Progressive women will get their revenge on Karl Rove

[DonViejo]

Conservatives mock Wendy Davis and other Texas women for ties to national feminists, but we’ll have the last laugh!

JOAN WALSH

I’m proud to be part of an innovative Internet telethon Monday night to support abortion access for Texas women, organized by Lizz Winstead and Sarah Silverman. It’s already a big success – the physical event is sold out and the “telethon” (which you can watch tonight here) is inspiring house parties across Texas and the country. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

But I saw a couple of folks on Twitter mock the notion that Silverman or Winstead (or me, for that matter) have any connection or affinity with Texans – or Texans with us. It reminded me of the otherwise reasonably smart George W. Bush strategist Matthew Dowd admonishing Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis for “allying with Hollywood actresses” in her race for governor, implying such ties would turn off regular Texas voters.

But I think national progressives owe Texans some support. They were the first victims of Karl Rove’s anti-women divide-and-conquer politics that put Bush in the White House. Not only did he knock off Ann Richards as Texas governor in 1994, but the redistricting plans overseen by Rove and Tom DeLay to take back the Texas Legislature targeted women in particular. In 2002, five Democratic women lost their seats when their districts were redrawn as Republican strongholds.

Rove transformed the Texas of Barbara Jordan and Ann Richards, of Sissy Farenthold and Sarah Weddington, into a state now best known for George W. Bush and Rick Perry (not a Bush ally but his inheritor nonetheless), Blake Farenthold and Steve Stockman. And under Republican control, Texas has passed some of the most restrictive antiabortion laws in the country.

full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/11/18/progressive_women_will_get_their_revenge_on_karl_rove/

[gopiscrap]

1. God I hope so

[libdem4life]

2. I'm going to shamelessly post my own OP..It's about a Texas Latina and her accomplished Democratic

twin sons. One is San Antonio Mayor, the other Texas 20th District Rep. Anyone who cares about a Blue Texas, and I think we all know how important it is, please read and pass it on. Wendy Davis has been prominently photographed with them, as has Hillary with Julian. Their history is nothing short of amazing.

Also hope the photos mentioned above will get posted, as well.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251339798

[BlueToTheBone]

3. I like the buzz around Julian Castro. n/t

[Cha]

4. Good answer! thanks DV

"But I think national progressives owe Texans some support. They were the first victims of Karl Rove’s anti-women divide-and-conquer politics that put Bush in the White House. Not only did he knock off Ann Richards as Texas governor in 1994, but the redistricting plans overseen by Rove and Tom DeLay to take back the Texas Legislature targeted women in particular. In 2002, five Democratic women lost their seats when their districts were redrawn as Republican strongholds".

[Major Nikon]

5. This...

The truth is, some progressives like to act as though Texas is a red-state hellhole, uniquely receptive to Tea Party insanity and we’d be better off letting it secede. But demographically, the state is a microcosm of the country, with a fast-growing Latino population, an aging and declining white population, and women playing a swing-vote role.