Democrats’ new plan: Turning Texas blue
National Democrats are taking steps to create a large-scale independent group aimed at turning traditionally conservative Texas into a prime electoral battleground, crafting a new initiative to identify and mobilize progressive voters in the rapidly-changing state, strategists familiar with the plans told POLITICO.
The organization, dubbed “Battleground Texas,” plans to engage the state’s rapidly growing Latino population, as well as African-American voters and other Democratic-leaning constituencies that have been underrepresented at the ballot box in recent cycles. Two sources said the contemplated budget would run into the tens of millions of dollars over several years – a project Democrats hope has enough heft to help turn what has long been an electoral pipe dream into reality…
One Democrat close to the planning process said the group intended to bring in “top campaign talent to Texas” for a long-term organizing push. Strategists filed papers with the Texas Ethics Commission to create Battleground Texas earlier this month with that goal in mind.
“It’s going to take a sustained effort and we’re going to have to prove ourselves over time,” the Democrat staid.
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Ooooook.
Bishop on January 24, 2013 at 12:02 PM
Have fun with that.
Texans don’t like being messed with.
Defenestratus on January 24, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Sen. Kerry on Iran’s nuclear program: “It is not hard to prove a peaceful program.”
davidk on January 24, 2013 at 12:04 PM
So the Dems have a plan of several years with millions of dollars?
What is the GOP doing? Hello?
We laughed at The One’s permanent Alinsky campaign and look where it got us.
PattyJ on January 24, 2013 at 12:05 PM
May I suggest the slogans
- From the People That Brought Illinois and California
- Had Enought of No Income Taxes?
- Hey ex-Californians, You Cannot Hide from Us
WashJeff on January 24, 2013 at 12:06 PM
I hope they spend A LOT of $ trying to do that.
VegasRick on January 24, 2013 at 12:07 PM
So in other words, the strategy is to keep them dependent on government…just like the rest of the country….ok got it.
Groundbreaking!
Hat Trick on January 24, 2013 at 12:08 PM
I was thinking “Taxus – it’ll be good for the children”
VegasRick on January 24, 2013 at 12:09 PM
20 million illegal alien voters guarantee it.
Let’s have that amnesty, right GOP squishes?
profitsbeard on January 24, 2013 at 12:10 PM
How about…
Imported from Detroit
Flange on January 24, 2013 at 12:10 PM
California was a reliably Republican state in the 1970s. Texas will follow a similar trajectory.
DaveO on January 24, 2013 at 12:11 PM
I think not.
KCB on January 24, 2013 at 12:11 PM
And, hopefully, Texicans will run them out. Run out anyone who wants to turn Texas into another failed socialist state.
GWB on January 24, 2013 at 12:13 PM
And now it’s the poster child for a blue-state economic basketcase.
Forward!
Good Lt on January 24, 2013 at 12:13 PM
Remember that Ann Richards was governor of the state of Texas at one time. And the Dem’s have a start in the larger cities where their constituents reside (Dallas, Houston, etc.). Never underestimate your political enemies.
RAN58 on January 24, 2013 at 12:14 PM
We had better understand this will work unless there is a fight.
America has a socialist in charge.
Whites are the only people in the country you can demonize on TV or in schools.
Muslims are a protected class in America.
There are no Republicans in most media outlets.
We were powerful as a country and it was undermined from within and look where we are.
Heck just today we even have people thinking progressives are attempting to destroy us on purpose even on this site.
We are at war. The media and education is 90%+ Democrat and will protect their power and abuse it when needed. Texas will go blue if the threat is. It recognized and fought.
This battle must be fought now. It must be fought together. Take it to the media, schools and ballot box. We are currently only fighting at the latter.
School choice and boycott left wing media and companies that advertise on that media.
GardenGnome on January 24, 2013 at 12:15 PM
And now you know why there will be amnesty and instant citizenship.
wildcat72 on January 24, 2013 at 12:16 PM
Conservatives are moving to the state in droves.
mwbri on January 24, 2013 at 12:17 PM
Texas will turn blue…………..once Obama/Rubio amnesty plan goes through and Republican Establishment loons realize that latinos by in large are going to vote for Democrats regardless
journeymike on January 24, 2013 at 12:17 PM
Yup.
petefrt on January 24, 2013 at 12:22 PM
Those of you who dismiss the possibility of Texas turning blue any time in the near future might be surprised to know that Ted Cruz has said he sees it happening within a decade, maybe two.
steebo77 on January 24, 2013 at 12:22 PM
Go listen to Mark Levin’s interview with Marco Rubio last night about his immigration plan. It’s hardly Amnesty. In fact it makes it nearly impossible for them to become voting citizens.
jawkneemusic on January 24, 2013 at 12:23 PM
Ann Richards was a one-term fluke who only won because her opponent made a tasteless joke about rape.
