Posted on 09/30/2013 7:16:37 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
I haven’t heard much from (or about) Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst since he came in second in his Senate primary race with Ted Cruz. But he’s still on the job in the Lone Star state and taking an active role in state politics. He probably raised eyebrows yesterday when he issued a potentially dire warning to his fellow Texas Republicans.
AUSTIN, Texas — Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said here on Saturday that Texas could turn blue if Republicans get “complacent.”
“If we’re complacent, yeah, it could happen,” said Dewhurst, who last year lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the state’s GOP Senate primary.
Dewhurst, speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival, said efforts to flip the deep-red Lone Star State to the Democrats probably wouldn’t be successful “today,” but could eventually pan out. The state is home to Battleground Texas, an effort to turn the state blue led by Obama veterans.
It’s no secret among Democrats either locally or inside the beltway that this is one of the crown jewels they are veritably drooling over in the next few presidential election cycles. If the Democrats could somehow flip Texas into the D column it would be the same type of bombshell as the Republicans carrying California or New York. It would turn the starting advantage for the Democrats in the Electoral College into a virtual lock with essentially no path for the Republican candidate to win the national contest. Of course, as Dewhurst notes, that day isn’t here. But might it be coming?
There’s been a lot of talk since the last election about the shifting demographics of the country, particularly the growing Hispanic – and uncomfortably Left leaning – population surge in Texas. But there’s another, and far more ironic side to this story which doesn’t get discussed as much. I spoke to one Lone Star politico during the aforementioned primary who brought up a different factor which is diluting the conservative base there. Texas, he said, may become a victim of its own success.
The basic idea he expressed was that Texas has been one of the few state to experience relatively robust growth during the recession which has gripped the nation since 2007. One of the beneficial effects of this is that many new businesses have opened and others have relocated from other parts of the nation to set up shop in their more favorable business climate. But the new businesses bring a lot of people with them and then they recruit to fill jobs from all across America. The states getting hit the hardest with job losses – through no coincidence at all – are, in many cases, some deep blue ones, full of unemployed workers ready to pack up and move to where the paychecks are. So this has resulted in a new influx of fairly liberal blood strains moving in, working, buying homes, shopping… and voting. Combined with the previously mentioned demographic shift, it could eventually play out just as Dewhurst warns.
Talk about your unintended consequences.
I like Dan Patrick. Think he was sorry for endorsing dipsy Dewhurst. He was disgusted in Dewhurst’s inability to shut down Abortion Barbie. He was disgusted because now there is money coming in from all over the country to the Dems and made her a household word.
Just last friday I heard him on the radio condemning Cruz. He said he doesn’t agree with introducing legislation you know won’t pass. That means he doesn’t believe in standing on principle.
I don’t know how likely a Blue Texas scenario is, but the consequences would be devastating. Without Texas, I don’t see how the GOP wins a Presidential election. California is lost, Pennsylvania teases but never comes through, and Colorado, Ohio, and Florida are what I’d call “slightly uphill” - winnable, but anything but a sure thing.
Interesting whereas Dewhurst doesn’t introduce legislation he knows will pass. LOL
From his response Dewcrist was obviously asked this, he did say it out the blue. Very disingenuous.
I’ve been hearing rats fantasizing about this a lot lately.
In 2000 they claimed Texas would be a swing state by 2008.
I mean, did NOT say it out of the blue.
Votesmart says that Todd Staples as a legislator had a rating of only 38 percent from Eagle Forum, but I don’t recall the details. That was when he was in the TX House c. 1999. I think the runoff will be between Dewhurst and State Senator Dan Patrick, who supported Dewhurst over Cruz.
All big cities in TX are blue except for Fort Worth. But Harris County (Houston) is still competitive.
I am leaning to Jerry Patterson for lt. gov., but it’s not firm yet. I won’t be voting for Cornyn or George P. for sure.
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