Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Altered State of Texas
Townhall.com ^ | September 16, 2019 | Sheriff David Clarke, Ret.

Posted on 09/16/2019 12:35:45 PM PDT by jazusamo

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. This is the Democratic strategy to flip Texas on the electoral map from red to blue. And truth be told, they are getting close—too close. How did this happen? What are the GOP and Republican National Committee doing about this?

The Democrats have had Texas in their sights for awhile. You saw their push in the 2018 midterm elections against incumbent Senator Ted Cruz. They came close to defeating Cruz with Beto O’Rouke— an ultra lefty open borders empty suit. A lot of outside money flooded into O’Rourke’s effort, but that is irrelevant as far as I am concerned. Cruz was outspent 3-1. His margin of victory was razor-thin at 50.9 % to 48.3% in what was at one time a solid red state.

A shift is happening in Texas that will cost our country dearly if conservative political leaders ignore it. Look at the voting map results in 2018, and you will find most of it is colored red. However, Texas has a dynamic similar to New York, California, and Illinois, with their three most populist areas (New York City, Los Angeles-San Francisco and Chicago), respectively, are solid blue. In Texas, we see Dallas and Tarrant counties are solid blue while Harris County (Houston) is trending from purple to blue and on its way to stable blue if the trend continues. This could be enough to tip the scales.

Senator Ted Cruz recently sounded the alarm, calling Texas, “hotly contested” for the upcoming 2020 elections. Although this did not happen overnight, it is now urgent. Democrats are like carpenter ants. They have one job, and it is to build the nest continually. Carpenter ants are impossible to get rid of once they arrive. Even if you get rid of one infestation, they move to a new nearby location and start the process of building the nest all over again. Democrats are focusing on the population centers—the large cities. They are Democratic strongholds.

The Democrats have gained ground in Texas from shifting demographics like transplants that flee California’s high taxes and urban pathologies like homelessness, discarded drug needles and the feces-laden streets of San Francisco. These transplants whose liberal voting behavior resulted in the blight plaguing California, bring their liberal-minded baggage with them. It makes no sense. It's like changing four quarters for a dollar to gain wealth.

Republicans currently hold the Texas Governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature although the margin of GOP-held seats slipped in 2018. Texas currently has no state income tax. As more Democrats take seats in the Texas state legislature, it won’t be long before a Democratic-controlled state legislature increases spending and implements an income tax to pay for it. It’s the Democratic way.

Why should I or anybody outside of Texas give a damn? Because the consequences at the national level are more existential. Texas has 36 electoral votes. If President Trump or any GOP presidential candidate in the future wants to have a chance at winning the electoral map, they have to win Texas. We cannot allow Texas to become a swing state or, worse yet, a blue state.

Knowing Texas is slipping away, I ask the GOP, what is your plan to save the Lone Star state? There has to be one. Please tell us. Also, where is the sense of urgency from the RNC? I have it. Do they? Do they really because I don’t feel it. Don’t tell us that you “hope” to win Texas in 2020 because hope is not a plan. Having run in numerous elections in a county of nearly one million people I know from experience that you must stay on offense in politics. Hanging on is not an effective strategy for winning. To not believe that the shift from red to purple in Texas is real, is to be suspended in denial. Senator John Cornyn ought to be scared right now. His seat matters for the GOP to maintain control of the U.S. Senate.

Arrogance and complacency are two enemies of success. The GOP was thoroughly thrashed in the 2018 midterms. GOP officials told us they saw it coming—that they saw it coming and had no plan to head it off is political malpractice.

It is never too early to get energized about the 2020 election. Tuesday, November 3, 2020, will be here before we know it. I don’t want to be presiding over any postmortem the day after talking about how we lost the presidency, the Senate or God forbid, both. There are no guarantees in electoral politics. Just ask Hillary.


TOPICS: Editorial; Mexico; Politics/Elections; US: Arizona; US: California; US: Florida; US: Illinois; US: New Mexico; US: New York; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2020election; arizona; betoorourke; california; chicago; davidclarke; florida; irishbob; juliancastro; losangeles; mexico; newmexico; newyork; newyorkcity; republicans; sanfrancisco; texas
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-59 next last
To: jazusamo

“As more Democrats take seats in the Texas state legislature, it won’t be long before a Democratic-controlled state legislature increases spending and implements an income tax to pay for it. It’s the Democratic way.”

