?

Gerrymandering is the ONLY reason that Republicans have control over the house. You want to keep it because.... "fuck you, that's why!" I don't get it. The non-partisan drawing of district maps should be at the absolute top of the Democratic Party platform.

[Loki]

10. I lived in the Houston area for almost 15 years.

Nothing would make me happier than to see Texas turn Blue and Tom Delay in jail. Yeehaw.

[samsingh]

11. kick

[ballaratocker]

12. I remember reading a book called 'The Right Nation' around 2004 and

it told the tale of a Texas state Republican assemblyman who predicted back in the '50's that the GOP would be the party of the future. People laughed at him then.

[Skittles]

19. they might be in power

but the Greedy Old Pig party will ALWAYS be the party of the past

[cstanleytech]

14. Does it matter?

I mean if you look at the history of the south the party in charge might change names but in the end its often it seems like its the same circle of people in charge.

[Ash_F]

50. There has definitely been an upswing of progressive ideals in the past decade

It's more than just labels. As an anecdote, a couple worker's rights groups are getting established here in Dallas this year. There were none previously. Down in San Antonio, mayor Castro is one of the more progressive Texas mayors we have seen.

[cstanleytech]

51. Well I will believe it when or I should say if it happens as I have alot of doubts

that the state will swing from conservative to progressive regardless of party label.

[ReRe]

15. Well...

I and former Texas House member Henry Gonzalez (rest his sweet sweet patriotic soul), hope the Castro Brothers are correct. Only thing, is I think it will be sooner! Go Texas Democrats!!!

[Initech]

16. Please please please please please please....

[Kennah]

17. In time, yes I believe it will come to pass.

There are some purple states that will turn blue before Texas goes purple.

[Thinkingabout]

18. I can see tbe state turning Blue, we have a large latino population growing everyday

Rick Perry was a Democrat at one time and Texas has been a proud Blue state in the recent past.

[okaawhatever]

31. If Perry was a democrat then he must have had the Big Gulp of tparty kool aid nt

[Thinkingabout]

39. He switched parties some years back when Texas was going red

I think he actually got a huge cup of OOPS

[derby378]

20. Eight years? Not soon enough

The environmental damage being inflicted on Texas by the GOP is in progress. God only knows how long it's going to take to clean up this mess.

[Lobo27]

21. Julian for Governor

at least that is what the GOP thinks, and they have already begun the attacks on the mayor.

[Douglas Carpenter]

22. I suspect first we will see demographics put Texas in the Virginia/North Carolina -swing state

category..then if things stay on course and the Republican Party continues to stay with their role as the voice of "the hard done by white man" - demographics will likely turn Texas into a blue state over the next eight to sixteen years .

[ZombieHorde]

23. That would be so awesome!

Any color but red.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

26. Hillary could do it as early as 2016

especially if the GOP passes up Christie for a man-child schmuck like Rubio

[Major Nikon]

27. Meanwhile we elect a governor to a 3rd term who almost flunked out of animal husbandry

At an agricultural university no less.

[TXDemoGal]

29. I hope I'm around when it happens!

I'll be very surprised if it happens by 2020, though.

[bucolic_frolic]

32. Nice Dreams

If they have figured out how to get inside the Billy Bob mind,
they should patent it. Royalties would pay off the national debt.

[GTurck]

33. Please; soon....

We moved to Texas to be close to our grandchildren but brought our liberal and progressive thinking and mores with us. It has been hard but turning purple would be a massive stride away from the dominance of a passe oligarchy. It would make the work we have done here worth the effort. Thanks to Texas Democrats for being there.

[Arkana]

35. The Hispanic population in that state needs to vote in force

in order for it to happen. African-Americans, women, and Hispanics need to vote in droves. If we can turn Texas blue, the GOP has no electoral future.

[The Wizard]

36. But first it has to be returned

to Mexico.

[bamacrat]

37. I could see it.

The Hispanic population there is way larger than the statistics show. If real immigration reform were enacted given them a path to citizenship then I think TX would become as reliable for the Dems as CA. But what I just said is the reason that everyone on the right will fight to the death any legislation that helps Mexicans attain citizenship... If they get their way I could still see it flip in 20-30 years once Hispanic people are the majority in the U.S. That will be a scary time. Not because Hispanics will be the majority but that white people will be the minority. I think this is a huge reason we have become more gun crazy over the last 10 years or so. All the people who are afraid of not being the majority ruling class anymore will also be armed...

[antigop]

38. the sooner the better! nt

[SpankMe]

40. And San Francisco will become a Republican stronghold.

Texas, blue? Never gonna happen. When the Republican party starts swinging more moderate (and it WILL happen), I think Hispanics will start voting R.

[peace frog]

42. When Marco Rubio and his ilk push their immigration "reform"

that does not include a path to citizenship, they will sound the death knell for hispanic groups voting Republican. Not gonna happen.

[kentauros]

53. Never is a long time.

You should look at this map, and the analysis that made it:

http://politicker.com/2012/11/the-purple-election-map/

[lonestarnot]

41. Goody!

[absyntheminded]

43. Here, here...

In my lifetime? Perhaps not, but things are changing down here and hope is on the horizon for my children, and future grandchildren.

[lovuian]

44. music to my ears

Yep

[SunSeeker]

45. Hopefully sooner than we think!

[DFW]

46. I'd like to think so, but

Nut case Ted Cruz cruised right (no pun intended) into the US Senate for 6 years, and Governor Oops would have won our state handily (even while losing all others except Oklahoma, Idaho and Kansas) had he been the Republican nominee for president.

[KamaAina]

57. I think he would have won Utah, too

but that's about it.

[Ter]

59. You forgot Idaho

[Doctor_J]

47. I don't see how...

Texas is already heavily integrated and still bright red. Cruz and Willard both got 57% in November.

I like the boys and their attitude, but reality needs to be faced too.

[golfguru]

49. Fastest way for TX to become blue would be to merge with CA

CA is in bad financial situation. They should make TX an offer to sell themselves to TX, the only price would be to bail out CA.

[Paladin]

52. Don't Worry, DU Texas Haters.

Texas will remain conservative for a good while, so feel free to keep vilifying the entire state---3.3 million Obama voters included. After all, just living here makes Texas Democrats guilty, right? See? You've been at it so long, you're even starting to convince me, a fifth-generation Texan and life-long Democrat.....


(Sarcasm alert, because even smug Blue Staters need one every once in a while.)

[denverbill]

54. Maybe their governors and Senators will turn blue.

The districts will be gerrymandered Republican for another 20 years.

[tartan2]

55. And let's face guys

the white male vote in on the down swing!!! And as far a I'm concerned it can't happen soon enough!

[Katorama]

56. If the Democratic Party would view Texas and other red states as potentially in play, instead of

writing them off to focus on swing states, this might actually happen.

As it is, money and human resources get put into swing states, a strategy that works, but ignores organizations in states that are considered too red to bother with.

[Chathamization]

62. Agreed, we need a 50 state strategy N/T

[blkmusclmachine]

58. Texas may not be turning blue...as fast as the DEM Party is turning red.