Top 5 reasons why Texas will soon be a Battleground state

[usregimechange]

1). No more home field advantage from a former governor.
2). Growing Hispanic population. Census 2000 = 32%, Census 2006 35.7%
3). Young population, 9.9% 65+ below the national average of 12.4%
4). No more GOP spread in Dallas, 2000 53%-45%, 2004 50%-49%, 2008 blue
5). Higher Democratic turnout and registration, turnout - 2004 = 839,231, 2008 = 2,874,986

It may take another election cycle or two but Texas is changing.

[Bicoastal]

1. And let's not forget who's been president for the last 7 years.

[Cha]

27. Right..let's not forget

The Perfect Storm that could up that prediction a cycle or two.

[Orsino]

36. Okay, but we should still campaign there, anyway.

No need to demand reparations, salt the earth, or to sell the land back to Mexico. :D

[TheDebbieDee]

2. Do you mean to say, "Top 5 reasons why Texas

will soon be a LEAN BLUE state"?

[usregimechange]

3. Yep but I think this may b more accurate

[grantcart]

4. 6) Buyers remorse and Seller's remorse

Wouldn't it be the ultimate irony in American politics if the Katrina migrants became the final push.

For similar reasons AZ is also closer than expected.

[Robbins]

5. Texas

Remember polls have Obama behind Mccain by a few points.And the senate seat In Texas could be In
play.

[mdmc]

18. that would be the ultimate irony

the way I see it, everything is leaning blue these days.

[bevoette]

6. as a white woman married to a black man in the bluest city in the state...

if Texas went for Obama, i think my head would explode


and my heart :patriot:

[babylonsister]

11. As a white woman married to a white man, my

heart would explode, too! Stranger things have happened...:toast:

[4_Legs_Good]

7. Taking Texas would be sooooo sweet!!!

At the very least I wanna see McSame waste a lot of resources there.

Go Texas!

David

[blogslut]

8. "Texas is ready to turn blue"

- Howard Dean: May 31, 2008

[recadna]

9. I hope we won't waste a penny in there

It makes no difference losing 20+% or 2%.

The goal is simple:
Keeping MI and winning OH or VA. Everything else is gravy. If we lose two of three states, it really doesn't matter how purple TX/MS/LA/whatever are.

[phrigndumass]

10. It won't be a waste ... if Texas comes close, LA and MS will be blue

It definitely doesn't hurt to try.

[babylonsister]

12. 50-state strategy, baby!

:thumbsup:

[ellisonz]

17. Oh Hell Yes!

We'll cut the beating heart out of the GOP:evilgrin:

Election fraud:scared:

[babylonsister]

19. Heh. Here's my current reasoning, being in a good mood and all...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3403584&mesg_id=3403627

[ellisonz]

20. We can only hope at this point...

...but I do not discount the local GOPer willingness to go to any length to prevent minorities from voting.

[blogslut]

13. Wrong

Texas has 34 electoral votes and is a winner-take-all state. If Barack Obama takes Texas, well, the GOP will die. We have that chance.

More Democrats turned up to vote in this Texas primary than did for the whole GE in 2004 - 2,874,986 people to be exact.

By comparison, only 1,362,322 Republicans showed up to vote in their Texas 2008 primary. A primary where Mike Huckabee won 38.02% of the vote.

This year, we woke a sleeping giant.

In addition, there's a great chance that state representative Rick Noriega can beat John Cornyn in this year's US Senate race. We have the opportunity to win Democratic offices across the whole state.

You better believe we need to spend money in Texas.

[cbc5g]

24. Agree 100%

[girl gone mad]

14. Uh-huh, suuuure...

:eyes:

[Danger Mouse]

16. Have faith in the 50-state strategy.

[cbc5g]

22. 50 state strategy is the best strategy...keep McCain on the run

He's going to be pouring all of his money (and devious diebold hackers) into Ohio and Florida. We have a chance to win this even without Ohio and Florida, and it's a good one. But I do think, barring election fraud, Ohio will go Obama.

