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Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Texasphobia

The Moose scolds all those who heap disdain on the Lone Star State.

The Moose hails from Waco, and he is proud of his Central Texas roots. Yes, in recent years, Waco has taken a hit because of the troubles with Koresh and the Davidians. And to some, Waco is stigmatized because the President resides nearby our fair city. Hopefully, though, Baylor U. will be the site of the Bush Library. It will be good for business.

Yes, the cynics will say that Waco is just one tall building surrounded by 100,000 Southern Baptists. But, as the Moose has also pointed out, it is also represented by Congressman Chet Edwards, a brave Democrat who survived the DeLay purge.

Texas is more complex than many bi-costal lefties think. Over the past twenty years, there has been a dramatic Republican ascendancy. But, Texas also has a proud populist tradition with such giants as Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson and the young Moose's hero - Senator Ralph Yarborough. Smilin' Ralph had the Moose's favorite political slogan, "Keep the jam on the lower shelf so the little people can reach it." And don't forget the Maverick family - from which the term "maverick" derives.

The seeds for a Texas Democratic resurgence may have been planted in of all places, Dallas County. Here's the first two graphs from a story in today's Washington Post,

Lupe Valdez is a woman, a Hispanic, a Democrat and a lesbian -- and, come Jan. 1, she's entering the ranks of Texas good ol' boys. Valdez is becoming Sheriff Lupe.

Any one description -- female, Latina, Democrat and openly gay -- would have qualified Valdez's election as Dallas County sheriff for the local history books. But all four?

One factor contributing to Valdez's election is a growing Latino electorate. But, she also proved that in one of the most socially conservative parts of the country a gay Democrat could win because she was viewed as being tough on crime and honest.

The Moose is not suggesting that this victory is necessarily a sign of a Texas Democratic resurgence. But it is instructive that Democrats should not give up on Red America.

Rather then denigrating W's swagger and attitude, perhaps the donkey should emulate it.
-- Posted at 3:00 PM | Link to this post | Email this post