That said, yes, metropolitan Texas is more blue than people realize. Austin in particular. And with the influx of people coming in from California and elsewhere, there is definitely a danger that the tide could turn.
Caiwyn on January 24, 2013 at 12:23 PM
We need to understand so-called “liberalism” is a virus. It kills the host and leaves it dependent on the state as it finds a healthy new state to infest.
MechanicalBill on January 24, 2013 at 12:26 PM
Metropolitan everywhere is liberal. Even the two 50K+ cities in West Virginia. 21st century cites are little more than collections of welfare recipients, criminals, then the highly paid ruling liberals.
Why? It’s sure easier to get “free stuff” when you are packed in like sardines…
wildcat72 on January 24, 2013 at 12:31 PM
You have your head in the sand. The fact is – with or without those illegal voters – the Hispanic population of the United States will be a majority one day.
You have two choices, “enclave” yourself and continue to do business as you have in the past … in which case you’ll be eclipsed politically.
Or … you recognize that Conservatism can be sold to Hispanics just like it can be sold to any other race – you only have to try.
But – because I’m certain that most of the opposition to a comprehensive solution is based in racism – I fully expect you guys to choose the former option rather than the latter.
And that’s a shame.
HondaV65 on January 24, 2013 at 12:32 PM
Should work well for the Dims. Last I checked TX was inhabited by a bunch of weak kneed types anyhow.
Bmore on January 24, 2013 at 12:32 PM
Fixed.
MelonCollie on January 24, 2013 at 12:35 PM
I’ve lived here most of my life. It is going to happen. The only question is how long will it take.
Texas is not nearly as conservative as people think. If you want to visit a true conservative state, I would suggest our neighbor to the north.
Pretty much every city here has become blue. And remember, San Antonio now has the “latino version of Barack Obama” as our mayor.
Fazman on January 24, 2013 at 12:36 PM
Boehner: let’s capitulate and deem Texas blue. Oh. And let’s throw in Oklahoma and Louisiana too.
besser tot als rot on January 24, 2013 at 12:39 PM
We’re on our way this year.
besser tot als rot on January 24, 2013 at 12:40 PM
It might happen, but it doesn’t have to.
I think enough people like have freedom and liberty over there, or could join the right side.
22044 on January 24, 2013 at 12:43 PM
Hispanics in general are not natural conservatives, they are democrats. Yeah, you will have groups within the Latino community that identify with conservatism but by in large most Hispanics see the Republicans as the party of the rich and not friendly to them. The Stupid Republicans will doom themselves by voting for amnesty
journeymike on January 24, 2013 at 12:43 PM
Richard and the Democrats’ key mistake after she took over in 1990 was thinking that the line Bill Clinton tried on the country in 1993 — “I’ve tried as hard as I can, but I can’t figure out a way not to raise taxes” — was going to work in Texas. It was the Democrats’ pushing of a state income tax and the backlash it spawned in 1991 that set the stage for the Republican takeover in ’94.
State Republicans do have to adjust to the fact over the next two election cycles that the state’s Latino population is on the rise, and finding common ground on economic and social issues is a must if they want to keep the Democrats out of power. And it’s really not that hard — while California tends to cluster it’s Hispanic population in low-income areas along the coastline, Texas’ change is far more diffused across the state, meaning you don’t have big clusters of colonias with too many people and not enough jobs (and even in some of those areas that are in Texas south of Interstate 10, the economic boom from the Eagle Ford shale oil and gas drilling should be a big advantage for Republicans to win over Latnio votes — the state Democratic Party tries to downplay the national party’s hatred for fossil fuels and fracking, but for people who suddenly have $40,000-$75,000 jobs in their area, noting that one party would like to legislate those jobs out of existence via federal laws and ruling and one party wouldn’t should be a big GOP recruiting tool if they make the case).
jon1979 on January 24, 2013 at 12:49 PM
It’ll happen….
If you told me in 2000 that Virginia would be a blue state and NC would be a swing state I would have laughed in your face
corujodp on January 24, 2013 at 12:50 PM
Liberals destroy one state, then mass migrate to greener pastures in another but continue to vote for the same policies they always have and contribute to their new home’s decline. They’re kinda like locusts that way.
