So what can be done to strengthen the State Dem Party?

[The Philosopher]

Looking at Wikipedia, Democrats control 49 seats out of 150 in the Texas House while Democrats control 12 out of 31 Texas Senate seats. Is it just me or is that a pathetic number?

The local news that I watch is WFAA and lately they've begun airing a 30 minute political program on Sundays, which is nice; but each time I watch that program and the regular news, I can't help but feel like Democrats are treated as non-existent. Being such an underdog, shouldn't we have a loud voice? Shouldn't Democratic leaders be on the (tv) news more?

It almost feels like there is no Democratic Party here in Texas. Is there a lack of organization? Or is it a neglect for the Federal level?

[derby378]

1. Some would say it's a little of both

There's a push to replace some of the top "message gurus" in the Texas Democratic Party, but that's all I can really say about it at the moment until more developments come in.

[sonias]

2. It really is a bad time for Democrats in Texas

And I'm not sure we have hit rock bottom either. Texas voters are apparently comfortable with a one party state - it used to be Democrats and now it's republicans. The republicans have been helped at the ballot box by corporate interests which have financed them heavily.

Not sure when you came to Texas but two years ago the Texas House was almost equally divided between the Ds and the Rs. 76 rs to 74 Ds. Then we had the teabag party wave hit elections of 2010 and we got decimated at the polls. If it had been a normal cycle we might have either gained control or at least held our own. Instead with the incessant drumbeat of the national faux news and right wing radio for the mid-term elections, the real crazies turned out in droves.

So that's how we find ourselves here. We haven't had any national help in Texas for decades. The state Democratic Party is really on its own. It wasn't just Texas lots of states had the same fanatical wave hit them. And some of those northern states actually had national money being spent in their states.

As far as the media coverage - I don't think the Ds are shying away from the cameras - they are trying to get a voice. The media however is not fair - they're pretty much a corporate game now too. They only give "equal" coverage if the issue is controversial and they can make each side fight for entertainment purposes. Otherwise, they cover the issue from the side in power. The side that has the money - money they need for their bottom line.

As for organization this Will Rogers quote is still true today

I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. ...

:shrug:

[The Philosopher]

3. I was born & raised in NE Texas

My family (except for one idiot brother) votes Democratic. We, however, live in a Republican controlled county, which is mostly rural. From what I keep hearing at the polls (I work as a clerk, Alt Judge or Judge at every election) it seems to be religion that makes one vote Republican. They don't want to vote for a Democrat because they want a God-fearing Christian in office, who will support Christian values every time. I don't know how taxing the crap out of the poor, denying health care the poor and to the children, or greed is a Christian value. But I'm sure they'd just start talking about abortion or homosexuality.

Anyway, I remember a decade ago one of my government teachers talked about the political makeup of Texas, which at the time I was pretty proud of: 1/3 of Texas voted Democratic, 1/3 voted Republican, 1/3 were Independent. Pretty respectable, I thought. Of course, Bush was elected (nationally), and things seemed to go insane until now it feels like there's only a few unlucky souls who aren't voting Republican. And every Independent voter I hear talking about politics is actually a Republican; they just don't want to look like they've joined a group, probably worried they'd end up looking like sheep or something.

One thing I've never understood about the media is: if there is no such thing as bad publicity, then why wouldn't you run "liberal" news in a Republican heavy state? Wouldn't you get ratings from such a controversy?

[sonias]

4. Even the 2008 presidential election it wasn't this bad in Texas

McCain won 56% of the vote to Obama's 44%. For a state in the south that was actually respectable. That kind of distribution is much more realistic, I hope. The current two thirds makeup of Rs in the Texas House (2-1 majority) I think is an anomaly. One unfortunately we have to live through this session.

The absolute worst part of the election of 2010 is that the Rs super-majority control of the Lege also means they control redistricting and that's going to continue to make matters worse. They would absolutely love to wipe all Democrats off the Texas map and they will certainly try. These districts will be less and less competitive. They really aren't competitive now, but even those 49 Democrats are in danger because the Rs are going to draw districts to pit them against each other.

The religious cover the Rs use is a brilliant tool for control. You simply make everything about God to distract the voters from the real truth. If a person's life sucks, it's because they aren't God-fearing enough. The hypocrisy on the right on the issue of the most vulnerable in society is truly sick. The same side that screams about protecting babies and the children, have no problem letting children go hungry, uninsured, uneducated or unprotected in bad foster care. :puke:

The media of today is not the media of the 50s or even 80s. When news went to cable (CNN) and the 24 hour news cycle was introduced, the media suddenly was not just covering stories - it was creating them too. News for profit was introduced to these media companies and they did what any corporate entity would do - use it to maximize their profits. Media is no different than any other industry these days - they are not the "third rail" to protect citizens against the abuses of government. They're turned into abusers themselves by blurring the line between entertainment and news.

Voters are as much to blame for all of the horrible things that are happening too. If the people in the Middle East have shown us - even in the most repressive regimes, people that want their freedom stand up and fight.

:kick: