There used to be a time in Texas Political history that being a Texas Democrat was something that you might be able to wrap around today...
Times have changed since my Grandfather, a Democrat lobbyist told me that as a young kid (looking to get more involved in politics)...
Somewhere around here there is a picture of me riding in a Jeep owned by a guy running for a State Representative position named John Sharp...To me that marks the extreme position I took to be more bipartisan (at a very early age)...
I fully intend to use that image to prove my point in any future campaign...At least it’ll be good for a laugh or two...
I’m not sure the same is true today, in that being a Texas Democrat, that that position entials running off trying to kill a quorum and avoid a vote on some important issue...
We’ve seen the new crop of liberal Texas democrats do this on occasions, and it fits right into the Federal model of liberal representatives up in D.C.
I’ve seen them celebrate the shirking of their elected offices first hand...FReeper “Eaker” as well...That was sure a lot of fun...
When they stood up in front of that smelly crowd of hippy-dope freaks and told them that they stood their ground against the Republicans in that legislative session by running off to Ardmore, Oklahoma...
Eaker basically said, “No, you didn’t, you people ran off like a bunch of cowards!!!”
That pretty much forced us to hasten our exit from crashing that little party and rejoin the other FReepers outside...
You know I almost miss those days growing up and knowing that for the most part, whomever was elected to represent us in Austin, that it didn’t matter what your politics or affiliation was...You put Texas first...
And somehow I believe we are losing that priority a little bit every other year these folks meet to get things done for our state...
Just my opinion...
Thank you for taking the time to write an interesting post.
It seems a lot of “democrats” are voting with their feet.
I hope they strengthen the conservative ranks.
Often, those who have seen the light are the most rabid anti-LIBERALS. I think it’s because they KNOW the Left, their tactics and what they are all about.
(Texas Democrats are more conservative than Democrats in Georgia, but more moderate than Democrats in Alabama and Mississippi....Austin Democrats might have more in common with our moderate Republican neighbors than with our partisan brothers from out of town...Here in Austin, we all know Republicans who are pro-choice. But in Texas, 43 percent of Democratic primary voters are anti-abortion rights.)
These Demo political hacks sure got the language down pat, and we should challenge them on it every single time, so that they think twice before they use such propaganda again:
Conservative vs. Moderate (to be more truthful, the last one should be called “Godless Commy?”)...Pro-choice vs. anti-abortion rights! How would they feel if we made distinction between pro-life and pro-baby killing?