PerceptorII on January 24, 2013 at 12:52 PM
You’ve finally convinced me you’re a Moby.
Kataklysmic on January 24, 2013 at 12:52 PM
True. Republicans don’t pander by race and identity. They have this naive notion of treating everyone equally. Thus the party that ended slavery and fought for true equality loses 95% of the black vote. LBJ can still be heard laughing at that. And if they did try to out pander Dems, the government would just go broke that much faster.
MechanicalBill on January 24, 2013 at 12:53 PM
The Republicans should argue that their policies make them the party of upward mobility. But they don’t cuz they are dumb.
besser tot als rot on January 24, 2013 at 12:53 PM
It’s been a very long time since we’ve had a Republican party that has tried.
besser tot als rot on January 24, 2013 at 12:54 PM
Take your best shot.
CorporatePiggy on January 24, 2013 at 12:59 PM
Most opposition is due to the fact we made the amnesty deal before and the other side failed to hold up their end of the bargain. Now we are “RACIST!!!” If we don’t have open borders. We are “RACIST!” If we should suggest our boarders be as secure as Mexico’s southern border. The “racism” card has been worn out and and people just start assuming anyone who uses it is a hack.
MechanicalBill on January 24, 2013 at 1:01 PM
1. Amnesty
2. Texas is Blue
sauldalinsky on January 24, 2013 at 1:05 PM
Not so sure about that given the history and the ‘revenue’ base. Not so sure at all.
CorporatePiggy on January 24, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Wait I got an idea… We ban any illegal Mexicans from entering the US since Mexico uses us as their welfare program instead of cleaning up their own mess. Then to combat charges of “racism!” we fast track all other Latinos for citizenship.
MechanicalBill on January 24, 2013 at 1:09 PM
That is a very good point. Texas has been welcoming immigrants from Mexico and the rest of Latin America for generations, and it is a more homogeneous society already than California. Hispanics are part of the fabric and lore of Texas. Texas is also affordable for middle class families and so working Hispanics can live in a nice home in a suburb there, where they can’t in California. There is a lot more upward mobility and so the population is not going to be as suceptible to the progressive class warfare that prevails in California.
I have a lot of family in Texas and they do not see it going Blue anytime soon. There would have to be a real economic disaster in the state that could be laid at the feet of the Republican Party, like what happened nationally in 2008.
rockmom on January 24, 2013 at 1:17 PM
How come our side never mounts an effort to turn say NY or CA red?
See this is why we loose. We’re not broadening the battlefield. We’re ceding their gains, and trying to cling onto ours, instead of aggressively moving into their bastions and making them defend theirs.
See Chris Christie took NJ, but what’s he doing to promote Republicans throughout his state and in neighboring states? This is why I hated Guiliani and Pataki in NY. They never worked to build the party up. The party was a vehicle for their cult of personality. Leadership isn’t just about barking orders, its also about building a lasting organization. Christie is bashing his party! We can provide an alternative to libs in blue states, but no one is even trying.
Oh, and with more Mexicans leaving the US than staying, I’m not sure efforts based on ethnicity will be fruitful.
Iblis on January 24, 2013 at 1:23 PM
Any conservative or GOPer laughing at this story is a moron. A MORON.
Maximizing the growing Latino vote, and a sprinkling of fraud (illegals registered, etc), could flip 5 points. Suddenly the presidential race is 52-47.
The GOP loses Texas and adios mofo.
BocaJuniors on January 24, 2013 at 1:24 PM
I live in Texas and anyone who thinks there’s no chance of Texas turning blue is whistling past the graveyard. The combo of illegals and blue staters coming here has already made all the big cities go dem and it’s only a matter of time until those votes in the urban centers outnumber the votes in the rurul areas like other states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. None of this is by accident, large scale demographic changes are by design whether it’s the US government turning a blind eye to illegals or blue staters moving here, it’s by design. The Labour party in Great Britian just recently had to apologize because their purposefully lax immigration laws have destroyed that culture and it’s just a matter of time before the Great Britain that existed for centuries is gone, same thing happening here.
clearbluesky on January 24, 2013 at 1:26 PM
ONLY A MODERATE CAN SAVE THE GOP FROM ITSELF
::::WRITES IN CHET HUNTSMAN FOR EVERYTHING::::
corujodp on January 24, 2013 at 1:31 PM
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