There are a lot of us down here who weren't down here in 2000. There are also a lot of angry moderate women in my neck of the woods.

I don't know what it is like down around your neck of the woods, but I see more and more NY, MI, PA, OH, FL and CA license plates in the mix in Dallas. It isn't just visitors and university students.

We have a lot from MI, CA, OR, NJ, MA moving into my neighborhood. One of our newest neighbor's daughters actually went to school with BabyG up in MI. We're on the cusp. I can feel it.

Is the whole of Houston under construction? Dallas has been crazy... through the economic crash to now, everything has been under construction, giant construction cranes EVERYwhere. The Arts District downtown, the Perot museum, every major highway is being worked on or expanded, and some new ones being built, new urban apartments and lofts downtown and everywhere... I think most, or a lot, of those rust belt plates are skilled tradesmen down here for the work, but that is just a guess. In any case it is good for Texas. I think we're on the cusp too. I hope that Wendy Davis will lead the way.

The major difference I have seen between Houston and Detroit/Milwaukee is the planned infrastructure. They left room under those huge overpasses for highway expansion and a lot of the streets here in my town are boulevards, to make way for 2 to 4 lane expansion, if needed.

I plan on hitting the streets for Wendy this season.

But on the other hand, living in OH, I see a LOT more KY, TN, WV plates here.

No wonder OH is such a purple state.

I wholly agree with the notion that Texas is a sleeping giant that is awakening.

I really admire all those folks working so hard to make it so.



Julie

who also happens to be the first lesbian mayor of a large city, we can turn the state a lovely shade of electric blue.

The mayor is a personal friend of mine. Annise is a great mayor and has a good working relationship with most communities in Houston, including the downtown business good ol' boys. She's pro-growth and pro-big business and has only a better-than-Republican labor record. By Texas standards, she's a liberal Democrat, but there are community quality of life issues where she's not all that progressive--including being fairly hands-off with the police, being relatively slow about moving traffic onto mass transit alternatives, and enacting policies that are pretty harsh on our out-of-recovery homeless population. She's a smart pol and she knows which side butters her bread.

It's not a big deal for Houston to elect a pro-business liberal Democrat as mayor. In fact, that's an accurate description of every single mayor Houston's had since--and I don't exaggerate--1963. Well, there might be a debate about Jim McConn from the late 70s, but at the time he was certainly a Democrat and not a conservative. My point is, it's no big deal that Houston elected a liberal mayor. We've always been an island (and a bigger island that the ballyhooed Austin area) in the sea of gun-toting Bible thumpers who dominate the state.

If you want a villain's lair in our state's politics, look at Dallas. They're total assholes up there.

Thanks!

I grew up with the Harris County Democrats and Billie Carr, and heard great stories about Frankie Carter Randolph, who founded the progressive Harris County Democrats!!

It was as hard not to love her as it was not to resent her. She was larger than life. We could use a new Billie Carr or three these days.

We made a documentary about Barbara Jordan on DVD. This was shortly after she died.

We wanted to go into a partnership deal to sell it with Good Hope MBC, her church, to raise money for a Barbara Jordan Community Center at the site of their old church on West Dallas. However, the minister wanted ALL the money and didn't want us to get 2/3rds of the proceeds.

We were unemployed at the time & needed the work. So we said "OK, if you don't want to help us spread the message of what a great person Barbara Jordan was, and pay us for our work, then we're out of here and we are no longer Christians."


so we left.

Could have been a mutually beneficial contract had Rev. Cofield not been so greedy.

ticket as mayor. Lived there for 25+ years. As I said nothing new.

I have met angry motivated women, I inspired a few (much to my regret).

getting its employees with them). He may be stealing a lot of liberals who will vote him out of office.

Who remember when Texas WAS blue, and we want that back!

Nay-sayers on here will roll their eyes, but things are changing in Texas.

I don't think it is particularly surprising.

Next in line is probably Georgia.

That would be outstanding!Louisiana needs a lot of help.we work on it on hourly bases.

That is why, mostly GOPer run states like Texas, NC, et al., are fervently suppressing the votes. Texas have intervene for its women voters whereas a female voter MUST HAVE the exact name on her ID, address, driver's license, etc.

