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Texans

Why are they all so proud of their stupid, backwards state?

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by Anonymousreply 136June 26, 2018 9:56 PM

When you feel helpless to avoid the pain, best to learn to love it. Works for Muslims, and spousal abuse too.

by Anonymousreply 1June 21, 2018 8:41 PM

They conflate lunkheaded state pride and white nationalism.

by Anonymousreply 2June 21, 2018 8:41 PM

Weird, isn't it? I mean, with the other big ego states (New York, California), people from outside the state usually like things about it (Manhattan! Yosemite!), but no one outside of Texas likes Texas. People go there for the jobs, but they don't love it. Native Texans, though, LOVE it.

by Anonymousreply 3June 21, 2018 8:44 PM

Native Texan here, lived there til age 37 til I escaped to NYC.

I agree there is a freakish sense of pride that seems to come natural to "us." Maybe it goes back to when Texas was its own country, I don't know. It's a huge state, with plains, coasts, mountains and deserts. Pretty much has it all, except for common sense.

I would never move back.

by Anonymousreply 4June 21, 2018 8:51 PM

What I realize is Texas is huge with a big ass population and variety of folks. really you'd be surprise.Most texans my age, 20s, don't even have the country accent anymore, which the ones that do is sexy as fuck. I fkin love texans. They are some of the coolest people on Earth.

by Anonymousreply 5June 21, 2018 9:00 PM

Like R4 said, they never got over the fact that Texas was briefly an independent country.

by Anonymousreply 6June 21, 2018 9:05 PM

There is no there there.

by Anonymousreply 7June 21, 2018 9:49 PM

Fun fact: When Texas was admitted to the union, there was a provision in the annexation document that it could divide itself into as many as five separate states at any time if it wanted to. I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

by Anonymousreply 8June 21, 2018 9:50 PM

Texan born and bred here. Some of us don’t have that weird pride thing. Texas has a lot going for it but I don’t think it’s the best place on the planet like some do. Most of us more liberal types realize its flaws. It’s the right wing weirdos who bristle at any criticism at all.

by Anonymousreply 9June 21, 2018 9:55 PM

Because they're stupid and backwards.

by Anonymousreply 10June 21, 2018 9:58 PM

The fake Christian piety, the even faker, flag waving patriotism, and the thinly veiled xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny are disgusting.

But Texas hardly has a monopoly on this, it pretty much runs rampant through the Bible Belt and the Midwest.

by Anonymousreply 11June 21, 2018 10:06 PM

It's like the white pride of racist white trash. Nothing much going on for them. So, empty pride that no one takes seriously.

by Anonymousreply 12June 21, 2018 10:14 PM

I'm an old native Texan. I used to be proud. In the 50s, it was taught in the schools, how we were better than other states. You know -- the Alamo, Lyndon Johnson, Dan Rather, Willie Nelson, Barbara Jordan, Ann Richards, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, TexMex, King Ranch, Neiman Marcus. A few years ago I did my genealogy and found out that my forebears dragged their slaves to Texas before, during, and after the Civil War determined not to lose them, and the cracks in my identity started to form. Politics since Obama have caused me to do something I never dreamed I'd do: declare myself a Californian. I've lived in CA for almost 20 years but until Trump I called myself a Texan. No more.

by Anonymousreply 13June 21, 2018 10:25 PM

Dallas is a wonderful, modern city!

Plus, LOTS of hot men here!

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by Anonymousreply 14June 21, 2018 10:26 PM

I think a big part of Texan pride is from the fact that the state is just so damn big. "Everything is bigger in Texas", as they say. Every state in the union has a level of state pride. Texan's pride is just bigger, like everything else there.

by Anonymousreply 15June 21, 2018 11:01 PM

There are worse states -- Oklahoma, Alabama, Nebraska, Kansas, Kentucky -- but because of its size it has the worst influence on the country. Basically as bad a large population of assholes as a state can muster up.

Oddly, there isn't a single nice thing about it. The beaches, such as they are, are remarkably ugly. The hill country is also ugly. Even the deserts are ugly. It's just one ugly-ass state filled with vicious bigots.

So to answer OP's question: it's only because Texans are so basically insular, backward, and dumb that they think the state is worth bragging about.

