Why Texas will Lean Left
Ever since I can remember, Texas has been a red state. I do not personally recollect but rumors fly around that Texas used to be a blue state. Democrats actually dominated politics in the past. The rumor goes on to claim that Texas had a woman governor that was a Democrat as recent as 15 years ago. Of course, I am kidding around but in all honesty, it has felt like Republicans and Texas are synonymous.
The Nation had a great article, “How Democrats Could Turn Texas Into the Blue Star State” by Bob Moser, which entertains politics in Texas and its future. Moser claims that Texas will become the new California for Democrats as soon as a decade from now. I concur with his argument and with an insight into the youth’s perspective, I see the transition.
The change will occur based on three key items: Hispanic Population, Educated Youth and Shift in Employment Opportunities. The reason why Republicans are becoming an endangered species in general is because of the GOP’s strategy to cater to niche groups. They benefit from the votes of the wealthy and religious. The illusion that these two groups share common goals is slowly crumbling. There is nothing that the wealthy and religious seek that justifies their unification. This strategy will end up backfiring as the wealthy and religious reason that they have other issues that are unrelated to their causes that warrant attention.
Democrats will benefit from this shift because the Hispanic population’s views align with those of the left more than the right. As their population swells, their clout and voting power will manifest to fulfill this speculation. The reason why Hispanics align with Democrats more is because Republicans have taken the steps to alienate themselves from this group. Moser states, “While GOP leaders spout anti-immigration tag lines, Texas Democrats are brimming with ambitious young Hispanic leaders like this year’s US Senate nominee, Afghanistan veteran and progressive populist Rick Noriega.” The GOP has allowed a minority within their constituency to give Republicans and ugly reputation as individuals opposed to change, anti-immigration, ideologically rigid and self-serving bureaucrats. The GOP has established high moral expectations that make them appear as hypocrites when some within their party exhibit character flaws they claim to oppose. This does not play out to well to the younger generation of Hispanics that will grow up with the perspective that Republicans do not represent their views.
As the number of individuals with some college education increases and the shift from blue-collar jobs to white collar continue, the GOP will loose support from their base. Karl-Thomas Musselman of the Burnt Orange claims, “Say you’ve been voting Christian values, or along small-government Republican lines. At some point, you have to start thinking, What does it do for me? My taxes are not lower. My kids are not smarter. My job is not better. What are we getting?" The same aspects that alienate Hispanics from the GOP . . . will end up dividing their base. This can be seen best by the way that John McCain and Barack Obama conduct their TV campaigns. Obama offers solutions while McCain attempts to scare voters into thinking those solutions are bad yet failing to outline his own practical solution. As the young voters continue to grow up in this integrated global world, the fear tactics that the GOP employed will not resonate. People’s priorities will adapt over the years as long they continue to become more educated on the issues. Republicans will have to rethink their approach or at least be content with endorsing the views of a small minority.