They have always been here - this state was a Democrat state for many years. Austin being where the capital is, was saturated with Democrats running the state. Those old family Democrats in Austin pretty much set it up for their children and grandchildren and their children to stay there and keep the family Democrat honor going.
Eventually, more conservative people got tired of the freaking Democrats and the Republican Party began to grow. What we have left of Democrats are in smaller counties that still remain Democrat at the county level, then they vote Republican for state and national offices. Habits die hard in small counties where the Democrat Party kept a strangle hold on those small counties. When Obama became president, those small county people questioned why they were supposed to vote for a black man and those counties started changing. That is just the way it was - color did matter in these small counties with lots of older people. They won't admit to that if questioned, but I know it happened. Hussein helped those counties turn more Republican.
I have seen this state change from Democrat to Republican because I'm really old and lived through it. I would point to Reagan as the one person who turned the final tide from Democrat to Republican in this state. Then, the Bushes sealed it. When George Bush was governor that is when every state office turned Republican and we have kept it that way since then.
That is my sense of its political history and yours may vary and I won't argue about it.
My Mom’sside of the family is heavy democrat...Beenso forever...
I learned something from my grandfather that made sense back then...See, he was a heavy hitter in the Texas democrat party, and a lobbyist for journalist issues and other print and media sources during the 50’s and 60’s...
He told me there was a political convention of thought, that even when the democrats had the majority for many decades in Texas, during it’s peak at that time, being a Texas democrat was not that bad a deal...They always seemed to put Texas first, over Federal issues...I tend to believe that, but during the 80’s and 90’s the democrat party in texas shifted to a more national democrat mindset, and thats when things started getting to be very similar to the national political dichotomy...
Things like the Killer D’s of Ardmore Oklahoma days when the dems left Austin to keep state business from getting done during a legislative session...That’s when I started to put the things together and realize this was not my grandfathers political partyh of choice...
Now, I have always been conservative (even as a kid), and that’s what puzzled my Mom’s side of the family...I did get a lot of support in my views, and didn’t feel likethey were just being nice...My Grandfather told me (just before he passed away) to never give up my political or moral principles, ever...That he knew I would always put Texas first before all other Federal issues...
Case in point that if I ever run for major political office in this state, I need tofind that picture taken of me with a candidate running for state rep over there in the Hill Country of Texas, I was riding in his Jeep in a parade that I was supposed to be riding a horse in...Me Aunt who was going to watch me closely, I was only 7-8 at the time, she got thrown from her hourse and was too hurt to ride with me, therefore, my grandfather’s good friend running for that office offered to take me in his vehicle so I could participate...
Little did I know that his career in Texas politics would be significant years later...
I really do need to show that even at an early age, I was always working to achieve a bi-partisan atmosphere wherever I go...
That picture was of myself and John Sharp...
I believe that would break the ice in most political situations...hehehe...
Needless to say democrats in Texas are a different lot than back in the days of my grandparents...
Republicans in the state have made great strides in influence and state offices across this land...But the leadership these days is seriously lacking in key performance factors such as virtue and political courage...
That’s why democrats (federal mindset democrats) have made such progress in turning Texas a little bluer every election cycle since 2004...
And these progressives are unfortunately getting better and better at their side of the argument...Their message is resonating, where the truely conservative republicans are constantly losing ground everywhere we look, and it is not about winning seats in Austin, it is winning on the issues that is hurting us...
This is just what I see, and my opinion...
“But even so, what is Texas going to do with the liberals who are already there?”
Could be worse...