“The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.” - Winston Churchill The calls and emails keep coming in and people expect me to be able to answer the question: “What’s the matter with Texas?” I can’t. I suppose I should have some understanding of this place that I love. I have been writing and reporting on politics here since Jimmy Carter held a rally in McAllen’s Archer Park during his last campaign swing in 1976. I remember the crowd giggling a bit at the future president’s Spanish, but he was warmly and enthusiastically welcomed by the overwhelmingly Mexican American crowd.
Thanks for the clarification, John. I meant the 24th Amendment and have made corrections on the web page. And if you ever come up with a rational explanation for Texas politics, I'm all ears.
I think you have summed it up, Arthur. I also think the thing that most people fail to recognize is that those "country hicks" used to be reliable Democratic votes until Reagan came along and changed the calculus in East Texas. He convinced them they could be "Reagan Democrats," and before he left office most of them had converted to Republican. East Texas was always the bell cow for Texas elections, and Rs simply took over what tradition and infrastructure existed there. Regardless of its significant Black population, East Texas tends to vote overwhelmingly R. And here we are.
Thanks for sharing your insight and talent, Jim. Texas sure is disappointing. It’s harder than ever to remain hopeful that we will ever have any kind of enlightened political leadership here. Grateful for the national Senate races.
You’ve made me realize the naïveté of the question so many of us ask,”Why do so many vote against their own best interests?” Certainly, there are many to which that applies, but the more sobering, depressing revelation is that so many have gotten to the same plight suffered by Native Americans, then slaves, and now other ethnic minorities…hopelessness. With no hope for change, why bother to vote at all? Contrast that with those managing the grift machine, and the subordinates with whom they share the spoils, all of which vote FOR their best interests, the continuation of corrupt behavior.
It’s really a pretty simple formula isn’t it? Keep people poorly educated, economically stressed, and fearful of “The Man”, and they’re very easy to control. Eventually, hopelessness is achieved, akin to a Black Hole. Once captured, there’s no chance of escape.
I just read an article from NASA scientists theorizing why we’ve not encountered any signs of intelligent, alien life. They concluded that alien civilizations have existed, but they probably destroyed themselves. I find this highly suspect, that they could make deductions about potentially highly evolved civilizations based on zero facts. Their theory is an interpolation based on the only actual knowledge they have, our own civilization, so it’s a harbinger of our fate.
As I approach my 73rd revolution around the Sun, I find it harder and harder to remain optimistic not just for Texas, but our country, and frankly, our civilization.
Jim, the election results were disappointing, but not surprising. Having been born and reared in deep south Texas, and remembering Parr, Duval County and my father's intense anger over LBJ's win ("He's is a CHEATER!", he would yell), I thought I had seen it all.
What truly hit me this time though was Uvalde. No amount of cheating could ever explain how a county could come to decide that the right of ANYONE - at ANY age over 18, in any state of mental capacity, no matter prior charges of violence - could not only buy A gun, BUT also ANY TYPE of gun - including "beloved" AR-15s. And that that RIGHT was valued by them for their vote than nineteen CHILDREN.
I waa crushed. But, being a Texan by birth, it also pissed me off. I decided hope is a good thing. It makes you feel good. But disappointment is a bitch.
So what now? Adios hope. Hello resolve. No matter what, the only way you are sure to lose is if you never even try. So get up, dust off, and get back to work.
Sorry so long. How 'bout I truly buy you that long promised beer?
<sigh> I am not one to give up Hope...and, yet...here we are again.
I was encouraged that some (R) candidates and most (D) candidates were graceful and honored our democracy by conceding to their opponents when results were clear. That's how it works.
The desperation of the grifter, big liar, ex president and the pathetic showing of his endorsements might finally indicate a crack in his abominations.
For now, I'll hang my proverbial ten gallon hat on that Hope.
Always a pleasure to start my Sunday morning before sunrise here on the West Coast with your writing, Mr. Moore.
I don’t know if we’ve had a worse state “leadership” triumvirate, certainly not in my lifetime. Perhaps we only excel in ignorance and apathy and this is why such poor representation exists.
My wife grew up in a stereotypical small south Texas town. Her father was the "old country doctor" for so long that they named a stretch of Highway 77 after him. This preface is to advise I'm treading on thin ice when I say the Abbott, Patrick, Paxton triplets just keep winning because the country hicks are such dependable sheep every election cycle. Yes, my wife has reminded me that it's unfair to categorize people as stupid and easily duped just because they live in rural Texas and not medium-size or big cities. But when we see these folks interviewed as to their politics and read about why they even vote against their own self interests -- and just come across as a MAGA puppet show -- it just reinforces our opinion of why they're called yokels (again feel free to cast stones at me). Awhile back I picked up a gimme cap emblazoned with Make America Intelligent Again. This probably will do nothing for all the malfeasance that goes on in Texas or the outright threats to voting but, well, maybe it's a start.
What I need now is a good historian from Texas to write a history of the Republican Party in just Texas, in the vein of Heather Cox Richardson’s “History of the Republican Party”.