I've wondered when they GOPers would try and hinder female voters and Texas have got the ball rolling.

can't be all that deep. Still, the schadenfreude is delicious.

. . .I'll be chipping in some $$$ to some candidates out there soon.

Good luck and good hunting.

Before long it WILL be the entire state.

many who are Republican are escaping the taint of "Blue" and migrating out to the neighboring counties, making them even more red.

LBJ said the South would be lost for a generation.
That generation is OVER.
The Democrats were making some gains under Howard Dean's 50-state program,
but have lost ground after Dean was banished from the DNC.

The Party needs to resurrect the 50 state program
and start spending some money campaigning in the South.

A charismatic Populist like Huey Long running on Pocket Book Issues can WIN anywhere.

I've thought the same thing, that the generation is over. Time to step aside and let the adults manage things!

If Dems get competitive everywhere the thugs will be done. They need to start winning more local and state races if they want to redraw the districts fairly and end this gerrymandered mess. Educate and register voters is a winning strategy.

K & R

This state is poised to slide into the blue column, and a push would only speed things up.

GO BLUE TEXAS!

She is tea-party funded by the Koch faction that has moved into the state. NC needs this voter registration push to throw the new I.D. laws in the face of the GOP.

... What could go wrong?

It seems like its been the predominant, almost exclusive strategy of government throughout most of history.

forever.

It's the thing revolutions are almost singularly based upon, when the 1% overreaches in a declining economy that is creating more poor people than anything else in their country and then uses the force of government to retain their economic hegemony, they tend to end up as dead rich people.

My recollection of what was presented in history class was several thousand years that were basically crushing poverty for the masses while the rich feasted. Sure, occasionally specific rich persons got killed, but then were quickly replaced by a new set of rich persons.

For example, take England. How many monarchs were deposed by the people, as compared to how many died of syphilus over the past 1500 years?

Look at the last three centuries.

The Texas GOP have done everything they thought would keep this state red; now failure is staring them in the face.

WE WILL TURN TEXAS BLUE!!!!

It's their California. Without it they're boned.

...she registered had been from the costs around where I live.

After that I knew the GOP would be fighting tooth and nail to get protect Texas, the only way they can do it now is to send out voter hunting parties

!

Hope the GOP had the time of their life while it lasted.....

... too then they're on top a lil more but they're going to have to try hard as hell to keep Texas from Turning solid blue

Go girls...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pojL_35QlSI

Thanks for the thread, ProSense.

The GOP response to losing the demographic battle is disenfranchisement, redistricting, wedge issues, misinformation, wrapping themselves in the flag, ... always repackaging the same tired stuff.

Let's hope that fickle center of the electorate continues to recognize them for what they are as the polls would suggest it does at this point. I hope the GOP sticks to their idiocy all the way down. Texas going Blue would be a delightful death knell.

Great article.

That is very good news.

We are getting there. It is not a mistake for the dem party to put $$$ in this state. Wendy Davis may just have enough charisma to pull off an upset - her opponent is not that strong of a candidate. Help us.

I think it can be done *this* election. It would be nice to have some national help for a change.

A lot of women get turned away from voting. I somehow think if you're a Repuke woman, you'll be fine and your ID will be accepted.

The Supreme Court! I can't wait until fascist justices like that evil creep Scalia are a dim memory.

We need to keep on pushing, until TX turns Blue.

I only wish we could do something similar here in TN. TN is really purple, but the Repubs have a strangle hold on it.

bankrupt. They sound to be in fund raising mode...be afraid...be very, very afraid. If they don't get some cash soon, they might have to get a job.

they expect to get Keystone through and that is going to be very profitable for them. And I have to believe they are big supporters of that group ...

for taking over the Cato Institute. Big split.

now I will have to read up on that. Who is funding Freedomworks then - is it Heritage? I have some homework to do.

of mishandling funds...imagine that! The Koch Bros incident. Then, many new organizations have popped up, like Demint's group. There contract to fund Blaze TV is draining the coffers. They had to take a million dollar loan.