(PS: My partner is from Odessa. He hated it so much he refused to go back for family funerals. In fact, he left at 18 and never once returned.)

by Anonymousreply 16June 21, 2018 11:20 PM

Texas has the hottest guys in the country.

by Anonymousreply 17June 21, 2018 11:21 PM

I’m a Californian, but my grandfather was a Texan. Evil Texan.

by Anonymousreply 18June 21, 2018 11:37 PM

Alaska is bigger than Texas, but they're not obnoxious about it.

by Anonymousreply 19June 21, 2018 11:39 PM

R16 no one wants to stay in Odessa except ranchers.

I disagree on it all being ugly. Big Bend and the Hill Country are gorgeous.

by Anonymousreply 20June 21, 2018 11:39 PM

R19 have you met Alaskans? I grew up in Seattle and met quite a few there. Yes they are obnoxious it’s just that the population there is so low and they tend not to leave so most Americans haven’t met any. They are differently obnoxious from Texans but they are often similarly insufferable.

by Anonymousreply 21June 21, 2018 11:49 PM

I've been to Alaska. They do leave (for Seattle) because not even Alaskans can stand months of darkness (the state government *pays* people to winter there.). I find Alaskans less obnoxious than Texans--what's striking to me is that they're in a time warp. Alaska's history is all more recent--pioneer days are in the early-mid 20th Century.

by Anonymousreply 22June 22, 2018 12:36 AM

Texas is a shithole.

That's not something to be proud of. Their "elected" officials eat their own boogers on camera.

by Anonymousreply 23June 22, 2018 12:41 AM

It's such a red state, except for maybe Austin. Guns, god and no gays. Hate it. I wish they would ceccede.

by Anonymousreply 24June 22, 2018 1:03 AM

Large parts of Houston are blue. Hopefully, with influx of foreign workers and people from other states it will turn even more so.

by Anonymousreply 25June 22, 2018 1:09 AM

i was going to post what r17 said. my experience with the state is limited to layovers at DFW or Houston, but they sure seem to grow them big down there. mama likey!

p.s. r24: ceccede? expert trolling.

by Anonymousreply 26June 22, 2018 1:09 AM

R24 sounds like the one of them smartust Texans ever.

by Anonymousreply 27June 22, 2018 1:19 AM

Deep in the hole of Texass.

by Anonymousreply 28June 22, 2018 1:30 AM

That's Right, You're Not From Texas

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by Anonymousreply 29June 22, 2018 1:43 AM

Take away the barbecue and Mexican food and there's very little reason to visit Texas.

by Anonymousreply 30June 22, 2018 2:15 AM

I think that they *may* have one advantage in that Texas has it's own power grid; during the next EMP, (from whatever source) theoretically it may come up faster than the eastern or western interconnections. I am seriously considering this in relocation plans.

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by Anonymousreply 31June 22, 2018 2:30 AM

R31 Texas got gasoline almost immediately after Harvey. We have our own pipelines and lots of refineries.

by Anonymousreply 32June 22, 2018 2:48 AM

Hold it, we're down to Texans boasting about having its own energy grid? Alaska has two. Florida also has its own grid. And as ridiculous as Florida is, I'd rather be stuck there than Texas.

by Anonymousreply 33June 22, 2018 3:17 AM

I was stating a fact about getting fuel faster, not power grids.

by Anonymousreply 34June 22, 2018 3:42 AM

After the Kennedy assassination I had been given to understand that some taxi drivers, for some time (several weeks, months) in cities outside of Texas such as New York or Boston, refused to do business with people they knew were from Texas. Don't know how true this is or if it is some sort of "urban myth".

by Anonymousreply 35June 22, 2018 3:55 AM

No thank you!

by Anonymousreply 36June 22, 2018 3:57 AM

Ah'm proud t'be an asshole from El Paso . . .

by Anonymousreply 37June 22, 2018 4:05 AM

You all are assuming all Texans are white trash. The majority of Texans around me in Houston are not white. They are Hispanic and they are very proud of Texas.

I've lived all over and I'd rather live in Texas than anywhere else. It's just more comfortable. It doesn't feel like a white, racist cesspool at all. It was like that when I was growing up in the 80s but not anymore.