[progressive_realist]

29. The term "strategy" means looking at the long term results.

Forcing McBush to spend his funds there this year means having Texas be a swing state in 2012. Plus we can pick up a Senate seat this year. It's definitely worth spending money on. The demographics have shifted and Texas is no longer a safe Republican state.

[Stop Cornyn]

30. Sloppy thinking. There are senate and congressional races to be won besides Obama's upset!

[ShadowLiberal]

15. It's got blueward trends for sure, but the hispanic population won't be as effective as you think

Texas is slowly getting bluer I agree, but saying Texas has 30% Hispanics is misleading, they're the least likely race to vote. Also a lot of them are illegal immigrants there, who wouldn't even attempt to vote for fear of getting deported. Then there's the GOP's attempts to suppress minority's voting powers.

Texas will turn blue eventually if the trends continue, but for now the GOP has the advantage of incumbency, and the ability to hinder the opposition by making election laws that favor them. On the bright side though, I read recently that new election laws limiting voting rights have to be reviewed by someone in Washington DC (I forget who or what) and be approved for states that have in the past tried to suppress the votes of minorities.

[babylonsister]

23. Link to Hispanics the least likely race to vote? I never read that. nt

[StevieM]

21. I would be shocked if we won Texas. Maybe in 20 years--who knows (eom)

[ZenKitty]

25. You have lost your mind...

no way it's going to happen...in my lifetime or yours.

[babylonsister]

26. Again, links to your assertion, or is that just a gut feeling? Tell us

why you know for sure. You're full of shit if you post and run.:P

[rainbow4321]

32. TX GOPers must think otherwise

Cuz for the first time that I can remember (lived here for 20 years), TX GOPers felt a need to start up and advertise a door to door GOTV. It was in the Dallas Morning News a few weeks back.

The huge TX Dem turnout has them a little nervous. As it should. In 2006, with much less of a turnout than we will see this year, Dallas County voters FIRED all of it's repuke judges and brought in Democratic judges. Clean sweep. One local pol said at the time that he placed all the blame at Bush's feet... Pissed off local voters doing a straight ticket Dem vote from top to bottom.
And that was not even a prez election year. Now we are in a prez election year..that coupled with historic TX Dem turnout and, well, things don't look too rosy for TX repukes right now.

In the 2004 prez election, Dallas County went 49% for Kerry while chimp only got 51%. Again, that is with a lower turnout than is expected THIS year.

I've said it before here but it is worth saying again. I hope the national level Dems keep an eye on TX cuz the repukes are panicking and that panicking repukes = even worse vote stealing/fraud than previous years.

[Stop Cornyn]

28. Believe it

[davidpdx]

31. It would be nice if that happen

does anyone know what the latest polling data is there? Also what about George's approval rating in his home state?

[Hart2008]

33. #1 reason it its possible: Bob Barr and the Libertarian party are already on the ballot!

http://www.lp.org/index_ba08.html

If Barr can take 6-8% like he is polling in Georgia and North Carolina, a Dem winning Texas is possible.

[Stevepol]

34. TX is one of the most voting machine counted states in the nation.

I personally believe it has been blue for some time but it's impossible to know that when the machines can be so easily manipulated without being detected. A recent thread notes the close ties between election officials and the vendors.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x503920

There's a chance of Obama winning of course if it's a real landslide in TX, but even landslides can be re-calibrated as the 06 landslide was.

www.electiondefensealliance.org

[TTUBatfan2008]

35. I am right in the middle of Bush country...

Midland, Texas. You all have no idea how much I would love it if Texas goes blue in November. McCain is fucked if such a huge red stronghold is lost. I am in the oil industry and put up with a lot of right wingers at work every day. I am quiet and don't say anything for fear of getting fired.

[Honeycombe8]

37. This Texan hopes you're right!!!!!! Yeeeee-haaaaa! nt

[DeepModem Mom]

38. I see, one of these days, a blue swath stretching from Texas to Cali. nt