So many new groups, and so few billionaires. I believe we are seeing the creation of a Conservative Think Tank bubble. Somebody's got to pop.

bankrupt. This sounds like one of those "the sky is falling!!!!" appeal for money. Because for them, financially, apparently the sky really is falling. Certainly hope so!

Republicans know Texas is turning Blue. That's why they will use every sleazy, illegal and unconstitutional tactic to keep Democrats from casting their votes -- if the Justice Department lets them.

I think they just broke the camel's back. You don't mess with Mama. If Mama ain't happy, NOBODY'S happy.

Do we really want the Democratic Party of the 1800s?

thanks for egberto's report, PS

they are who their voter card says that they are. Texas DPS set up Texas women to have their maiden name on their TX Driver's License which does no match the name on their legal documents, the one on their Social Security Card and Texas Voter Registration Card. So every women will have to go to the DPS and get a new picture ID then will have to re-register with the County of residency to get a new Voter Card. Soon after the Robert's written decision to remove parts of the voting law, Texas TEA/GOP went wild suppressing the right to vote and especially intimidating Texas women. (Republican Legislature and Official Assholes!) My driver's license expires in November (on my birthday at the end of the month) so I will be at the DPS getting a renewal and a new picture ID and a new name. I am taking my Birth Certificate and Car Registration papers and Social Security card and Marriage License, to the DPS-Department of Public Safety!

There are some post in the Texas Group on more specific problems that have occurred during early voting. Texans are voting on several Propositions.

You can look yourself up in the county voter database online if you can't find your voter registration. Mine was a bit misleading, because it read Cat R DUer, but when I actually went in to change it online (in some cases possible), I was really registered as Cat Rose DUer. And it matched my other ID, which was just a fluke.

Texas also makes you use your first name, a real pain for those of us who don't use it. And only allows 3 names. So Maria Conchita Ybarros y Santiago is just out of luck.

And all these rules about what name you can actually use makes it more likely that your various forms of ID don't match.

Thanks, Republicans. But I get to vote anyway!

hoops complains loud and publicly about it. The lengths these AHs will go to to make life complicated and deny women and folks of color their rights simply boggles the mind.

And some of them voted for Obama.

http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/President/2012/TX

They had 83 votes for Romney, 82 for Obama, and 1 for Johnson.

I was STUNNED - I had no idea there were 169 people living in Kenedy County.

music to my ears! Add fine wine to that too. Wish I was there to help in this wonderful undertaking. Also, I always thought Georgia should be blue. I was disappointed in 2008 when the President didn't win the state. Maybe we should place that state on the list as well. What was done to Max Cleland is a disgrace to our electoral process.

.... by STOPPING people from voting (i.e. participating in the democratic process)? Gerrymandering, voter suppression, fear tactics, vote-machine rigging, etc...

Isn't that kind of like using a love potion to make someone love you? Even if it works, you'll still KNOW you had to cheat and that the feelings aren't real. I guess if you have no shame and are incapable of guilt, then that still works. But come on -- these bloggers talk about the cheating like it's perfectly acceptable. Maybe they believe their own hype about Democrats being so evil that to them the ends justify the means... Still, however, it amazes me that they're so open about it lately.

======================

BUT they did gerry mander the districts pretty good that one time.

Didn't one judge say a certain district looked like a chicken?

Dunno, maybe that was attempted and failed when the DEMs refused to participate.

Nothing could do more to change my opinion of Texas than to have it go BLUE!! Oh my God...DO IT!!

for family, our grandchildren first. For the lower cost of housing and the better winters. We did not move for Perry or Bush. In fact we are both active in the Texas Democratic Party. Trying to turn Texas at least purple since I don't think it is good for any party to become so dominate it loses sight of the fact that democratic elections are always mini-revolutions.

must be some out there, would be scared to death by what's going on in Republican politics.

I hope this effort in Texas turns that state blue. It can happen, when Democratic activists get the job done.

the GOP should consider themselves lucky because if the U.S. had an election system like Australia does (where voting is mandatory), then it would be virtually impossible for them to win any more presidential elections; they struggle among women and all minority groups, and their policies are clearly unpopular among moderates in addition to liberals. Their only hope is to continue changing the election laws of individual states.