Of course I'm white (adjacent) so I can't say what it feels like for other races. However when I lived in the Deep South the racism was pervasive and palpable even to me. Same with the East Coast. So fuck you all. Texas is great.

by Anonymousreply 38June 22, 2018 4:07 AM

I’m in Houston too R38 and, yes, it’s very cosmopolitan and diverse. The white trash are in smaller, more rural areas.

by Anonymousreply 39June 22, 2018 4:11 AM

I have heard it gets extremely hot there during the summer--isn't this a drawback to any estimation of desirability for living there? I realize we have air conditioning in the modern world in which we live but I can't imagine being an absolute slave to AC as they seem to be in South. No one goes outside during the day; I can't imagine what it must have been like to live in a place like Texas before air conditioning.

by Anonymousreply 40June 22, 2018 4:19 AM

I lived in Texas for five years and was greatly impressed with the wide open spaces......that most people had between their ears. arrogance and ignorance are a toxic combo

by Anonymousreply 41June 22, 2018 4:22 AM

Cuz they're stupid and backwards?

by Anonymousreply 42June 22, 2018 4:30 AM

Californian here who lived in San Antonio for a few years. I came screaming back to my overpriced, traffic-ridden Bay Area. I'd rather live in a shoebox here than in a mansion in that hot hell-hole.

by Anonymousreply 43June 22, 2018 4:34 AM

Believe it or not, people do go out during the day. I think you develop some tolerance but there is always a/c to escape to.

by Anonymousreply 44June 22, 2018 4:36 AM

I'm a 7th generation Texan. One line of my family came to Texas in 1836. I have a love/hate relationship with my state. I love its geographical diversity, its history, its mythology, its culture and its food. I hate its politics, its traffic, its weather, its conservatism, and its religiosity. I've happily lived here my entire life. But I would move away if given the opportunity.

by Anonymousreply 45June 22, 2018 4:39 AM

R43, I've never met a Californian who liked living in Texas--Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, New York, even Idaho are all doable--but something about Texas gets on the nerves of even the most go-with-the-flow Californian.

by Anonymousreply 46June 22, 2018 4:43 AM

Yet apparently Californians are migrating to Texas. Jobs, I guess.

by Anonymousreply 47June 22, 2018 4:46 AM

There are a lot of Californians--and California's always attracted somewhat transient people. Because the desirable parts of the state are so expensive, people can't afford to live the life they want in, say, the Bay Area or Santa Monica, so they leave. But despite all the talk of emigration from California, fact is, the population is still increasing enough that the state will probably get another congressional seat after the next census.

The Californians who move tend to look for some part of Texas that they hope will be like California--Austin being the obvious example--though as one California expat told me, "It's like Sacramento."--i.e. adequate, but not more than that.

The Californians, on the other hand, who relocate to, say, Seattle or Boulder, tend to go on about how wonderful their new home is.

by Anonymousreply 48June 22, 2018 4:59 AM

Houston here. But not a native. Have been here 4 years, and trying to make the best of it. It’s a huge town, with some diversity and civility if you stay close to the center. Go outside of 610 and it gets dicey. Go outside of the Beltway (BW8) and it’s angry and red.

OP, it’s not necessary to slam all of us with your judgmental broad shot.

by Anonymousreply 49June 22, 2018 5:03 AM

r49, I have heard Houston's public transportation is woefully inadequate--it that true? I've never heard of it having a subway or any kind of light rail system. This to me is a reflection of the "Texas" way of thinking. I've also heard the state legislature meets very infrequently.

by Anonymousreply 50June 22, 2018 5:08 AM

I'm not R49, but I can answer the legislature question. The state constitution requires that it meet every two years. But the governor can call a special session any time in between.

by Anonymousreply 51June 22, 2018 5:14 AM

Public transport does suck. It’s a car city.

by Anonymousreply 52June 22, 2018 5:15 AM

The only thing interesting about Texas is the huge influence of Mexican culture.