Yes it is and it can be stopped by a Federal Law making it illegal for any individual receiving income whether earned or unearned to be exempt from paying tax on that income. There must be a MINIMUM tax paid and that tax also must increase proportionately if taxes are ever raised for any reason.

If everyone paid taxes no matter how little and knew they would pay more if ever taxes were raised the politicians would have a hell of a lot harder time raising taxes.


21 posted on 09/16/2019 1:04:34 PM PDT by billyboy15
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

bump


22 posted on 09/16/2019 1:06:37 PM PDT by foreverfree
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MplsSteve

adly enough, until the last 10-15 years, NoVa was the epicenter of Republicans in the state.


Yep. This is how fast things change. I’ve noticed a certain smugness among some thinking they will never get California’s gun laws in their red states. Well, let me tell you, they are coming to our communities. It’s just a matter of when because there is no opposition party to the progressive agenda.


23 posted on 09/16/2019 1:07:02 PM PDT by lodi90
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

Don’t worry about Texas. It’s a GOP lock, for today and for dozens of generations.


24 posted on 09/16/2019 1:15:32 PM PDT by Meatspace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ocrp1982
"The plague of liberals leaving their hellhole states for low tax and regulation states like Texas is those fleeing do not change their voting habits. For the most part they continue to vote liberal in the new state.

This is what turned Florida purple."

Laugh and go pishaw if you wish, but add Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee to the list of states that will be trending blue by 2028 if not sooner. Demographic shifts will give the progressives an advantage that state GOP organizations refuse to do anything about or even acknowledge.

25 posted on 09/16/2019 1:17:20 PM PDT by buckalfa (The best two years of my life were spent in the third grade.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

“In Texas, we see Dallas and Tarrant counties are solid blue....”

The writer is delusional.

Tarrant County is not blue.

The writer is just trying to give false hope to Texas Democrats.

He should be ignored.


26 posted on 09/16/2019 1:20:14 PM PDT by Meatspace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Meatspace
Tarrant County is not blue.

You do realize it voted for Beto for that election.
27 posted on 09/16/2019 1:25:11 PM PDT by TexasGunLover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: dljordan

They aren’t worrying about the who pays part here in California, so I don’t think that’s a factor.


28 posted on 09/16/2019 1:27:19 PM PDT by Pelham (Secure Voter ID. Mexico has it, because unlike us they take voting seriously)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: NohSpinZone

‘It would be catastrophic unless states like California and New York go to a Nebraska or Maine model.’

in reality, all the states should employ this system; the winner take all first occurred in the completely corrupt election of 1824, when JQ Adams received fewer popular and electoral votes...it was a cynical maneuver to consolidate partisan power for a preferred candidate, and other states had to follow suit in order to avoid losing influence...it will never be abandoned, and look for ME and NE to go to it sometime in the future...


29 posted on 09/16/2019 1:34:08 PM PDT by IrishBrigade
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: dljordan; Lurkinanloomin

“Don’t forget 1.2 million per year of legal, welfare sucking, undesirables. It’s a plan. Oh, and six million visa overstays.”

I’m glad that you mentioned legal immigrants- because unlike illegal aliens, legals can and do vote in large numbers, and the tsunami of legal immigrants from the 3rd world is really what transformed California. Regardless of income and education they vote to the left of American natives.

This isn’t a secret, it’s just not PC enough for the talking heads who posture as conservatives while being afraid to bring up the unpalatable truth.


30 posted on 09/16/2019 1:36:45 PM PDT by Pelham (Secure Voter ID. Mexico has it, because unlike us they take voting seriously)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Meatspace

The writer never mentioned Austin... lost a lot of credibility there. And I agree, DFW metroplex is not nearly as blue as this writer suggests.


31 posted on 09/16/2019 1:44:41 PM PDT by mn-bush-man
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Meatspace
Don’t worry about Texas. It’s a GOP lock, for today and for dozens of generations.

