The NRA and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had a lovers’ quarrel this week over background checks. Patrick and other members of the GOP cult are finally starting to realize that they might lose their jobs if more Texans are gunned down while shopping, praying, or attending school, so they’re trying to cover their collective asses. The NRA continues to insist they should all go down together, reminding Republicans how they bought them fair and square and expect them to do as they’re told. (The Texas Tribune)
Texas is one of the leading breeding grounds for crazy rich guys who want to get into politics. Incumbents used to be able to ignore fringe candidates, but that time has passed in the age of Trump. Enter Tony Buzbee—the nutty, rich, scandal-ridden trial lawyer with a shark obsession—who’s using millions of his own money to challenge Sylvester Turner in the Houston mayoral race. Although the city’s been solidly blue for years, Buzbee has gone from being a no-name candidate to polling within 10 points of the incumbent mayor. Add Democrat challengers (who are draining votes away from Turner) to the race and…yeah, Buzbee could win. (Texas Monthly)
Tort-reform-loving, anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice, corporations-before-people, stealth-Republican State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. (DINO, Brownsville) is finally getting a serious primary challenge in the next election. I’m leaning towards Sara Stapleton-Barrera, but either she or Ruben Cortez would be a better choice than a dinosaur who “consistently breaks his promise to carry forward the Democratic Party values” and sides with the GOP cult against his own constituency. (The Texas Observer)
A (supposedly) anti-Trump protester from Dallas decided to go all the way to Manhattan to hit the Arturo Di Modica sculpture “Charging Bull” on the head with some kind of stringed musical instrument. Witnesses (well, one witness) claimed Tevon Varlack yelled “F**k Trump” then hit the statue with a banjo or a “silver guitar” leaving a deep gouge in its bovine head. Despite this story having more holes than a pan of chopped okra, most Texans would agree there are better ways to protest the GOP cult than attacking innocent art. (Dallas Morning News)
Mini-Rant – Democrats Suddenly Remember Texas
As we all know, on Thursday September 12th, the top 10 Democratic presidential candidates will be in Houston for their third debates. Except for native sons Beto O’Rourke and Julian Castro, most Texans are probably surprised that Democratic presidential candidates even remember where Texas is, since they’ve been largely ignoring us for over 30 years. For example, although there probably have been a few others, the last Dem presidential candidate I remember seeing at the Texas State Fair was Jimmy Carter.
Before you say “but Texas has always been Republican” remember that for approximately 99 years, from after Reconstruction until the 1990s, the Democratic Party dominated Texas politics. But after Democrats (rightfully) swept the Dixiecrats out of the party and Republicans gained more power riding on Reagan’s coattails, Karl Rove and his Turdblossom posse began orchestrating the redistricting that eventually became illegal gerrymandering in 2002.
Texas Democrats repeatedly asked for help from the DNC and were usually ignored. The GOP has controlled the state ever since, mostly by diluting our solidly blue cities with a disproportionate number of rural votes (in 2018, urban areas averaged 70-30 blue and rural areas 80-20 red). Along the way, the false “all Texans are conservative” narrative was born.
But Texas Democrats kept working to bring the Lone Star State back to at least the 50/50 Blue/Red position we used to occupy and to (hopefully) deliver a solidly blue state and 38 electoral votes to presidential elections. Recent demographic shifts and GOP retirements give Texas a better shot in 2020 to make this happen than we’ve had for years.
Check out RealClear Politcs’ in-depth analysis into all the factors that should have Republicans worried. Add to that the rise of strong Democratic candidates and Trump’s plunging approval rating (39% in Texas, lower than the national average) and we might have something to celebrate in 2020. Plus, the GOP forgot the biggest long-term danger of gerrymandering—setting up “a large number of districts that weakly favor your party leave you susceptible to demographic changes over the course of a decade.” (RCP)
No matter who the Democratic nominee ends up being, he/she needs to remember two important things about Texas.
- The battle to turn Texas blue will be fought in the suburbs, so don’t just visit Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc. Those cities are already with you. Instead, look at the suburbs that Beto turned blue in 2018. The ‘burbs are traditionally more purple and can be turned blue (or red) by the right candidate.
- If the Democrats don’t take back the Texas House in 2020, our illegal gerrymandering will be expanded to the point where voting almost becomes pointless. As I noted a couple of weeks ago, the GOP cult is already preparing to take voter disenfranchisement to a new, disgusting level, so getting control of the House is important before the new census triggers more redistricting.
No matter what happens in 2020, please don’t forget the millions of Democrats who live in Texas and work hard every year to turn it a little bluer. Please stop assuming all Texans are like the crazy people you see interviewed on national news programs (you know the type…“I seen them alien crafts hunkering down over the cow pasture…”). And please, if the DNC keeps ignoring us and our candidates, remember that the internet makes it easier than ever to donate to Texas Democrats.