jarodea on November 19, 2012 at 2:40 PM
avagreen on November 19, 2012 at 4:15 PM
Robert Jensen on November 19, 2012 at 6:22 PM

The demographic shift that will redefine Texas as a blue state in two election cycles is not, repeat NOT an influx of Latino voters from poor Mexico. It is the massive migration of white, high-income, college-educated urban hipsters from America’s coastal states–primarily California, New Jersey, Virginia, etc.

Look at the electoral map for the past two cycles: Harris, Dallas, Bexar, and Travis are all solidly blue. Because of their growing population of urban hipster professionals migrating due to:

1) The large number of healthcare sales/administration and IT/engineering-focused jobs that were in Philadelphia, Boston, NYC, and San Francisco are moving to Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio
2) The public school stranglehold on education

Ask any of the new residents you see in Dallas and they’ll all tell you: “This state would be perfect if the people who ran it weren’t so beholden to all the rich white oil men. What this state needs is politicians who aren’t afraid to make those people pay their fair share to fund [insert name of corrupt multi-billion dollar government program] like we had in [insert name of the state they ran from to get to Texas]!” It’s no different than a foreign immigrant with an degree in computer science landing a job at Apple in 1990, making 100X more money in California than in their home country due to oppressive taxation related to a massive welfare state, but then scrambling to get their U.S. citizenship so they can vote for… oppressive taxation in California to pay for a massive welfare state–just like back home. The same thing will happen in Texas, but it will be American-born San Franciscans, Bostonites, etc. spearheading the call for oppressive taxation to bring Texas up to the standards they were used to back home.

The public education system in Texas, according to top opinion makers such as Brian the dog in “Family Guy,” is run by Young Earth Creationists who hate science and rational thought. Yet somehow you leave early from the dry cleaning business you built from nothing to pick up your precious little eight year-old princess from the “exemplary” rated public school in one of Dallas’ lily-white ‘burbs and she yells “WHY DIDN’T YOU VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA DADDY?!” at you disapprovingly in front of all the mommies and teachers in earshot (who all shake their heads and glare at you)… Well, I’m farily sure the small business owner didn’t teach her that. And she couldn’t possibly have learned that from public school, right?

Seriously, unless something drastic happens this is the new normal in Texas. By 2020, Texas will be just like PA or WA: A dwindling libertarian electorate in mid-sized towns and rural areas held hostage by a couple of urban centers filled with socialists.

Ooops! Misread your post, Norwegian……thought you were in Texas.

avagreen on November 19, 2012 at 4:27 PM

No problem, I liked your answer

That strategy works here in Western CO as well!

It will bring integrity back to the ballot system.

annoyinglittletwerp on November 19, 2012 at 5:29 PM

I don’t have a problem with that, at all.

Growing up, there was no welfare, no food stamps. There were commodity stores that sold surplus government cheese, powdered milk and beans.
Hunting and fishing was for food, trapping was to sell furs to buy school clothes.

Get ready for it, because the answer will be “Yes, Texas is a blue state” in two or three election cycles.

ScottMcC on November 19, 2012 at 1:05 PM

Kinda like we here in Pennsylvania are automatically a blue state because of damn Philadelphia (not including the shenanigans that took place on Election Day) and Pittsburgh. The huge red “T” that covers the rest of the state, and represents our votes, is always ignored.

I’d put aspirations of a blue Texas at the same level as those for a red Minnesota: a fantasy.

Oh, I dunno. Add several million newly-minted citizens courtesy of amnesty, and the math changes significantly.

Not all conservative Texans are pro-hunting. I think that sport-hunting is evil and trapping is evil and barbaric.
*Proud conservative-proud animal rights activist.*

annoyinglittletwerp on November 19, 2012 at 5:29 PM

Someone said you can be a Texan if you’re a transplant who gets it.

You clearly don’t get it.

Animals do have rights. To be dispatched quickly, cleaned quickly, and cooked with respect to their meat and the other ingredients.

Not all conservative Texans are pro-hunting. I think that sport-hunting is evil and trapping is evil and barbaric.
*Proud conservative-proud animal rights activist.*

We’ll just have to rope ‘um, hogtie ‘um, say sweet thangs into their ear……and then give them a ballcap, take them out into the country, and teach them to shoot a gun. That’ll turn ‘um.

avagreen on November 19, 2012 at 4:23 PM

Growing up in Wyoming, I learned to ride horses, drive, shoot, rope, check traps and ice skate while still in grade school.
So I think I’ve got all that covered.

BTW, when you’re checking traps in the dead of winter and you find an animal still alive in the trap, you club it to death. No need to waste a bullet.

Norwegian on November 19, 2012 at 12:46 PM

avagreen on November 19, 2012 at 4:23 PM

Ooops! Misread your post, Norwegian……thought you were in Texas.

I know there has been a strong influx here of new people moving here over the past few years. I always worried that these were Californians bringing their libtard voting tradition with them. But maybe they were outnumbered by sane Texans moving here too?

