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Admirably said. We don't particularly care about "party lines" here. We care about the candidate and the issue.
You may not, but a lot of people vote straight ticket R in this state for no other reasons besides Jesus & guns. No matter the R party nowadays is looking more & more like the new Populist (anti-libertarian) party. This state isn't as libertarian as people think it is. The bigger cities (minus Ft Worth) are the only parts that stand out in my mind as being such.
Reagan didn't "turn Texas red" - Governor Dolph Briscoe (Dem) was a crook, he and his cronies got caught in the Sharpstown Banking scandal, that's what brought Texas it's first Republican Governor in over 100 years. Texas has had only 6 Republican Governors. IF there is ever a really good Libertarian candidate with a good platform, Texas will go Libertarian. It's actually closer to Texas political philosophy than anything else.
Texas is basically fiscally conservative, even the "liberals" tend to be that way. There are a lot of social conservatives but that's the case in every state in the rural areas - we have a lot of rural area. Not all the cities are "liberal" or vote Democratic in elections. Tarrant county (Fort Worth) is very Republican, there are other good sized cities the same way. Dallas and Houston recently went blue, but not overwhelmingly. Austin is the most red city in Texas and has been for a long time but even Austin was red in 2000. All those old hippies , and one of the largest universities in the country. Take a good look at the Presidential maps for both 2000/2004. This entire country is mostly "red" - the big cities are "blue" and that's about it. It's also why Far Left Liberals have a tough time getting elected Nationally. Not saying it can't happen , but when it happens it's usually because the country was scammed and didn't really know what they were voting for. Regardless of what the youth of today say -- I don't think the USA wants to go down the Socialist path or the One World path with the United Nations leading us. I can tell you for sure that Texans won't ever go along with that.
As far as elections go - we have a big attitude of "throw the bums out". If an elected official seems to be doing a decent job - he keeps his job. IF not, he/she gets replaced. It doesn't come fast sometimes but it usually comes. Notice that Craddick is no longer speaker and he was the most powerful man in Texas. Are there any other states that align with Texas as far as maybe being Libertarian. In fact, are there any other states that are so far right or so far left that is basically liberterian like Oklahoma or New York.
Nice post but I will say this about Dallas and Houston. Dallas city overwhemingly went to Obama. Houston in 2012 will probably be like Dallas of 08. Houston probably by the next election will do the same. Fort Worth is starting to show signs of heading that way itself. But again, I do like your post.
You may not, but a lot of people vote straight ticket R in this state for no other reasons besides Jesus & guns. No matter the R party nowadays is looking more & more like the new Populist (anti-libertarian) party. This state isn't as libertarian as people think it is. The bigger cities (minus Ft Worth) are the only parts that stand out in my mind as being such.
Heck, for years, Texas was known as a Yellow Dog Democrat state (meaning, they'd vote for a yellow dog if it were a Democrat), so, yes, there are those people around (probably the same people or their descendants, come to that).
But for the most part, as I said, the candidate and/or the issue are what's really important. Much moreso that in some states that consider themselves to be "liberal", where being "blue" trumps everything else, sadly.
Nice post but I will say this about Dallas and Houston. Dallas city overwhemingly went to Obama. Houston in 2012 will probably be like Dallas of 08. Houston probably by the next election will do the same. Fort Worth is starting to show signs of heading that way itself. But again, I do like your post.
Thanks - Yes, Dallas did go overwhelmingly to Obama. You need to look at the whole picture. Texas is the most difficult state in the USA for a primary. Not only are we big but so diverse. The expense of running a campaign in Texas is huge.
I've been voting in the same precinct for over 30 years. This is a diverse area and I vote in all elections (local/state/Federal) - the poll workers in this last election were 75% black and it's literally the first time I ever remember seeing a black poll worker. I have no idea what (if anything) that means but it was the case. Obama is a smart politician, he had a good ground group (ACORN) and they concentrated on the high vote urban areas. I mostly vote "against" a politician (they are mostly bums in my opinion), I liked the Obama "message", but did not like his voting record, his big financial backers, his advisory group. A person (right or wrong) is often judged by the company they keep. Those are the important things to check out instead of the rhetoric and bright smile.
Obama had a great ground crew that moved into Texas and organized in the large cities very early. Clinton got way behind. Texas almost went to Bill Clinton in both the elections in the 90's - they had a strong base here and just didn't understand that Obama had ACORN which is a VERY formidable organization. You also have to consider the money that Obama had -- the most expensive election in our nations history. When one person can spend almost a Billion dollars on an election, they have a huge advantage and that's EXACTLY what happened in the 2008 election. There is also the "throw the bums out" part of the equation which I mentioned before - it always plays a big part. It's exactly why we now have a Democratic majority in both the US House and Senate. How's that working out for us so far???