That's exactly the attitude that could flip us. We've got to be vigilant and vote in EVERY election.

32 posted on 09/16/2019 1:52:27 PM PDT by al_c (Democrats: Party over Common Sense)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo
This writer like many draws the wrong lesson from the 2018 election. It is true that Cruz barely beat Beto. The reason though can be traced directly to the republican primary in 2012 for senate. Then Lt. Gov. Dewherst was the GOPe's preferred candidate. Cruz ran an insurgent campaign against him and beat him out. He was immediately frozen out and declared persona no grata by the state GOP party. They have neither forgiven nor forgotten him. They do not support him and they never will. The GOPe views him as an usurper and would do anything they can to sabotage him. If it costs the republicans a senate seat they could care less, as long as Cruz was removed.

These are the same people responsible for first Joe Strauss and now Dennis Bonnen being the speaker of the Texas house. Everyone wonders why if Texas is such a red state we don't have more conservative government. The Texas house speakership has functioned like a firewall in Texas state politics preventing needed action on a fully conservative agenda.

The situation with Cruz is analogous to David Bratt in Virginia. The GOPe there never forgave him for defeating Eric Cantor and they were willing to toss the seat to the dems rather than have Bratt reelected.

33 posted on 09/16/2019 2:05:04 PM PDT by Fellow Traveler
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexasGunLover

He said that Tarrant County is solid blue.

Beto winning Tarrant County one time by a razor thin margin does not make Tarrant County solid blue.


34 posted on 09/16/2019 2:07:13 PM PDT by Meatspace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

How did this happen? What are the GOP and Republican National Committee doing about this?

If Texas is like Georgia to which I migrated from the Rust Belt, the GOP is fat, happy and asleep at the wheel.

They created all these jobs. Jobless immigrants from Rust Belt Cities are migrating to Red states that have plenty of jobs. The GOP is not asking the immigrants why there are no jobs in the Rust Belt cities and plenty of jobs in Red states.


35 posted on 09/16/2019 2:42:28 PM PDT by spintreebob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

“You saw their push in the 2018 midterm elections against incumbent Senator Ted Cruz. They came close to defeating Cruz with Beto O’Rouke”

All I saw here in Texas was Cruz make an ass of himself at the 2016, and then telling Trump supporters to stand in line for 30 minutes (minimum) to case their early vote for him (Cruz) in 2018.

For Trump, like those who show up at his rallies, I’ll stand in line for most of a day to vote for him. For Cruz, I suspect that 30 minutes plus was asking a bit too much for many people, and it nearly cost him (and the country).


36 posted on 09/16/2019 2:42:29 PM PDT by BobL (I eat at McDonald's and shop at Walmart - I just don't tell anyone.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Meatspace

Just think! We’ve got two more years of morons whining about Texas because Joto vs Cruz is all they know. It’s like all Texans look alike to them. What idiots.


37 posted on 09/16/2019 2:58:31 PM PDT by SanchoP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: IrishBrigade

I think it was the Atlantic who reran the 2012 election if the electoral college all went to the NE/ME style and Mittens would have won by a hair. I say we should go further and make the electoral college go county by county. The GOP would hold power for decades!


38 posted on 09/16/2019 2:59:47 PM PDT by NohSpinZone (First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

Texas has always had home-grown treachers: DemoKKKrat LBJ, two Neocon NWO Bushes. Things are just getting worse.


39 posted on 09/16/2019 3:06:32 PM PDT by YogicCowboy ("I am not entirely on anyone's side, because no one is entirely on mine." - J. R. R. Tolkien)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fellow Traveler

The situation with Cruz is analogous to David Bratt in Virginia. The GOPe there never forgave him for defeating Eric Cantor and they were willing to toss the seat to the dems rather than have Bratt reelected.


I see. And which member of the Bush clan did Bratt hire for his campaign?

You write total revisionist history. You conveniently omit that the GOPe, Texans included, throwing their full support to Cruz during the Presidential primary.


40 posted on 09/16/2019 3:55:00 PM PDT by lodi90
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-59 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson