Blue Texas
I was watching a documentary on the History Channel the other day, about November 22, 1963 (never forget). The Kennedy assassination. I will leave aside my resentment of the History channel for the fact that they just report “Lee Harvey Oswald, from the Book Depository Window, with a Mannlicher-Carcano” without any questioning of it at all, because there’s nothing I can do about it and because that wasn’t actually what the program was about.
They were talking about Kennedy’s presidency and the political implications of the trip, why Jackie decided to come along, the 1964 elections just one year away, etc…
Despite Texas then having pretty much the same reputation as Texas now, and hate for the dreaded socialist Kennedy pouring forth from every oil-financed orifice, the crowds who greeted Kennedy were friendly and enthusiastic. That’s what struck me.
Even in the heart of “nut country” there was an incredible amount of support for the young, charismatic, liberal Democratic president.
A lot of things have not changed since 1963, but a lot of stuff is still the same. Texas is still Texas, a whole nuther country, as they like to say. The governor threatens to secede from the union, school textbooks teach the children about Noah and the Dinosaurs and people post racist, hate-filled, threatening messages on their face-book pages.
And yet, those people who were in the crowd that day are still there. Sure, some have died but some have had children. Some have moved away and some have moved in. If Barack Obama were to go to Dallas tomorrow, he would also be greeted by an enthusiastic, supportive crowd, of roughly the same mix of black and white, old and young, men and women. The hairstyles and clothes would be a bit different, but that’s it.
Up until the shots rang out, the event had been a huge success. Texas is a lot closer to turning blue than anyone thinks, and has been for a long time.
The image I get of Texas from reading the newspapers is totally at odds with the image I get of Texas when I talk to people from there.
By and large, they are pleasant, gregarious, decent people. And there is a very good chance that Obama will carry the state in 2012.
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