I'm trying to think of something else but for the life of me, I can't. Mike Judge. There's a second thing.

by Anonymousreply 53June 22, 2018 5:23 AM

I'm in Seattle in big tech. Was recruited to go to Austin. Spent two weekends there. If that's the best you got, fuck that state.

by Anonymousreply 54June 22, 2018 5:33 AM

More liberals must move there and turn that fucking state blue.

by Anonymousreply 55June 22, 2018 5:36 AM

I live in California and worked with a native Californian who lived in Texas for a while. He said that despite the history of Texas having seceded from the Union during the Civil War, the separatist way of thinking lie just below the surface and is taken much more seriously than any secessionist sentiment in California. Texans are generally very patriotic about being part of the US, but the idea of again trying to secede is still "held in reserve" as some sort of right. Texas and California both began as independent republics in and of their own right. California's was far more brief but is reflected in their flag, although I guess that is what the "lone star" is supposed to mean in the flag of Texas.

by Anonymousreply 56June 22, 2018 5:44 AM

Indeed, R56. Texas rates a lone star, out of four.

by Anonymousreply 57June 22, 2018 6:01 AM

I'm sorry, but Oklahoma is a tiny wet turd ball that clings to the ass hair around texas' anus.

by Anonymousreply 58June 22, 2018 6:28 AM

5th-generation Texan here. I live in Austin. I don't looooooove it. I do appreciate some of the cultural things in Texas: Tejano culture and food, in particular. And the cost of living is great. But I agree that it is a crazy ass place in many ways. Most of my family are gun-toting, Trump-loving, truck-driving fools, and they think they are the normal ones and everyone else is crazy. They really do.

by Anonymousreply 59June 22, 2018 1:20 PM

R50 - Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S. by population, and the 1st in geographic size. Yet, there is one fledgling light rail track that extends from the Astrodome/NRG area to downtown.

To its credit, most of the freeways here are expanding rapidly. But at any given moment, getting through the city is a real hassle. My daily commute is 48 miles each way.

by Anonymousreply 60June 22, 2018 1:35 PM

It’s a mass delusion.

You know the cheap tribal thrill sports fans get when their team wins a championship and they pour into the streets to shout “we’re number one?” Texans have managed to have a little bit of that feeling all the time for no good reason.

New Yorkers have a similar collective sense of superiority, but they are living in one of the great cities in human history.

by Anonymousreply 61June 22, 2018 1:42 PM

I can only guess because they too are stupid and backwards.

by Anonymousreply 62June 22, 2018 1:45 PM

Fled about 20 years ago to the East Coast. Still have to visit family there. My sister moved to the Hill Country a couple years ago and I thought I would give an open-minded consideration to relocating there myself. After a week of scouting around, I just realized that it’s all terrible. Where she lives is half an hour to anywhere else, it’s not that pretty, and there is plenty of evidence of the backwards attitude I fled still floating around. Austin is tolerable but it’s really not that great unless you have a whole lot of money or want to live an hour from downtown.

by Anonymousreply 63June 22, 2018 1:59 PM

Hard to comprehend the size of Texas until you drive. It’s HUGE. Like 5 different states in one. With 3-4 large cities. So I get the Texas identity issue. The conservatism is nasty outside the major cities. Largely due to the isolation. You don’t have to deal with different people for miles in some places.

by Anonymousreply 64June 22, 2018 3:55 PM

You people are dumb as hell if you don't realize how varied and culturally diverse Texas is. You guys really need to get out more.

by Anonymousreply 65June 22, 2018 5:10 PM

I've encountered some high school students from Texas and other Southern states. I like how they answer back to their teachers, "Yes, sir."

by Anonymousreply 66June 22, 2018 5:20 PM

I agree R65 but I do think a lot of the people posting on this thread are trolling for an argument. Also, a lot of NY and CA gays sneer at any state that isn't NY or CA.

by Anonymousreply 67June 22, 2018 5:20 PM

After spending a year in Texas, I still use “ thank you sir/ma’am “ in a lot of situations. I think it shows a respect for the other person. But people in NYC occasionally give me an odd response.

by Anonymousreply 68June 22, 2018 5:22 PM

Not all Texans are stupid or idiots you moronic OP!

by Anonymousreply 69June 22, 2018 5:33 PM

r65 PREACH!

by Anonymousreply 70June 22, 2018 5:34 PM

Why are so many (like the OP) threatened by Texas?

by Anonymousreply 71June 22, 2018 5:34 PM

Austin is hipster trash.

