Why does San Antonio vote so blue? (health insurance, to buy)

[Randyk47]

And Beto was such a great alternative........ Truth is I didn’t care much for either one of them.

[Bo]

Originally Posted by astrohip

You managed to miss his entire point: Rafael Theodore Cruz is universally disliked. This isn't a red vs blue thing, or a conservative vs lib vs TeaParty thing, this is a "he is not a nice human being" thing.

Most of the politicians I disagree with (red or blue), it's because I don't like their policies, or their agenda, or something of that ilk. I don't typically have any antipathy for them as a person. But...

...there are very few I dislike as intensely as I do Lyin' Ted Cruz.

This is an interesting yardstick you're using here, and it makes me curious. What do you think about the likability of John Cornyn, the state's other US senator?

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by Bo

This is an interesting yardstick you're using here, and it makes me curious. What do you think about the likability of John Cornyn, the state's other US senator?

I think he is well liked, and gets things done. That was my point with Rafael Cruz. He is so universally disliked that it's hard for him to get things done; no one will play with him.

Cornyn, on the other hand, is very well liked and regarded. He's the #2 Senate Rep (he's the Whip, although he is stepping down in January), and he can get things done, often behind the scenes.

Personally, I like most of his fiscal policies, and his view on government, but his social policies are too right-wing for me. The Republicans are bleeding voters due to their social policies. Most educated people, and most young people, tend to be more socially liberal. They don't give a darn who marries who, and they want health care available. Doesn't have to be free, just make it available. The #1 issue for voters in this last election was health care. The Reps are killing themselves in this arena.

Party affiliation among U.S. voters: 1992-2016
In Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2017, 37% of registered voters identified as independents, 33% as Democrats and 26% as Republicans. When the partisan leanings of independents are taken into account, 50% either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic; 42% identify as Republicans or lean Republican.

The 8-percentage-point Democratic advantage in leaned partisan identification is wider than at any point since 2009, and a statistically significant shift since 2016, when Democrats had a 4-point edge (48% to 44%).


So in the last year, the Dem/Rep split has gone from 4% to 8%. It will continue to widen unless the Reps come to their senses. The only reason the Reps have any power is (1) they gerrymander like crazy, and (2) the laws giving small states two senators and one representative. This gives out sized weight to little states like (example) Wyoming. This is why a Dem won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College.

Gerrymandering: Take Pennsylvania as an example. It is a very equally split state, politically. Most statewide votes are within 2-3 points of 50-50 Dem/Rep. Yet the Reps have 13 seats, the Dems 5. Amazingly, the Penn Supreme Court just ruled the voting map illegal, so maybe we'll see some common sense there.

[MacInTx]

Originally Posted by astrohip

You managed to miss his entire point: Rafael Theodore Cruz is universally disliked. This isn't a red vs blue thing, or a conservative vs lib vs TeaParty thing, this is a "he is not a nice human being" thing.

Most of the politicians I disagree with (red or blue), it's because I don't like their policies, or their agenda, or something of that ilk. I don't typically have any antipathy for them as a person. But...

...there are very few I dislike as intensely as I do Lyin' Ted Cruz.

Funny... Ted still WON.

[dastexan]

Originally Posted by MacInTx

Funny... Ted still WON.

I mean people in this state have been conditioned that you MUST vote R no matter what, so that tribalism mentality is pretty damn strong.

O'Rourke was NEVER going to win in 2018 considering the Democrats havent done dick in 30 years. To basically make a race that is an afterthought (really any statewide race) and make it truly competitive is well, something.

If voters would truly educate themselves, they would vote out wonderful characters like Sid Miller, Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton. But alas, if they are R they MUST be good!

[dastexan]

Originally Posted by astrohip

I think he is well liked, and gets things done. That was my point with Rafael Cruz. He is so universally disliked that it's hard for him to get things done; no one will play with him.

Cornyn, on the other hand, is very well liked and regarded. He's the #2 Senate Rep (he's the Whip, although he is stepping down in January), and he can get things done, often behind the scenes.

Personally, I like most of his fiscal policies, and his view on government, but his social policies are too right-wing for me. The Republicans are bleeding voters due to their social policies. Most educated people, and most young people, tend to be more socially liberal. They don't give a darn who marries who, and they want health care available. Doesn't have to be free, just make it available. The #1 issue for voters in this last election was health care. The Reps are killing themselves in this arena.

Party affiliation among U.S. voters: 1992-2016
In Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2017, 37% of registered voters identified as independents, 33% as Democrats and 26% as Republicans. When the partisan leanings of independents are taken into account, 50% either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic; 42% identify as Republicans or lean Republican.

The 8-percentage-point Democratic advantage in leaned partisan identification is wider than at any point since 2009, and a statistically significant shift since 2016, when Democrats had a 4-point edge (48% to 44%).


