Texas GOP's suicidal dance

It will not happen this election cycle, but within ten years, Texas will become the next California -- reliably (if more conservatively) Democratic.

Demographic trends all favor the Dems, with the state's exploding Latino population voting 66-75 percent for Democrats. Pres. Bush recognized this, and has made outreach efforts to Latinos and other minorities a priority. However, Texas wingnuts are doing everything possible to accelerate the state's transition to a Democratic bastion.

At the Texas' GOP convention, delegates defining the party's platform have voted to:

• End bilingual education programs
• harsher laws against immigrants
• Harsher abortion laws
• The posting of the ten commandments on government property

In addition, they have declared the US a "Christian Nation", while dinosaur Sen. Phil Gramm mocks the multicultural Democratic ticket: "Democrats believe that they can divide Texas based on race. That's their dream and that's their vision. And this election is about rejecting that dream and that vision once and for all."

So in essence, Gramm and the wingnuts (who cheered him heartily) are essentially fighting to reject the vision of a multicultural ticket. They are fighting for an all-Anglo ticket. That'll sell well with the very Latinos Bush is trying to court.

But most significantly, the wingnuts are trying hard to withhold state party funds to candidates who don't jive with the party platform. In effect destroying the moderate element of the state GOP.

Trends are already threatening GOP hegemony in Texas. While redistricting has been kind to them, and will probably help them take over the state's legislative bodies, their state-wide candidates are in a fight for their lives (enter Karen Hughes' Texas homecoming). While the more Latino-friendly policies of Dubya gave Republicans hope they would be able to contain their losses, the state party is doing its best to alienate not only Latinos, but moderate Anglos as well. And, if the wingnuts succeed in withholding campaign funds to moderate Republicans, we won't have to wait 10 years for Democrats to become competitive in the state once again.

Posted June 10, 2002 10:51 AM | Comments (0)