Dallas is a beautiful and exciting city! It's a wonderful place to live!

by Anonymousreply 72June 22, 2018 5:38 PM

Dallas is one step away from Oklahoma. Houston is the best and most exciting city in TX. A little Guif Coast/New Orleans flavor, most diverse city in US, great food, Menil collection, large, near coast. Dallas is the worst stereotype of Texas - the only Texas area that I truly loathe.

by Anonymousreply 73June 22, 2018 6:39 PM

It’s a shrhole

by Anonymousreply 74June 22, 2018 6:42 PM

I live in Houston and dislike Dallas. Very stereotypical big hair and flashy clothes types. Houston is like R73 says.

by Anonymousreply 75June 22, 2018 6:44 PM

[quote] Also, a lot of NY and CA gays sneer at any state that isn't NY or CA.

Generally it's the transplants who sneer at other states, and they do it to try and make themselves feel like they were born and raised in NY or CA because they're very envious of the natives and they still have that "transplant inferiority complex". The natives New Yorkers and Californians don't have anything to prove, to themselves or anyone else. Frankly, I've met few natives of either state who don't have one thing in mind, how to get out and move somewhere else.

by Anonymousreply 76June 22, 2018 7:14 PM

Some tasty texans for sure. Very courtly.

by Anonymousreply 77June 22, 2018 7:18 PM

I find some new yorkers afraid to state they like something. they easily will go on and on about what they hate or can't stand but never be like I love this and here is the reason why. Mostly in Dallas I had no problem with such things

by Anonymousreply 78June 22, 2018 7:19 PM

NYer here at R73 . Hate Dallas, love Houston.

by Anonymousreply 79June 22, 2018 7:24 PM

Dallas is strip malls and concrete. Houston smells. And don’t say “that’s Pasadena” because Houston stinks in its own right.

by Anonymousreply 80June 23, 2018 12:38 AM

Do Texans taste like barbecue?

by Anonymousreply 81June 23, 2018 12:39 AM

R67 - No, not looking for an argument. I live in TX so it’s of no benefit to me to trash it without good reason. But for those who praise its diversity, and claim that the rest of us don’t get it - YOU are the ones who allowed Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz to happen. They are completely representative of the majority’s mindset here. Don’t be so proud of our diversity until it’s represented throughout the state’s political ranks.

by Anonymousreply 82June 23, 2018 1:07 AM

R72 and to die

by Anonymousreply 83June 23, 2018 1:32 AM

R29, I love you.

by Anonymousreply 84June 23, 2018 4:43 AM

[quote]Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S. by population, and the 1st in geographic size. Yet, there is one fledgling light rail track that extends from the Astrodome/NRG area to downtown.

I don't think that's true. Isn't Jacksonville the largest city in the US by land mass?

by Anonymousreply 85June 23, 2018 5:08 AM

R76, Haven't seen that myself. If anything, Californians seem to move, but stay in state--with a few ending up in the Northwest/Nevada or Hawaii, but mostly it's sort of insular. New Yorkers--at least the ones from New York City--stay in New York City.

Both groups complain about how expensive it 's gotten, but they don't actually move unless forced to.

by Anonymousreply 86June 23, 2018 6:34 AM

The migration of Californians to Texas is well-documented so it doesn’t matter that you “haven’t seen that myself.”

by Anonymousreply 87June 23, 2018 4:17 PM

Jacksonville, Fl. is indeed the largest US city by land size, of the 48 contiguous states. The largest city by land size of all 50 states is Stika, Alaska, followed by Juneau, Wrangell, and Anchorage, all in Alaska. So overall Jacksonville is #5.

by Anonymousreply 88June 23, 2018 4:46 PM

R82 I never claimed any such thing. My point was basically that while its not a paradise its also not as bad as many make it out to be. This, of course, depends on your location. Every state/country has their redneck white trash.

by Anonymousreply 89June 23, 2018 4:51 PM

r86, Interesting. I find that most New Yorkers don't stay in NY throughout adult life.

by Anonymousreply 90June 23, 2018 4:52 PM

The stats show that Arizona, Nevada, and Texas are where the largest numbers of Californians are moving to. The stats also show that it's the lower income residents who are moving. So I doubt the government of California cares and is probably happy they're moving. I'm sure they'd love nothing more than to see the whole state populated by upper income residents.

by Anonymousreply 91June 23, 2018 4:56 PM

As far as land size is concerned Houston is #9.

by Anonymousreply 92June 23, 2018 4:58 PM

R92 - Not when the entire metro area is taken into account.

by Anonymousreply 93June 23, 2018 5:05 PM

People like to be proud of where they’re from. It’s okay.

by Anonymousreply 94June 23, 2018 5:08 PM

This is what I meant.

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by Anonymousreply 95June 23, 2018 5:21 PM

See, it’s a shining example of diversity and inclusion!

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by Anonymousreply 96June 24, 2018 2:36 AM

[quote] Fun fact: When Texas was admitted to the union, there was a provision in the annexation document that it could divide itself into as many as five separate states at any time if it wanted to. I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

I understand it was difficult to do that, though don't remember why.

Also, some people think that Texas still has that right to divide itself, but I’ve read that they do not.

by Anonymousreply 97June 24, 2018 3:17 AM

R96, they took that sign down after a pretty big backlash.

by Anonymousreply 98June 24, 2018 3:28 AM

I feel sorry for liberals in red states. It must feel so isolating to be surrounded by ignorant deplorables.

by Anonymousreply 99June 24, 2018 4:22 AM

R99 it does!

by Anonymousreply 100June 24, 2018 6:42 AM

R91, exactly--people move because they can't afford the state. Of course, poor people also move here in droves in hopes of making good. So, there's migration, both in and out--the state's still gaining, not losing population. Poor whites are being replaced by poor Latinos and (not always poor) Asians.

by Anonymousreply 101June 24, 2018 7:35 AM

TX guys are often very hot.

I’d also take their stereotypical accent over East Coast (which is too nasal = annoying) and West Coast (which is too vocal fry).

They’re proud b/c they were raised that way (in school & at home). Same reason why for a long time most Americans were overly patriotic and believed they were more ‘special’ than the rest of the world.

Here’s an example: In no other country are citizens that much obsessed with their own flag (and not just in TX - even in New York & California too). I travelled around the world and almost no one flies their national flag outside their house or at their school / university campus like in the States. Almost no one else starts school lessons with a nationalistic pledge of allegiance. It’s basic brainwashing. This is how you teach citizens to obey and learn to ‘be proud’.

So I don’t blame Texans. I lived there and understand why they are how they are. They were raised that way - to be very emotionally supportive of their state. And on a bigger scale, in terms of overzealous national pride, it’s actually similar to how the majority of Americans were raised.

by Anonymousreply 102June 24, 2018 8:54 AM

R100 little by little, Blue is on the way...

by Anonymousreply 103June 24, 2018 9:18 AM

r99, you should try being a conservative or even an independent in a major city.

by Anonymousreply 104June 24, 2018 9:43 AM

[quote][R96], they took that sign down after a pretty big backlash.

That it was even put up speaks volumes

by Anonymousreply 105June 24, 2018 2:31 PM

[quote][R99], you should try being a conservative or even an independent in a major city.

Boo boo. If conservatives weren’t so interested in doing the wrong thing and forcing their will on others, it might not be so hard.

“Independent” voters are basic morons. The parties have clear ideologies. As an adult, you know this. To pretend otherwise is naive at best.

by Anonymousreply 106June 24, 2018 2:34 PM

any state that goes from Lyndon Johnson, Ralph Yarborough, Barbara Jordan, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, etc. to Ted Cruz, Greg Abbot, Rick Perry, Louie Gohmert, B. Farenthold, etc. has made a deliberate choice to be a stupid shithole

by Anonymousreply 107June 24, 2018 2:49 PM

r106. I'm an independent and I am not an idiot. BOTH of the major parties are flawed. Voted independent. Trump 2020. There needs to be chaos before the real revolution takes place.

by Anonymousreply 108June 24, 2018 3:33 PM

I meant to say Vote independent.

by Anonymousreply 109June 24, 2018 3:37 PM

[quote] “Independent” voters are basic morons. The parties have clear ideologies.

And this is why ‘democracy’ is a joke in the US.

It’s like having only 2 foods to choose from. Like catering on a basic airline. “Chicken” or “lasagna”. Same thing for almost a century. No interesting new big parties, many candidates related to each other by blood or marriage.

by Anonymousreply 110June 24, 2018 3:52 PM

Did you hear about the glamorous Houston gay couple who died in a murder-suicide in their $1.5 million mansion?

