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How is the populism "traditional" conservatism? That movement didn't even start until recently in the US.
Even Trump ended up largely governing like any old GOP president.
Yeah, but historically it has been around for a long time, especially in the deep south.
Evangelicals voted for neocons because of an alliance between big business and church. But I think republicans in the deep south are more on the religious side while Texans are on the side of big business.
Look at the states Barry Goldwater won (besides Arizona which is the state he is from).
Regardless of voting habits, I found conservatives in the deep south more interested in preserving their culture, while Texans have won big in the new economy.
The subject of this thread "Texas vs. the South" doesn't make much sense when Texas fits in with the South better than any other region, even if it's on the western periphery. Most of the population lives well to the east of the 100th meridian, where there is plenty of moisture and humidity - a characteristic absolutely not found in the Western state areas with warm climates.
And yes, there is a larger Hispanic and smaller black population than most other Southern states but there are demographic variations in all regions. No one disputes that New Jersey belongs in the same region as Maine, or California with Idaho. Both of those pairs are just as dissimilar as Texas with Alabama or South Carolina, for instance.
Texas did not give Trump a particularly large margin of victory in 2020 but it hasn't voted for any Democrat statewide for years. Meanwhile Virginia seems to be becoming a lost cause for Republicans, the party's fortunes are clearly eroding in Georgia with Biden carrying the state, and Louisiana, Kentucky and North Carolina also have Democratic governors. It's very difficult to justify characterizing Texas as "progressive" at the statewide level at this time. Business and growth oriented, absolutely yes - but those impacts are far from ubiquitous across the entirety of Texas.
What I really want for Texas is to become a state like a NC, GA, MN, or WI. I want a purple Texas and not a blue one. I dont view being a solidly red or blue state as a good thing. The problem with being a solid state in one direction or the other is that you get politicians like Ken Paxton or Dan Patrick who would have readily thrown the states votes out at Trumps request if they didnt like the result. They win because of the R next to their name and no other reason. California elected Gavin Newsom who is also ridiculous. Purple states will go back and forth between candidates if there is a yahoo on one side.
Texas is a big place that varies a lot within its borders. I think it's "the south" in the same geographical sense that Florida is. However, like Florida it has several cultural elements that are distinct from other places in the South. I wouldn't consider Texas particularly progressive outside of Austin, and I certainly wouldn't call it "very urban"; most of the state is very empty and rural, and the major cities are suburban sun-belt cities.
What I really want for Texas is to become a state like a NC, GA, MN, or WI. I want a purple Texas and not a blue one. I dont view being a solidly red or blue state as a good thing. The problem with being a solid state in one direction or the other is that you get politicians like Ken Paxton or Dan Patrick who would have readily thrown the states votes out at Trumps request if they didnt like the result. They win because of the R next to their name and no other reason. California elected Gavin Newsom who is also ridiculous. Purple states will go back and forth between candidates if there is a yahoo on one side.
Well it’s not far off. Over 5 million people voted democrat, that’s nothing to sneeze at. I agree that it’s good to have a balance of both parties, to keep things in check.
I also think it’s too simplistic to consider states and cities as either just conservative or liberal. TX has a large conservative population but it’s major cities are filled with all types of people from different ethnic backgrounds, political ideologies, career choices, etc. You also see this with Florida. It’s regarded as a largely conservative state but voted on increasing minimum wage. To me, a state with a democratic governor doesn’t necessarily mean it’s progressive, it could still hold onto traditional values.
Even out here in California, you have many conservatives despite it being seen as a blue, liberal state overall.
I think what throws Texas off from being the South is the western part of the state. Technically, any state that was apart of the confederacy was “the South” because that is where the identity of that term came from (hence sayings like “the South shall rise again”). Does having a large swath of the state that does not look or feel southern negate that? Does having major cities with ethnic diversity take away from the southern image? I think people correlate negative stereotypes when thinking of the South so some might say yes. But I don’t think that’s necessarily so, just makes it a different flavor.
Ultimately, I think it will come down to the people. Do most people in Texas consider themselves southern and align with the rest of the South? I’m sure in Tyler they might, not sure about places much more west.
Yeah, but historically it has been around for a long time, especially in the deep south.
Evangelicals voted for neocons because of an alliance between big business and church. But I think republicans in the deep south are more on the religious side while Texans are on the side of big business.
Look at the states Barry Goldwater won (besides Arizona which is the state he is from).
Regardless of voting habits, I found conservatives in the deep south more interested in preserving their culture, while Texans have won big in the new economy.
Barry Goldwater was more of a libertarian than a populist.
Well it’s not far off. Over 5 million people voted democrat, that’s nothing to sneeze at. I agree that it’s good to have a balance of both parties, to keep things in check.
I also think it’s too simplistic to consider states and cities as either just conservative or liberal. TX has a large conservative population but it’s major cities are filled with all types of people from different ethnic backgrounds, political ideologies, career choices, etc. You also see this with Florida. It’s regarded as a largely conservative state but voted on increasing minimum wage. To me, a state with a democratic governor doesn’t necessarily mean it’s progressive, it could still hold onto traditional values.
Even out here in California, you have many conservatives despite it being seen as a blue, liberal state overall.
I think what throws Texas off from being the South is the western part of the state. Technically, any state that was apart of the confederacy was “the South” because that is where the identity of that term came from (hence sayings like “the South shall rise again”). Does having a large swath of the state that does not look or feel southern negate that? Does having major cities with ethnic diversity take away from the southern image? I think people correlate negative stereotypes when thinking of the South so some might say yes. But I don’t think that’s necessarily so, just makes it a different flavor.
Ultimately, I think it will come down to the people. Do most people in Texas consider themselves southern and align with the rest of the South? I’m sure in Tyler they might, not sure about places much more west.
It doesn't matter that there are conservatives in California because they have zero influence on state politics.
Purple states will go back and forth between candidates if there is a yahoo on one side.
There are very few purple states left. Only Maine, PA, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Montana now have senators from both parties, and West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio have GOP governors and state legislatures.
Texas stands out from the South due to demographics, and it would be closer to where Georgia is if the Dems hadn't botched their messaging with Rio Grande Valley Latin voters.
I'd also say as a Californian and former Northeasterner, Texas seems far more diverse and welcoming than the South. Its 5% Asian, more than other Confederate state except Virginia, which is only that way due to suburban DC.
One other aspect of Texas that stand out is its higher density than the rest of the South. Its urbanized areas are more like western ones with >3,000 ppsm, compared to around 2,000 ppsm in Atlanta, Charlotte, and other Southern metros. It's also the most urbanized state among the ex-Confederates after Florida.
Texas has A LOT of conservative small towns even small towns that are pretty close to their core cities and they pretty much control the state in terms of politics. If you follow politics, this isn't really abnormal in the South. Liberal is the last word I'd use to describe a state like Texas if we're talking politics honestly.
Texas has A LOT of conservative small towns even small towns that are pretty close to their core cities and they pretty much control the state in terms of politics. If you follow politics, this isn't really abnormal in the South. Liberal is the last word I'd use to describe a state like Texas if we're talking politics honestly.
Just about every state has a lot of conservative towns. Texas will come down to suburbia. If suburbia flips, Texas flips. Because the Democrats already have the large city cores.
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