Dear Texas: Are you ready to go Democratic yet?

[MoonRiver]

And, just an fyi, regulations save lives. Got it?

[awesomerwb1]

1. Give it 15 years +-

A little less if that plant that's been in the news blows up.

[zipplewrath]

2. In their defense

Most of the major urban areas lean democratic. It's just that it is a big state and once you get outside of those areas, it quickly turns heavily GOPer. You can run 60%+ in urban areas, but that isn't going to be big enough to counteract the 70%+ in outlying areas. The demographics are slowly turning against them though. Probably another 10 - 15 years.

[Jose Garcia]

3. The problem is the suburbs

Yes, Republicans dominate the rural areas, but that's not where the votes are. If Democrats can start winning the suburbs it will be over for the GOP in Texas.

[zipplewrath]

9. Yup

The suburbs are the "transition zone" between the urban area and the rural areas in a political sense. The one oddball part is that the suburbs are loaded with the upper middle class "got money, got republican". How they end up feeling so much kinship with the backwoods, rural bunch I'll never understand.

[Maraya1969]

4. We and the DNC should be thinking about ways to win over these republican areas

One thing I think is we need to point out to the far right Christians that it is anti-life to not fight for health care for all children and to refuse to allow children to come here from war ravaged nations where they will probably meet certain death if no one takes them in.

Pointing out hypocrisy should have an effect on a lot of them I believe

[zipplewrath]

10. A few maybe

I've rarely seen people react much to having their hypocrisy exposed. Denial is a powerful tool.

There has always been a rural/urban conflict in our politics. In the past it was exposed more as a merchant/agrarian conflict. The problem it has created over the years is because of gerrymandering, mods to the congressional make up, and the inclusion of large, almost all rural, states. This ends up distorting our national politics by over empowering the rural voter.

[clu]

12. back the progressive platform with a spine

and watch moderates who voted for Obama (change) come back in droves

[Maraya1969]

20. Are you saying Hillary didn't do this?

[workinclasszero]

5. Like this damn redstate Missouri

KC, St Louis, Columbia are sane democratic.

The entire rest of the state is Alex Jones/Hannity/Limpballs insane republican.

[DavidDvorkin]

6. Much of the country is that way

The reliably Democratic states are the ones where the major city is so big that it swamps the rest -- Chicago, NYC, etc.

[workinclasszero]

7. I just don't get why

the more rural areas of the country love to cut their own throats by voting republican.

It makes no sense.

[Dave Starsky]

8. A lot of people move out there to get away from "them".

Their fear and loathing of "them" outweighs their common sense about their own situation.

[DavidDvorkin]

15. I think most rural people come from those areas

Rather than moving there.

Why they aren't all raging democratic socialists is a mystery to me. Instead, if they're not ultra-conservative, they're populist of the nasty, xenophobic variety.

[Dave Starsky]

17. The ones who come from there grow up afraid of "them".

You learn from Day One that "they" are different and dangerous. All of the problems of the world outside come to you on your TV, and it all seems to happen because of "those people". You are insulated from all that in the rural areas. You are safe.

I say this only as someone who grew up in a rural area of a very red state. In a rural area, you are far removed and are therefore well protected from the troublemakers of the world. And it is in your very best interest to keep "those people" at bay.

[clu]

11. hey we had ann richards

waiting to go back is more like it

[LanternWaste]

13. We have been for some time...

Just an FYI: we have been for some time, but over the past six years, the state has stubbornly defended oddly drawn districts that have been the result of political and racial gerrymandering.

Got it (part two)?

[MoonRiver]

14. Well, what are you going to do about it?

I was born and raised in TX when it was solidly Democratic. Have been gone 26 years, but, yeah, I still get it.

[haveahart]

16. Trump going to try to buy them off and change his image with $1M donation?

Really? Like all his other donations, i imagine.

[Initech]

18. Well it happened to Louisiana and they're still red!

If being underwater doesn't get you to change the error of your ways, what will?

[Dreamer Tatum]

19. Where it's always 72 degrees and sunny.

I doubt that going Dem (psst - it kind of already is) would stop rain from falling in excess.