The Nation: Texas' Democratic Resurgence, nay, Resurrection

[furrbear]

The Nation's July 21, 2008 issue's cover story is a nice analysis of a phenonmenon I've blogged a about few times in the past year or so, The resurgence of the Democratic Party in Texas. These days, the Realm of the Bushes is now being described--in the Wall Street Journal, no less--as potentially "the next California."

"Democrats have started learning this everywhere," says Matt Angle, "but nowhere more than in Texas: you can't be afraid to say that you want government to work, that some things are a higher priority than cutting taxes." And even in Republican bastions like Arlington (the largest city in the US with no, none, zilch, nada public transportation), the "I'll cut your taxes." Republican mantra is wearing thin.

"We're going to do what we're doing regardless," says Molly Hanchey, the ObamaDallas chair "They didn't get us started--we did, even before Obama declared his candidacy." And Texas' newly focused Democrats have plenty to shoot for down the ballot. "The Dean strategy, and now the Obama strategy," says Matt Angle, former chief of staff to Dallas Congressman Martin Frost, "recognizes that there is something to win in every state. And that, as we've learned in Texas, you don't build a party from the top down."

Amen to that. Go read and learn why Texas Democrats are giddily optimistic. Yes, Texas Democrats.

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How Democrats Could Turn Texas Into the Blue Star State

Bob Moser:

It's their most surprising red-state revival--and Barack Obama's happy dilemma.

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"Did I mention that it's fun to be a Democrat in Texas?" asks Matt Glazer, editor in chief of the Burnt Orange Report, the state's leading progressive blog. He has, in fact, mentioned it a couple of times over beers at Scholz Garten, a legendary liberal hangout in Austin, and always with the same glimmer of happy bemusement behind his black-frame blogger specs. I'd been seeing that look in Democrats' eyes all over Texas in early June--at their raucous, record-breaking state convention, at local Democratic shindigs, in giddily overburdened Obama HQs. "It's like everyone who toiled on that Democratic death march for years, when it was so difficult, is now seeing daylight," says Josh Berthume of the Dallas suburb Denton, editor in chief of TheTexasBlue.com and another key player in a vigorous blogosphere that has helped ignite the startling Democratic flare-up here, in the bright red heart of Tom DeLay and Karl Rove's "permanent" Republican majority.

(Full story Online)

Comments

[jediknightcub.livejournal.com]

*keeps fingers crossed for blue Texas on election night*

Sure, I hope this is a tidal wave of change for the nation - but I'm really hoping that this election will end the fundie-right's stranglehold on state government.

You know, I just realized that while Bush has "only" been president since 2001 - in Texas we've had to deal with this jackhole since 1994. 14 years of Chimpy McFlightsuit cannot be over fast enough.

[popebuck1.livejournal.com]

Somewhere, Molly Ivins is smiling. And hoisting a big margarita with Ann Richards.

[jaybear.livejournal.com]

It's been really amazing to watch from afar. Politics in Mass is so boring - it basically boils down to which faction of the state Democratic party is in control this decade. I'm really missing TX.