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August 3, 2001
Stop! Look! Listen!
A storm's a brewin'
By
Vernie Glasson
TFB Executive Director
Things have changed in our beloved Texas! And the changes are not all good from your standpoint and mine. The old adage "Stop. Look. Listen." is one that we should pay heed to before the next cycle of elections.
Rural Texans are now "minority status," and that is not likely to reverse itself, at least in my lifetime and probably not in yours. This is unfortunate, but true.
Rural Texans are by nature and necessity what I call "conservative folks." We are folks who have been pushed, prodded, and threatened to a point that any hint of liberal ideology on the part of an organization or individual is an anathema to many.
In our minds, years of laws and regulations created by liberal Democrats such as Ann Richards, Jim Hightower, and others has left a stain on Texas Democratic candidates to such a degree that it simply can't be wiped away by the good done by Dolph Briscoe, Bob Turner, and others of the conservative wing of Texas Democratic party. This is unfortunate, but true.
Rural Texans are perched in a very precarious political position. To illustrate, this past legislative session Texas had a set of circumstances come together that reminds me of the recent book (and movie) called "The Perfect Storm." That book was based upon a true story where several weather conditions came together over the Atlantic Ocean. It was an unbelievable nightmare and, for rural Texas and agriculture, so was what happened in the Texas House of Representatives on a particular issue. Suffice it to say, push came to shove, and a key vote affecting the agricultural industry brought inner-city liberal Democrats and suburban Republicans together to steam- roll over agriculture. We were able to muster only 60 votes out of 150. That "perfect storm" blew through the Texas House, and it showed the power of things that rural Texas cannot control—just like that movie. As hard as we tried—and we did try, and our good friends in the House tried—we still sank!
A sequel to that legislative storm took place on July 24. The Legislative Redistricting Board voted 3 to 2 to adopt the redistricting map for the Texas House of Representatives drawn up by Attorney General John Cornyn, the Chairman of the Board. Bill Ratliff and Pete Laney—one a Republican and the other a Democrat—were the two lone votes in support of rural Texas. The other three included Cornyn, David Dewhurst, and Carol Rylander—all Republicans.
However, Ratliff and Laney have something bigger than political party in common. That something is a love, respect, and devotion to rural Texas—from where they come and still live. The other three are "big city" people—San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. And that is the simple difference on the redistricting matter; albeit, you will hear it is "much more technical and legally complex" than that.
But, if the plan supported by Cornyn, Dewhurst, and Rylander is not defeated in court, the next "perfect storm" in the Texas House of Representatives will be much greater than this session's. Of 37 pairings of incumbent legislators drawn in the plan, 18 (11 Democrats and 7 Republicans) are some of our very best rural and agricultural friends. If we lose one-half of these—and we will—you can calculate the impact on that solid 60 friend vote count from last session.
The "clouds are brewing" even as we try to endure this summer's heat and the dry conditions. These "clouds" remind us we should "Stop. Look. Listen." We must "stop" looking at party labels for prerequisite to vote for a candidate; we must "look" at the reality of what is happening_and has been happening for the past 20 years—to our representative government and election process; and we must "listen" to what candidates are saying they are for and against and what emphasis they place on rural Texas' needs and values.
Before I conclude, and so no one has to guess or might mis-label me in some fashion, you should know that when I grew up in South Texas, I never heard of a Republican Primary. Only when I was 30 years of age did I have a "choice" of a party primary to vote in. Since that time, I have voted in the Republican Primary every election since, except one or two—most notably, in 1990 in order to vote for "Anyone But Hightower." So, I consider myself to be what former Governor Bill Clements once called the "Typical Texas Ticketsplitter."
I pride myself in the fact that I think I am smart enough to pay attention, listen, and decide on candidates. And, I am convinced that the predominance of Farm Bureau members are, as well. I sincerely hope the majority of voting rural Texans recognize the seriousness of this matter. It isn't too late!