It got barely mentioned on DL.

by Anonymousreply 111June 24, 2018 3:58 PM

Great point [R89], thank you. Every city, every state, every country does indeed have a "good" and "bad" side. When I moved in the very late 1970s from San Antonio to Southern California for college, Texas was a blue state; and, although Jerry Brown was governor of California at the time, I remember frequently having to "defend Texas' honor" against those who wanted to perpetuate a redneck stereotype, while simultaneously being struck by the much greater number of bigots I was meeting out here than I had ever known back home.

[R82] and [R107], we can hope the ebb and flow of population shifts will continue to have an effect, as in the past with the influx of moneyed, more conservative Republicans into Texas to make *more* money, followed by people like Karl Rove who could get them elected to state and local offices for even greater benefit. Fingers crossed for a blue wave!

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by Anonymousreply 112June 24, 2018 4:55 PM

I’m independent too but I’d never vote for the Orange Lump.

by Anonymousreply 113June 24, 2018 7:31 PM

Independents are as honest as “bisexuals”

by Anonymousreply 114June 24, 2018 7:46 PM

r114, Well I'm both so fuck you.

by Anonymousreply 115June 24, 2018 7:48 PM

[quote] R106: “Independent” voters are basic morons. The parties have clear ideologies. As an adult, you know this. To pretend otherwise is naive at best.

I’m a registered independent because it means that I can vote in either Dem or Rep primary, as I choose. For example, if the Dem nomination for an office is uncontested, but there us a choice in the Rep primary, I can then vote in the Repub primary. But yes, “independent voters” are often people who really aren’t attentive enough to make an informed vote.

I used to think that I’d vote for “the best person for the job, regardless of party”. As I get older, I realize that I usually don’t actually know much about the candidates, especially enough to identify a “Best” candidate. I’ve also learned that the Dem party needs to have a roster of people who start with local office, and progress as they learn how to better be effective politicians. So now, I vote straight Democratic candidates, only excepting the occasional Republican in rare and specific cases.

by Anonymousreply 116June 24, 2018 8:01 PM

[quote] R110: And this is why ‘democracy’ is a joke in the US...It’s like having only 2 foods to choose from.

I understand that many European countries, in particular, have multiple parties covering a large portion of the political spectrum. In comparison, it may seem that there is little difference between the Dems and Reps, but there is. He’s a brief list, off the top of my head, of issues where the two parties differ completely;

The Affordable Care Act

Wall Street regulation & Dodd Frank

Citizen’s United

Immigration

Marijuana use.

Abortion services

Taxes on the 1%

Appointment of judges

Internet

GLBT marriage, military service, conversion therapy

Jingoism and militarism

Net neutrality

The above affect everybody. And it is clear to me that I have a real choice when I vote.

by Anonymousreply 117June 24, 2018 8:15 PM

Exactly, R117. The so-called independent is too stupid to make that distinction. They "vote for the candidate" as if the candidate is not going to toe the party line 99% of the time or risk alienation. That has been the case in national politics for many years and it has filtered down to state and local elections as well, since those increasingly serve as farm teams for the national parties. Foolish to think otherwise.

by Anonymousreply 118June 24, 2018 8:20 PM

To tie this back to the topic at hand, lots of Texans are too "independent" to get it through their stubborn skulls that it does matter at the local level, too. Just because someone goes to your church doesn't mean that they're not going to uphold the actions of the assholes of the Republican Party.

by Anonymousreply 119June 24, 2018 8:23 PM

Independent voter = closeted rethuglicans too cowardly to own their racism/bigotry

by Anonymousreply 120June 24, 2018 8:34 PM

Thank you R117 - so sick of people saying “they’re both the same”. No - actually - one party wants people to have access to healthcare, civil rights and fair taxation and the other wants to people die and go bankrupt.

by Anonymousreply 121June 24, 2018 8:57 PM

This thread reminded me of a really interesting interview that Terri Gross did with writer and journalist Lawrence Wright who predicts that Texas will eventually go blue...

