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white cloud

(2,567 posts)
Thu May 2, 2013, 08:41 PM May 2013

From red to blue in Texas?

May 2, 2013


Texas Gov. Rick Perry (Gage Skidmore)

IS THE tide turning against the Republican right wing in Texas?

Opinions vary as to when this solidly Republican state will turn into a "swing state" or even lean Democratic, but a growing number of political analysts say the Lone Star State may soon be finished with the likes of Rick Perry and George W. Bush. Whether because of an influx of new residents from more liberal states like California and New York or a steady growth in the Latino population--or both factors at once--trends in recent elections indicate a slow but definite shift.

With 38 electoral votes and a decades-long history of strongly supporting the Republicans, Texas is critical for the conservative wing of the American political establishment. If the state were to go Democratic, it's hard to imagine a Republican in the White House for a long time to come.

Gov. Perry commented that the very notion of Texas going blue is a pipe dream because, he says, Texans are instinctively opposed to "big government." Then again, Perry isn't well known for his sharp political analysis. He made himself infamous during the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination last year by advocating for secession on a number of occasions. And who doesn't remember him proclaiming his desire to abolish three federal agencies, but only being able to remember two?

Perry may be a particularly inept spokesperson for Texas Republicans, but he hasn't had to worry much about losing a general election because Texas has basically been a one-party state while he was governor. The Republicans dominate all statewide offices and outnumber Democrats in the legislature by an overwhelming number. Likewise, the state's 38 electoral votes have gone to the Republican presidential candidates in every election since 1980. So it might be hard to imagine things being any different.

But some Texas Republicans understand that their monopoly on political power can't hold if their party continues to be led by the hard-core right, with its open bigotry toward immigrants, among other positions.
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http://socialistworker.org/2013/05/02/from-red-to-blue-in-texas

9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
From red to blue in Texas? (Original Post) white cloud May 2013 OP
NOt with these hacked voting machines. elehhhhna May 2013 #1
First get rid of Perry and Cruz... then talk to us about being a swing state. n/t lapfog_1 May 2013 #2
Yes. Well said. narnian60 May 2013 #3
Dumping Cornyn Would Be A Good First Step Vogon_Glory May 2013 #5
Dumping any statewide repub would be a good first step NoPasaran May 2013 #6
Yes any statewide republican seat loss would be great sonias May 2013 #8
Not As Long As White Texas Republican Voters Remain In Their Mental Rut Vogon_Glory May 2013 #4
Not if the border areas continue not to vote. LeftInTX May 2013 #7
I hate to keep white cloud May 2013 #9

Vogon_Glory

(9,084 posts)
5. Dumping Cornyn Would Be A Good First Step
Fri May 3, 2013, 12:32 PM
May 2013

Throwing John Cornyn out of the US Senate would be an excellent preliminary to setting the Lone Star State to rights.

NoPasaran

(17,291 posts)
6. Dumping any statewide repub would be a good first step
Fri May 3, 2013, 12:41 PM
May 2013

It's a pretty sad state of affairs when Cornyn is the less-embarrassing senator from Texas.

Vogon_Glory

(9,084 posts)
4. Not As Long As White Texas Republican Voters Remain In Their Mental Rut
Fri May 3, 2013, 12:30 PM
May 2013

As much as I dearly wish that a political tsunami would wash over the state legislature and the Governor's mansion and wash out all those Republican incumbents, I don't think that's going to happen as long as the white voters of Texas remain stuck in their mental rut of voting for Republicans no matter how much the Elephant Party's politicos are screwing them over or how badly the Tea Party wing is out of sync with their own beliefs concerning good government and responsible policies concerning education, health care, environmental protection, and transportation.

I don't blame voting machines. I blame thoughtless, lazy, or inattentive Texas voters of all races for what's happening. The thoughtful ones are in the trenches and voting Democratic.

LeftInTX

(24,541 posts)
7. Not if the border areas continue not to vote.
Fri May 3, 2013, 02:39 PM
May 2013

They are the major locations of the new blues in Texas.

We can get rid of Perry, if they turn out to vote in 2014.

white cloud

(2,567 posts)
9. I hate to keep
Fri May 3, 2013, 03:26 PM
May 2013

pushing the West stories but we need to hang this typical example of deregulation failure around Perry, Corny, Carnival Cruz, Abbott neck with their deregulation / big bussiness tax cuts and budget failure.

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