So in the last year, the Dem/Rep split has gone from 4% to 8%. It will continue to widen unless the Reps come to their senses. The only reason the Reps have any power is (1) they gerrymander like crazy, and (2) the laws giving small states two senators and one representative. This gives out sized weight to little states like (example) Wyoming. This is why a Dem won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College.

Gerrymandering: Take Pennsylvania as an example. It is a very equally split state, politically. Most statewide votes are within 2-3 points of 50-50 Dem/Rep. Yet the Reps have 13 seats, the Dems 5. Amazingly, the Penn Supreme Court just ruled the voting map illegal, so maybe we'll see some common sense there.

I generally have liked Cornyn, until the last 2-5 years when he has become ULTRA partisan and essentially unwilling to listen to anyone that doesnt eat, sleep, drink the radical right wing policies in the now modern GOP.

The GOP went on and on about repeal and replace of Obamacare.

The replace is STILL something we are waiting on. Give hte Democrats credit I guess, they at least did SOMETHING to try to solve this healthcare thing, even though it was flawed and awful on so many levels. To me its at least better than saying you will do something for 10 years now and well doing nothing but repealing something (the easy part).

THAT is what is killing the GOP in urban areas. And their tone deafness on social policies that really dont matter to anyone unless you want to make it a big deal.

I could care less if Joe wants to marry Bill or Betty wants to marry Susie. Who really cares?

Not to mention the tax cuts were really a front for propping up corporations and upper class folks long term. The middle/working classes will figure it out in a few years if they havent already. This year is BY FAR the best for those classes of folks. From 2019 on out, it gets worse and worse for them, BY DESIGN.

Though I'm not exactly convinced the Democrats really care about the middle classes either, but thats probably a different argument.

[dastexan]

Originally Posted by astrohip

I think he is well liked, and gets things done. That was my point with Rafael Cruz. He is so universally disliked that it's hard for him to get things done; no one will play with him.

Cornyn, on the other hand, is very well liked and regarded. He's the #2 Senate Rep (he's the Whip, although he is stepping down in January), and he can get things done, often behind the scenes.

Personally, I like most of his fiscal policies, and his view on government, but his social policies are too right-wing for me. The Republicans are bleeding voters due to their social policies. Most educated people, and most young people, tend to be more socially liberal. They don't give a darn who marries who, and they want health care available. Doesn't have to be free, just make it available. The #1 issue for voters in this last election was health care. The Reps are killing themselves in this arena.

Party affiliation among U.S. voters: 1992-2016
In Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2017, 37% of registered voters identified as independents, 33% as Democrats and 26% as Republicans. When the partisan leanings of independents are taken into account, 50% either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic; 42% identify as Republicans or lean Republican.

The 8-percentage-point Democratic advantage in leaned partisan identification is wider than at any point since 2009, and a statistically significant shift since 2016, when Democrats had a 4-point edge (48% to 44%).


So in the last year, the Dem/Rep split has gone from 4% to 8%. It will continue to widen unless the Reps come to their senses. The only reason the Reps have any power is (1) they gerrymander like crazy, and (2) the laws giving small states two senators and one representative. This gives out sized weight to little states like (example) Wyoming. This is why a Dem won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College.

Gerrymandering: Take Pennsylvania as an example. It is a very equally split state, politically. Most statewide votes are within 2-3 points of 50-50 Dem/Rep. Yet the Reps have 13 seats, the Dems 5. Amazingly, the Penn Supreme Court just ruled the voting map illegal, so maybe we'll see some common sense there.

And on gerrymandering (at least in Texas) the Democrats have nobody to blame but themselves. They gerrymandered the hell out of districts until the 90s when they lost power. The thing is the GOP takes the things they Democrats do that changes the rules and does it better.

See the U.S. Senate and the nuclear option the Democrats stupidly enacted. The GOP took that event and put it on steroids to basically do whatever the hell they wanted.

Because in in the end its never about whats best for the country but whats best for my PARTY and my POWER.

It wont happen but when it comes to Congressional Districts some federal law on how boundaries are drawn needs to be established.

[txbullsfan]

People in Texas (and across the country) are slowly waking up and coming to the conclusion that:

1. One party generally is in favor of laws that benefit the few at the expense of the majority
2. The opposite party generally is in favor of laws that the benefit the majority at the expense of the few

I'll leave it to the reader to decide which is which

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by txbullsfan

People in Texas (and across the country) are slowly waking up and coming to the conclusion that:

1. One party generally is in favor of laws that benefit the few at the expense of the majority
2. The opposite party generally is in favor of laws that the benefit the majority at the expense of the few

I'll leave it to the reader to decide which is which

Why must you think in such general terms?

The party that you say wants to help the masses never outlines how these expensive fairytale programs are going to be paid for. The Affordable Care Act was a half a$& attempt and failed.

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by rynetwo

The Affordable Care Act was a half a$& attempt and failed.

Failed? Can you please elaborate?