Politics always work the very best with balance - the tricky part is achieving that balance without going overboard in one direction. The "overboard" part is always what causes the problems. We now have tilt-a-whirl government.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady
Admirably said. We don't particularly care about "party lines" here. We care about the candidate and the issue.
You said it with fewer words than I did but this has always been the case in Texas. Part of that is our voting registration. Texans can vote in any primary they please, that makes a big difference in elections. You don't have to register as either a Dem or a Republican. Biggest problem we have right now is that we are the second largest state in the union for population and have no say in the Presidential primaries, it's almost always a "done deal" by the time it gets down to us. We are not the only states that don't have a voice, we are just the largest.
This is no longer the age of the train whistle stop campaigns. We now live in an electronic ages with TV in every home, computer/U-Tube in most and many ways for politicians to "speak" before the people. We need a Nationwide one day primary. There is no reason to spend obscene amounts of money and two years of campaigning to elect a President. We need a major reform in the way the Presidential primaries are run.
I started this thread not to bash Texas, but to get some legitimate opinions from people who live in or have been to Texas. I admit, I have somewhat of a prejeduce against Texas for various reasons, but reading what people say on this forum has greatly changed my mind and I do not dislike it as much anymore.
It seems like Texas has a reputation for being very conservative, politically (more so than other southern states) and very "tough" and "competitive", I guess you'd say. My biggest question is, is this accurate? Is it really any more conservative than other states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, etc.? I used to think that it very much was, but the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that Texas a very diverse, complex state, with many different demographic factors, and you can't generalize a state with 24 million people (2nd most populous state in the country) in any way.
So obviously, like any other state, Texas has many different geographic regions and areas that are all different. So my question for Texans is, when you compare apples to apples, are big cities in Texas (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc.) more conservative than big cities in other states? Are small towns in Texas more conservative/narrow-minded than other small towns? Are metropolitan areas as whole (Dallas and Houston) more conservative than other metropolitan areas as a whole? This is what has intrigued me the most.
Again, this is not an anti-Texas thread, I'm geniunely interested in the perspectives of people who have spent a significant amount of time in Texas.
I moved here from Irvine, CA and find people quite genuiene and freindly. We feel just great here. You can find all types from country bumpkins (meant in a truly endearing way) to sophisticated people. You find rich, poor, educated, salt of the earth. In other words every walk.
I think if you come here with negative expectations that you will find whatever you are looking for. If you come as we did looking for a new place to call home it is a great and very rewarding place to live.
You may not, but a lot of people vote straight ticket R in this state for no other reasons besides Jesus & guns. No matter the R party nowadays is looking more & more like the new Populist (anti-libertarian) party. This state isn't as libertarian as people think it is. The bigger cities (minus Ft Worth) are the only parts that stand out in my mind as being such.
Sure - a lot of people do vote a straight ticket. It used to be called "pulling the lever" and I certainly voted in many curtained booths with a lever. I never pulled that lever - it's the "lazy" way to vote. Lot's of folks are pretty lazy. It takes a lot of work to check out these guys before you vote - many don't take the time/energy to do that. That's true all over the country.
To my mind - Libertarians are about as "populist" as it gets today. I'm not saying Texas is mostly Libertarian, but they have a strong grass roots movement (moving into local positions under a Republican umbrella) that will eventually either produce a viable candidate or gain the influence in the Texas Republican party. Money always plays the most important party in elections - the social Conservative wing has it now but some of those social conservatives are working out that they are being used. The Libertarian party has it's radical wing just as the other parties do. Voters don't vote for radical wings - this is something that political parties can't seem to figure out. The more radicals you have, the more the parties become fractured. We have an extremely divided nation right now - as divided as I've ever seen it and that's saying a lot. We've been as divided in our history and come through it - I expect we will this time also.
There are many confused people in the state of Texas, maybe as many as there are anywhere else. However, the problem of distinct cultural stigma becomes evident when pride-based beliefs are socialized to the point of becoming a common philosophy (held by some or most) within a culture. In the case of Texans, there seem to be general social, political, and intellectual stigmas attached to them as a people. This includes being characterized by many as having ultra-conservative/right-wing, backwards and/or narrow-minded points of view. Much of this has to do with negative imagery in the news about Texas (e.g. cults,kkk,corrupt business practice,consumption,lack of social responsibility,weather,gun control issues,drugs,crime,etc.) and Texas’ distal l location to that of their fellow Americans. These conditions isolate Texas into a special subculture within the greater context of the culture they live in.
