With Texas being the biggest winner of this decade’s decennial census and subsequent congressional reapportionment, many liberals are trying to find a silver lining, especially after their November beat down in which the Texas Democratic delegation shrunk from 12 to 9. We all know that Texas gained so many seats because of our business–friendly environment and low tax burden; but of course, in their typical delirium, Texas Democrats refuse to see the positive in Texas and are instead stuck waiting for some wave of demographic change to overtake Texas Republicans. This is nothing new; they have been approaching elections with this mentality for decades to very little avail. After all, why would anyone be inclined to vote for Texas Democrats when our state is obviously doing just fine without liberal influences?
With Texas being a “majority–minority” state, as reported by that State Comptroller in 2004, and with over 80 percent of Texans living in an urban area, Democrats believe that they will be able to win two, maybe three, of our four new congressional seats, and until November 2010 they thought they could make Texas competitive for Obama in 2012 while taking the state House and Governor’s Mansion in 2010. Did I mention that the liberals are delirious when it comes to Texas? Based on voting patterns, I happen to believe that this is a pipe dream that Democrats have been chasing for far too long, and Texas will continue to not only be our nation’s most prosperous state, but arguably its reddest.
The first myth regarding redistricting is that because growth in the Hispanic community accounted for so much of Texas’ growth, the new districts will have to be in Hispanic–majority districts and therefore benefit Democrats. While the majority of Hispanics may vote for Democrats, for now, judging by the results of November 2010, it is clear that with the right messenger, the Republican Party’s common–sense solutions resonate with all sorts of Texans. After all, if Republicans were so repulsive to Hispanics then why did Hispanics only give Democrats 44% of the vote in TX-23 and 47% in TX-27? Both of these districts were represented by very partisan and well–known Democrats, but as of January 5th they are now officially represented by GOP Congressmen Quico Canseco and Blake Farenthold. More notable, these two districts are districts that are over two-thirds Hispanic!
These men won because they connected with the electorate, and while their opponents had served a long time, they had nothing to show for it. Rather than continue voting with tradition, Hispanics in these districts decided to give a candidate with ideas for growth a chance. This gives the Republican Party an opportunity to capitalize on these gains by showing other Hispanics through these new congressmen that our party prefers to substitute mediocrity and dependency with hard work and liberty. Not all Hispanics agree on every issue, and neither do Republicans; however, we all seem to agree that the central tenants of a strong society basically revolve around the sanctity of life, the value of family values, and promoting pro–growth policies that encourage our natural entrepreneurial spirit.
In addition to the shift in demographics in Texas, some seem to believe that because over 80 percent of Texans live in a metropolitan/urban area, the Democrats will once again just naturally benefit without having to work for these votes. Go figure, liberals believe they can accomplish something without working for it. What they fail to see is that while most Texans live in an urban area, they are actually exurban or suburban which greatly favors the GOP, especially here in Texas.
When looking at the nation’s 20 most populous congressional districts, all containing between 800,000 and 1 million constituents, you’ll see that only three are represented by Democrats. In addition, five of those districts are right here in Texas! On the flip side, more than half of the 20 least populous congressional districts are represented by a Democrat in Congress. So what exactly is going on? I thought that “majority–minority” and “populous” (or “urban”) were supposed to be synonymous with ripe for Democrats? Maybe the truth is that despite flirting with liberalism in 2006 and 2008, America is still a center–right nation and nowhere does the Republican message resonate more than in Texas.
I assume that other states will continue to follow our lead, after decades of conservative dominance Texas is in a better financial situation than any other state which is precisely why we earned four more congressional seats. Having seen a real success story, troubled states have already begun to follow our lead. For instance, Michigan (traditionally dominated by Democrats and rife with bad job numbers) now has a Republican governor and state legislature, as do other states in the region. Hopefully this influx of personal and fiscal responsibility will bode well for these states. It has for Texas.