Just to clarify, the 14th Amendment was passed on July 9, 1868. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated the poll tax and other discriminatory voting obstacles.
Thanks for another great piece on what's happening in Texas. If only we could explain why...
Thanks for the clarification, John. I meant the 24th Amendment and have made corrections on the web page. And if you ever come up with a rational explanation for Texas politics, I'm all ears.
I think you have summed it up, Arthur. I also think the thing that most people fail to recognize is that those "country hicks" used to be reliable Democratic votes until Reagan came along and changed the calculus in East Texas. He convinced them they could be "Reagan Democrats," and before he left office most of them had converted to Republican. East Texas was always the bell cow for Texas elections, and Rs simply took over what tradition and infrastructure existed there. Regardless of its significant Black population, East Texas tends to vote overwhelmingly R. And here we are.
Thanks for sharing your insight and talent, Jim. Texas sure is disappointing. It’s harder than ever to remain hopeful that we will ever have any kind of enlightened political leadership here. Grateful for the national Senate races.
You’ve made me realize the naïveté of the question so many of us ask,”Why do so many vote against their own best interests?” Certainly, there are many to which that applies, but the more sobering, depressing revelation is that so many have gotten to the same plight suffered by Native Americans, then slaves, and now other ethnic minorities…hopelessness. With no hope for change, why bother to vote at all? Contrast that with those managing the grift machine, and the subordinates with whom they share the spoils, all of which vote FOR their best interests, the continuation of corrupt behavior.
It’s really a pretty simple formula isn’t it? Keep people poorly educated, economically stressed, and fearful of “The Man”, and they’re very easy to control. Eventually, hopelessness is achieved, akin to a Black Hole. Once captured, there’s no chance of escape.
I just read an article from NASA scientists theorizing why we’ve not encountered any signs of intelligent, alien life. They concluded that alien civilizations have existed, but they probably destroyed themselves. I find this highly suspect, that they could make deductions about potentially highly evolved civilizations based on zero facts. Their theory is an interpolation based on the only actual knowledge they have, our own civilization, so it’s a harbinger of our fate.
As I approach my 73rd revolution around the Sun, I find it harder and harder to remain optimistic not just for Texas, but our country, and frankly, our civilization.
Jim, the election results were disappointing, but not surprising. Having been born and reared in deep south Texas, and remembering Parr, Duval County and my father's intense anger over LBJ's win ("He's is a CHEATER!", he would yell), I thought I had seen it all.
What truly hit me this time though was Uvalde. No amount of cheating could ever explain how a county could come to decide that the right of ANYONE - at ANY age over 18, in any state of mental capacity, no matter prior charges of violence - could not only buy A gun, BUT also ANY TYPE of gun - including "beloved" AR-15s. And that that RIGHT was valued by them for their vote than nineteen CHILDREN.
I waa crushed. But, being a Texan by birth, it also pissed me off. I decided hope is a good thing. It makes you feel good. But disappointment is a bitch.
So what now? Adios hope. Hello resolve. No matter what, the only way you are sure to lose is if you never even try. So get up, dust off, and get back to work.
Sorry so long. How 'bout I truly buy you that long promised beer?
And thank you.
<sigh> I am not one to give up Hope...and, yet...here we are again.
I was encouraged that some (R) candidates and most (D) candidates were graceful and honored our democracy by conceding to their opponents when results were clear. That's how it works.
The desperation of the grifter, big liar, ex president and the pathetic showing of his endorsements might finally indicate a crack in his abominations.
For now, I'll hang my proverbial ten gallon hat on that Hope.
Always a pleasure to start my Sunday morning before sunrise here on the West Coast with your writing, Mr. Moore.
I don’t know if we’ve had a worse state “leadership” triumvirate, certainly not in my lifetime. Perhaps we only excel in ignorance and apathy and this is why such poor representation exists.
My wife grew up in a stereotypical small south Texas town. Her father was the "old country doctor" for so long that they named a stretch of Highway 77 after him. This preface is to advise I'm treading on thin ice when I say the Abbott, Patrick, Paxton triplets just keep winning because the country hicks are such dependable sheep every election cycle. Yes, my wife has reminded me that it's unfair to categorize people as stupid and easily duped just because they live in rural Texas and not medium-size or big cities. But when we see these folks interviewed as to their politics and read about why they even vote against their own self interests -- and just come across as a MAGA puppet show -- it just reinforces our opinion of why they're called yokels (again feel free to cast stones at me). Awhile back I picked up a gimme cap emblazoned with Make America Intelligent Again. This probably will do nothing for all the malfeasance that goes on in Texas or the outright threats to voting but, well, maybe it's a start.
What I need now is a good historian from Texas to write a history of the Republican Party in just Texas, in the vein of Heather Cox Richardson’s “History of the Republican Party”.
Just to clarify, the 14th Amendment was passed on July 9, 1868. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated the poll tax and other discriminatory voting obstacles.
Thanks for another great piece on what's happening in Texas. If only we could explain why...
Thanks.