Norwegian on November 19, 2012 at 12:46 PM

We’ll just have to rope ‘um, hogtie ‘um, say sweet thangs into their ear……and then give them a ballcap, take them out into the country, and teach them to shoot a gun. That’ll turn ‘um.

Used to have such a map, but don’t know where it is now.

Dems are like little boys beating on their chests, hoping someone will think they aren’t afraid or how small they really are.

I wish God’ vengeance upon them. In my wishful thinking ….about 10% of them per month for about…six months. Whatever means possible. Should get their attention. o_Ô

I suspect that most of those escaping California are conservatives tired of being fed upon by the leeches and who see the writing on the wall for this state …

ShainS on November 19, 2012 at 2:20 PM

I know leftists who have moved to Texas metros from California.

They do not have the backbone to live in the real metro areas. Which is amusing as they can afford it and Houston, Dallas, and SA have done some great things for people like them.

But they end up living in the burbs where they are outnumbered 10-1 by right wing extremists.

It’s that whole courage of your convictions issue.

If I leave California (more and more likely every day), I have no intention of moving to Texas.

All Texans can now breathe a sigh of relief.

You think Austin is a one-off? Austin is in the heart of Texas and is almost as far left as San Francisco. And if there is one thing we know from history, leftism spreads like a cancer.

keep the change on November 19, 2012 at 2:31 PM

The counties surrounding Austin are holding back the cancer quite well, Romney’s worst showing in the suburbs was an 11 point win. Austin is also one-off when it comes to Texas’ 5 largest counties. Obama won Travis County by 24 points, he tied in Harris, won Bexar by 5, won Dallas by 15 and lost Tarrant by 16 (which means in Dallas-Tarrant as it were he won by less than 1 point).

The 24 point win for Obama in Travis County still isn’t quite as bad as San Fransico county which went Obama by 66 points. True that only has San Fransico, and having lived in Austin I do know how lefty liberal it is, but even county wide Obama’s worst county in the San Fransico area was Napa which he won by only 26 points. So Obama did better in the most conservative county in the San Fransico area than he did in Travis County itself.

Get ready for it, because the answer will be “Yes, Texas is a blue state” in two or three election cycles.

ScottMcC on November 19, 2012 at 1:05 PM

After looking at the last 20 years of voting in Texas you cannot seriously believe that. Given current trends Texas will shift blue, but then “current trends” never last for more than a decade or 2. At worst in 20-30 years Texas would be like Ohio or Florida. A swing state where the Republican has to fight massive dem turnout in a couple cities by getting large turnout in the suburbs and rural areas.

I suspect that most of those escaping California are conservatives tired of being fed upon by the leeches and who see the writing on the wall for this state …

ShainS on November 19, 2012 at 2:20 PM

Definitely seems to be the case regarding Texas at least. Northern liberals fleeing their failed blue states to set them up elsewhere for some ungodly reason seem to mostly be heading to the Southeast, while California liberals doing the same seem to be hitting Colorado, Nevada, the nothwest, and to a lesser extent Arizona and Austin.

I know there has been a strong influx here of new people moving here over the past few years. I always worried that these were Californians bringing their libtard voting tradition with them. But maybe they were outnumbered by sane Texans moving here too?

Norwegian on November 19, 2012 at 12:46 PM

I suspect that most of those escaping California are conservatives tired of being fed upon by the leeches and who see the writing on the wall for this state …

Do not ignore or discount the fact that Houston, Dallas, Bexar, and Travis counties went for Democrats in the past two election cycles. In the past ten years it’s gotten a LOT worse (politically, socially, and economically) for Republicans in these cities and these are the major population centers in Texas.

If this trend continues, then Texas will be no different than Washington State where a couple of large, populated urban areas outweigh the electorate in the rest of the state.

Get ready for it, because the answer will be “Yes, Texas is a blue state” in two or three election cycles.

ScottMcC on November 19, 2012 at 1:05 PM

Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it. Right now the only way we’re gonna get rid of Rick Roosevelt is either he declines to run again or we primary him out.

If this trend continues, then Texas will be no different than Washington State where a couple of large, populated urban areas outweigh the electorate in the rest of the state.

Get ready for it, because the answer will be “Yes, Texas is a blue state” in two or three election cycles.

But maybe they were outnumbered by sane Texans moving here too?

Norwegian on November 19, 2012 at 12:46 PM

Hey, maybe all the Texans who have vacation homes there should use those as their main residence for voting purposes. We have to get creative if we want to win in 2016.

I know there has been a strong influx here of new people moving here over the past few years. I always worried that these were Californians bringing their libtard voting tradition with them. But maybe they were outnumbered by sane Texans moving here too?

Texas is redder than ever, but one day not too far off, we will be a majority minority state, and currently those minorities are not fond of the Republican party. Texans are already refining their messages to appeal to a more urban and more minority population, one which has no knowledge or affinity for agricultural issues, hunting and fishing, and other activities looked down upon by many urban folks. They think food comes from the store and electricity comes from a hole in the wall.

As I said on another thread, Repubs in TX need to continue our successful recruiting of Hispanics to run for office.