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 122June 25, 2018 12:15 AM

if latinos will register and votes, most of the whites will remain hateful ignorant racists

by Anonymousreply 123June 25, 2018 12:33 AM

I wish you were right R123. My brother's wife and her children are Mexican Texans. He's dead now, and I ended my relationship with them, partially because of politics. Through him, they became legal. Most are now citizens. They despise immigrants, are christian fanatics, and Trump Republicans. Hating immigrants makes them feel superior. There are more Latinos like that than you realize.

by Anonymousreply 124June 25, 2018 3:41 AM

damn sounds like the irish americans, from the hated to the haters in less than two generations

by Anonymousreply 125June 25, 2018 3:43 AM

Lots of immigrants who spent years going through the system get pissed off at the ones who try to skip the line. It dumbfounds me when some of them go full-tilt Republican as a result, but I suspect their conservative tendencies were there all along.

by Anonymousreply 126June 25, 2018 3:47 AM

[quote]get pissed off at the ones who try to skip the line

ssshhh.....there are things of which we do not speak..like overstaying a tourist visa, "working" while visiting, scoring an "einstein" visa and chain immigrating parents

by Anonymousreply 127June 25, 2018 3:55 AM

[quote] I understand that many European countries, in particular, have multiple parties covering a large portion of the political spectrum. In comparison, it may seem that there is little difference between the Dems and Reps, but there is.

R117, please re-read the post you’re replying to more carefully. Because you misread it and replied about smthg completely different. Where did I say that there’s “little difference” between the 2 parties? No, I said that having only 2 parties (an archaic, rigid system that’s failed to change for decades/century now) is not very modern. It’s like the “chicken or lasagna” airplane question. Are “chicken” and “lasagna” the same thing? Of course not. But having only that rigid, stale choice (for what feels like forever) is not very good or progressive.

Usually there needs to be a minimum of 3 big parties (right, centrist and left). They usually cater to, and protect the interests of, 3 main socio-economic strata: the upper class, middle class and lower class/blue-collar, respectively. But since the US has only 2 big parties in elections, the voting lines & nominations became very blurred.

For example, it’s ridiculous that Clinton was pitted against Sanders in the primary. In Europe they’d clearly be in different parties. Clinton is centrist and Sanders is more to the left. But they had to run against each other too soon (in the same primary) and in the only available big category for non-conservatives (Dem) – which hurt both candidates and the party itself.

Some of the things that you listed actually don't "affect everybody". E.g. medical or recreational marijuana use - many are not interested. The 5 pillar issues that most citizens care about in Europe are: 1) higher education (free or widely affordable via big state subsidies); 2) affordable housing (e.g. help-to-buy tax plans); 3) universal healthcare (state-provided); 4) taxes; and 5) properly managing immigration.

Also, I don’t agree re: “jingoism and militarism”. I used to think like you that Reps are more militaristic. But it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. Both parties started controversial wars (e.g. Libya). Because while White House administrations change, the people giving them expert military advice from the Pentagon either don’t change or come from very similar backgrounds, same military academies (e.g. West Point). So those generals seem to often think in a similar way, regardless of who in the WH they're advising.

by Anonymousreply 128June 25, 2018 4:10 PM

Yes and dems have been using this "less of two evils" as a clutch for too fkin long. ENOUGH. They cowardly asses wont even do the shit they run on , that they say is good for average man when they have fkin majories. And their ideology has completely abandoned any sense of morality, family unit, and self-reliance. Fuck the dems. Both parties like this two party stronghold to keep the individual trapped and afraid of real change. TRUMP is what you got. Now deal with the fkin storm. I hope he makes it rain chaos and misery so that ALL can be voted out and change the whole fkin system.

by Anonymousreply 129June 25, 2018 4:28 PM

Btw OP sorry to hijack your post, but these political nazis won't give up.

by Anonymousreply 130June 25, 2018 4:30 PM

Donald the pig trump is from NYC! How do you explain that shit?

by Anonymousreply 131June 25, 2018 11:37 PM

Might you mean Carl, gentile Peter? If so, last I knew is that Carl will be a person fictionm a pig, too.

by Anonymousreply 132June 26, 2018 12:53 AM

Texas has huge,blue cities which are very culturally diverse. When Texas goes Blue, it's lights out for the GOP AND THEY KNOW IT. That is why they are frenetically trying to gerrymander, collude with Russians and suppress votes.

by Anonymousreply 133June 26, 2018 2:37 AM

Donald is a resentful hick from Queens. He's Archie Bunker.

by Anonymousreply 134June 26, 2018 2:46 AM

Who lost NYC by 60 points to Hilz

by Anonymousreply 135June 26, 2018 4:08 AM

piggy trump is not fit to eat people food

by Anonymousreply 136June 26, 2018 9:56 PM
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