Slog News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« A few more... | Joy in Brooklyn »

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Joy in Texas

posted by on November 5 at 14:42 PM

Last night on Slog the SECB had this to say when Texas, as expected, was called for John McCain about .0001 seconds after polls there closed.

Fuck You, Texas

And the horse you rode into national politics on.

Just now Slog tipper Joshua sent us this picture—taken at the packed party Joshua attended in San Antonio—at the precise moment CNN projected that Obama would win the White House.

CNN%20projects%20election%20-%20OBAMA%20FTW%21.jpg

Indiana went blue, Virginia went blue, North Carolina still could. Joshua’s picture fills me with hope for Texas. So let’s amend our comments: Fuck you, Texas… for the time being. Swing over to the blue column in 2012 and all—well, most all—is forgiven.

RSS icon Comments

1

I, for one, am very proud of my home state of Texas. I checked out the voting by county, and ALL of the major cities voted blue - Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. Before, it would have just been Austin...this little blue island in a sea of red. That is major progress. Believe it.

Posted by TexasEx | November 5, 2008 2:50 PM
2

Stop being a bitch. Texas sucks ass and everyone who lives there is a loser. Save Austin.

Posted by Jonathan Bailo Thomas | November 5, 2008 2:55 PM
3

Don't hate y'all! We're trying down here in Austin. Every major city went blue in Texas this time. That's huge! Y'all in Washington know how hard it is to reach those rural fucks, takes a long time to change those minds.
Check out the Austin celebration last night on youtube... it rivals y'all on Pike Street.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X-zCUpWnME

Posted by robo | November 5, 2008 2:56 PM
4

I too am impressed with the results from Texas when you look at the county polls. In Austin we celebrated for a good long time all over the city, and it was wonderful to see the returns in the south of the state and in the other major cities. As a former Seattlite, I do miss the sea of liberalism that exists on the West Coast, but I appreciate the 'middle ground' that Texas occupies....all views are represented here, even those I would consider insane!

Posted by gbinny | November 5, 2008 2:57 PM
5

I'm a native Texan recently transplanted to Seattle. As much as I love Texas, I don't think I can ever forgive the backwards hicks that first inflicted George Bush on Texas as governor then helped inflict him on the rest of the country. However, I lived in Dallas, which has been moving Democratic for a few years now. At least some of the people in my home state are getting over their cranio-rectal insertion.

Posted by LeisureSuitLarry | November 5, 2008 3:00 PM
6

in your life, you will never meet a finer person than a Texan Democrat. God Bless them for everything they've done for Texas and will do for us in four years.

Posted by Tex | November 5, 2008 3:01 PM
7

lmao, imagine if Hillary won the primaries.

Posted by we would all be SOOOO sad right now! | November 5, 2008 3:01 PM
8

I'm a native Texan recently transplanted to Seattle. As much as I love Texas, I don't think I can ever forgive the backwards hicks that first inflicted George Bush on Texas as governor then helped inflict him on the rest of the country. However, I lived in Dallas, which has been moving Democratic for a few years now. At least some of the people in my home state are getting over their cranio-rectal insertion.

Posted by LeisureSuitLarry | November 5, 2008 3:03 PM
9

I use to always mess with Texas, until they saved the Katrina victims from New Orleans. Big balls but bigger hearts. You won me over.

Posted by gw | November 5, 2008 3:09 PM
10

in your life, you will never meet a finer person than a Texan Democrat. God Bless them for everything they've done for Texas and will do for us in four years.

Posted by Tex | November 5, 2008 3:11 PM
11

You know those simulated elections you can run at 270towin.com? Well, I took a picture of one of the maps it spit out. This happened a couple weeks ago, but still.

Posted by Notecarder | November 5, 2008 3:11 PM
12

As TexasEx notes, Texas has been gaining blue votes and all signs point towards it continuing to do so.

It was a Democratic stronghold for a long time, and will be again, provided that Dems can appeal to the Latino vote.

Also: Fuck blind hate of any stripe, including Texas hate. There are lots of progressive people in Texas. In fact, twice as many people voted for Obama in Texas than Washingtonians.

It's just that the Republicans outnumber them.

Posted by kitschnsync | November 5, 2008 3:15 PM
13

@11 - You know, if you squint a little it looks like the red states are an arm reaching towards DC

Posted by Super Jesse | November 5, 2008 3:21 PM
14

Molly Ivins was a Texan. Stevie Ray Vaughan was a Texan. Ann Richards was a Texan. Jim Hightower is a Texan. It was a Texan President who pushed through the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Don't hate 'em all. There IS hope. There ARE signs of intelligent life in Texas...and GWB ain't a Texan, anyway.

Posted by Geni | November 5, 2008 3:27 PM
15

Big cities in TX went Dem in '06 as well, though that was mostly in the form of local elections. I recall that in Dallas, some people won out with absolutely no experience solely because of voters picking the straight Dem ticket.

Ultimate, it's like any other state in America with a mix of boonies and cities, only supersized and with better Mexican food to help the rest of us cope.

Posted by Sam M. | November 5, 2008 3:34 PM
16

ALl of southern Texas counties went for Obama, Latinos overwhelmengly voted for him- If you look at eastern Washington, it looks as red as northern Texas. DOnt get smug.

Posted by SeMe | November 5, 2008 3:46 PM
17

Does anyone notice how fat all of those people are? Jesus, the average weight of a Texas Democrat must be at least 250 lbs.

Posted by Fatishist | November 5, 2008 3:53 PM
18

Everyone was calling Bexar County (San Antonio) for McCain but that never panned out. Every single large county in the state bar Tarrant County went to Obama.