However, just like anywhere else, an isolated culture can easily fall prey to extremism, be considered by most people to have empirically unsound viewpoints, or may just plain sound strange to a majority of others. This isolation, in some cases, can be the root cause of unhealthy levels of intolerance, distrust, or overall lack of choice and opportunity. We should also understand that although these are stereotypes for Texans, stereotypes are not necessarily inaccurate. Only from observance, analysis and interaction will we have better understanding of just how accurate the stereotype might be - and even then be subject to more counterpoint.
After reading these blogs, the cause for concern isn’t necessarily these stereotypes per se, but with people placing exaggerated significance on traditional home-grown beliefs and local opinion as though there was any real substantiation instead of just based on raw pride. A problem arises when those in isolation hide behind traditionally taught political ideologies just because those around you expect you to hold them, which will be the case in isolated cultures. Whether you are ultra-conservative or a full blown activist, your political views will change as you learn more about you and your perception of the world. There are the nameless many on these blogs who perpetuate and reinforce negative stereotypes about themselves despite even knowing it.
Nice post but I will say this about Dallas and Houston. Dallas city overwhemingly went to Obama. Houston in 2012 will probably be like Dallas of 08. Houston probably by the next election will do the same. Fort Worth is starting to show signs of heading that way itself. But again, I do like your post.
What happened in 2008 has little to do with any trends. That would be like saying when Reagan won by carrying almost all the states, against an incombent is 1980 the country was suddenly turning all republican..This past election was a "anyone but McCain" vote in many cases...
Nice post but I will say this about Dallas and Houston. Dallas city overwhemingly went to Obama. Houston in 2012 will probably be like Dallas of 08. Houston probably by the next election will do the same. Fort Worth is starting to show signs of heading that way itself. But again, I do like your post.
nice try buddy, Texans would rather keep the hammer and sickle way of thinking marginalized
Thanks - Yes, Dallas did go overwhelmingly to Obama. You need to look at the whole picture. Texas is the most difficult state in the USA for a primary. Not only are we big but so diverse. The expense of running a campaign in Texas is huge.
I've been voting in the same precinct for over 30 years. This is a diverse area and I vote in all elections (local/state/Federal) - the poll workers in this last election were 75% black and it's literally the first time I ever remember seeing a black poll worker. I have no idea what (if anything) that means but it was the case. Obama is a smart politician, he had a good ground group (ACORN) and they concentrated on the high vote urban areas. I mostly vote "against" a politician (they are mostly bums in my opinion), I liked the Obama "message", but did not like his voting record, his big financial backers, his advisory group. A person (right or wrong) is often judged by the company they keep. Those are the important things to check out instead of the rhetoric and bright smile.
Obama had a great ground crew that moved into Texas and organized in the large cities very early. Clinton got way behind. Texas almost went to Bill Clinton in both the elections in the 90's - they had a strong base here and just didn't understand that Obama had ACORN which is a VERY formidable organization. You also have to consider the money that Obama had -- the most expensive election in our nations history. When one person can spend almost a Billion dollars on an election, they have a huge advantage and that's EXACTLY what happened in the 2008 election. There is also the "throw the bums out" part of the equation which I mentioned before - it always plays a big part. It's exactly why we now have a Democratic majority in both the US House and Senate. How's that working out for us so far???
Politics always work the very best with balance - the tricky part is achieving that balance without going overboard in one direction. The "overboard" part is always what causes the problems. We now have tilt-a-whirl government.
You said it with fewer words than I did but this has always been the case in Texas. Part of that is our voting registration. Texans can vote in any primary they please, that makes a big difference in elections. You don't have to register as either a Dem or a Republican. Biggest problem we have right now is that we are the second largest state in the union for population and have no say in the Presidential primaries, it's almost always a "done deal" by the time it gets down to us. We are not the only states that don't have a voice, we are just the largest.
This is no longer the age of the train whistle stop campaigns. We now live in an electronic ages with TV in every home, computer/U-Tube in most and many ways for politicians to "speak" before the people. We need a Nationwide one day primary. There is no reason to spend obscene amounts of money and two years of campaigning to elect a President. We need a major reform in the way the Presidential primaries are run.
yep, let's not forget ACORN..!! Something has to be done before the next election...
Nita
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, and one of the largest universities in the country. Take a good look at the 