McCain lost South Texas, lost Maverick County (HA!) and has been going bluer as each year goes on. The republicans knew they had a narrow window of red in the state and they've made their last gasp.

Before you diss Texas, remember that it was Maury Maverick Jr. who added poison-pill conditions to kill a proposed bill in congress back in the 50's that would have given an immediate death sentence to anyone "convicted" of being a communist or communist sympathizer. You didn't have to be an avowed communist, simply "convicted" of being one. He single-handedly prevented an actual honest-to-frigging-god bloody purge in this country.

But oh no, he's from Texas, he must be a dick.

Posted by AJ | November 5, 2008 3:56 PM
19

Indi-fucking-ana went BLUE!!! My home state didn't disappoint!

Posted by Balt-O-Matt | November 5, 2008 4:08 PM
20

Dan, did you not notice how overweight everyone in the photo is? Fuckin' porkshop.

Posted by Mr. Poe | November 5, 2008 5:35 PM
21

@17: Believe me, it's not just the democrats. I've read that San Antonio, TX is the most obese city in the US, but I'm not sure it's true.

Posted by --- | November 5, 2008 5:40 PM
22

Plenty of fatties in Texas. I voted in Dallas County...straight ticket Obama. Fuck Texas, I'm originally from Oklahoma. Oh wait...double fuck Oklahoma!

Posted by Ben Lyon | November 5, 2008 5:46 PM
23

Dallas:

Every county-wide election swung blue by ~56%.
Of those who pulled a straight-party lever, ~60% were Democrats. We elected a Democrat to the State Board of Education, hopefully cutting down on those ridiculous pushes to teach creationism in schools.

I won't try to sell this city as being a glorious center of progressive politics, but we're trying, and we're making gains. Give it time.

Posted by Dylan | November 5, 2008 5:56 PM
24

I grew up in Dallas and, yeah, it's a shithole. I've been in Austin for 20 years, and I'm proud of Texas this election, despite it still voting red. Y'all might not realize the country's opinion of the NW, but you are great at perpetuating our stereotypes of you.

There is a world of thinking, motivated, dedicated people outside of Seattle (gasp), and they are actually swimming against the stream trying to affect change, rather than relaxing in the comfort of a nice, cozy, smug, Seattle hidey-hole.

Quit judging the world outside of Seattle as fat, stupid "others". We're on the battlefield. You're getting lazy in a self-congratulatory haze surrounded by like people.

Gay in Seattle? Big deal. Gay in Texas? Ballsy.

Again, I remind you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X-zCUpWnME

Posted by robo | November 5, 2008 7:31 PM
25

Gay in Texas rules...I've got your back homey...as a straight from Oklahoma...Reason shall rule the day, even if that day lasts a century.

Posted by Ben Lyon | November 5, 2008 9:53 PM
26

i grew up in seattle and came to texas to attend college. and guess what? i stayed for grad school. not only are there shitloads of liberals down here (well, in the cities at least), but texans in general, EVEN the more conservative ones, are WAY more open-minded and non-judgmental when it comes to personal choices than seattlites.

and besides, mccain only won TX by 11 points. that's a BIG improvement. and all those mexicans down in the rio grande valley, counties that typically go red? a huge streak of them went blue this year. i swear, if the stupid GOP in the TX legislature hadn't redrawn the district lines to their liking, TX might even have gone blue.

so quit hating. yeah, there are plenty of rednecks down here, but they don't give a rat's ass that i'm a stripper--a fact i've kept secret from most of my high school friends up in your liberal blue state.

Posted by meredith | November 6, 2008 7:21 AM
27

i grew up in seattle and came to texas to attend college. and guess what? i stayed for grad school. not only are there shitloads of liberals down here (well, in the cities at least), but texans in general, EVEN the more conservative ones, are WAY more open-minded and non-judgmental when it comes to personal choices than seattlites.

and besides, mccain only won TX by 11 points. that's a BIG improvement. and all those mexicans down in the rio grande valley, counties that typically go red? a huge streak of them went blue this year. i swear, if the stupid GOP in the TX legislature hadn't redrawn the district lines to their liking, TX might even have gone blue.

so quit hating. yeah, there are plenty of rednecks down here, but they don't give a rat's ass that i'm a stripper--a fact i've kept secret from most of my high school friends up in your liberal blue state.

Posted by meredith | November 6, 2008 7:22 AM
28

Yeah Meredith!!! You tell those moonbats. It is kind of nice being a prog in Texas....I definitely don't feel like part of the hive. I think the state is more Red due to churches rather than rednecks. Those folks aren't usually open-minded...

Posted by Ben Lyon | November 6, 2008 7:58 AM
29

I live in Houston, and for a split second after the polls closed, Obama was winning TX 56-44%. There's hope-especially now that we look forward to the changing of the guard!

@27--I'm a recent transplant from Minneapolis, and wholeheartedly agree!

Posted by TXGayGuy | November 6, 2008 8:36 AM
30

I took this picture.

Yes, Texas has a religious right majority.
Yes, social liberals in Texas are a tough breed, though I'm not sure I'll survive much longer. >_>
Yes, obesity is a problem in Texas, but genetic and ideological diversity is not. Personally, anxiety has stolen my appetite and I'm wasting away... v_v

Dan,
Thanks for drawing attention to us embattled TX social liberals. I need all the support I can get; until Tuesday I thought I might be suffering from psychosis. It's scary and lonely being liberal here. :(

I'll see what I can do about 2012...

J

Posted by Josh | November 6, 2008 12:19 PM

Add Your Comments





Please click Post only once.