Dems squandering opportunity in Texas

[TexasTowelie]

By Carlos Sanchez
Editor of The Monitor
McAllen, Texas

Years ago, a savvy lawmaker told me that the political reality of Texas pointed to a two-party system in which the Republican Party would become the last bastion of a white power structure and the Democratic Party would emerge as the place for minority political power.

Of course, the lawmaker, a white Democrat who lost his next election, said this privately because of the sensitivity of his comments. But his observation may prove prescient this election season as two women — Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte — vie to make history by becoming the first all-female governor and lieutenant governor team to be elected simultaneously in any state in the country.

Davis may be garnering national accolades by Democrats after her 12-hour filibuster last year over the nation’s most restrictive abortion legislation, but it’s Van de Putte who could be the key to breaking the 20-year-long Republican lock on statewide offices in Texas because of the very trend my lawmaker friend predicted.

Leticia’s maiden name is San Miguel and her Hispanic heritage runs as deep as the Latino population in San Antonio, the city where she was raised and which she now represents. She may have been born out of state, where her father was stationed in the military, but she is a ninth generation Tejana.

More at http://www.themonitor.com/opinion/columnists/carlos_sanchez/article_684cdca2-8557-11e3-97b4-001a4bcf6878.html .

[BlueEye]

1. How are they squandering opportunity?

Are they failing in Latino outreach efforts or something? As far as I can see, they're doing a great job!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

2. Yeah. I don't understand the "squandering" part.

When is the election? November I'm assuming.

[mdbl]

3. The link explains

the whole article says that they think the Dems should be putting more support behind Van de Putte than Davis, because the hispanic vote would make it an easier win than Davis, who doesn't have enough money to win.

[davidpdx]

5. That sounds like a good summary

What do you think, is he right?

[mdbl]

11. Don't know if he's right or not, all i can say is..

if Texas doesn't straighten out soon they can go back to Mexico.

[DhhD]

9. A straight Demo ticket promotes Davis. The new Texas demographics lie with Van de Putte.

Women will vote for women. The demographics link is the one to bolster.

[davidpdx]

4. I'm not in Texas and have not been following what is going on there very carefully

But it seems to me like he's arguing that the party is not putting enough time and effort to help the candidate for lt. governor. That may be the case, but his logic fails when he essentially argues for writing off Davis' candidacy. The election is nine months away, both fundraising and enthusiasm will change between now and then (I stated earlier today I would be sending money to the Davis campaign when I get my first payday at my new job and I'm from Oregon). While I agree more minorities need to run for office and get support (especially in Texas), I don't think it is an either or proposition.

[UCmeNdc]

6. The Democratic party needs to support both of the Candidates (Both for Gov and Lt. Gov.)

It seems both offices are competitive and enough money should be raised to see both candidates become winners in their respective contests. Plus the better chance Wendy davis has of winning means the better chance Leticia Van de Putte has of winning. The two are linked together.

[Cha]

7. Sounds good to me.. raise Leticia Van de Putte's

profile too. Let people know who she is. They'll be double trouble for the Texas teabaggers.

I had no idea what she looked like.. I'll raise her profile right here..



http://tpr.org/post/leticia-van-de-putte-announces-bid-lieutenant-governor

Thanks TxT

[freshwest]

12. Same fire in the belly as Ann had. n/t

[PDittie]

8. Not quite 'squandering'. not yet, anyway.

The McAllen Monitor is an RGV paper, very Latino and Democratic area of Texas, and I can see why they are sounding this alarm. The truth is that Wendy Davis had a pretty bad week last, and there were very few voices from the left inside Texas punching back for her. I explained that here:

http://brainsandeggs.blogspot.com/2014/01/more-postscripts-to-weeks-developments.html

After ten-plus years of following Texas politics from the perspective of a progressive populist, I am at a loss to understand why that is.

Van de Putte is quite likely to break through, particularly if the Republicks nominate an extremist for LG like Dan Patrick or Todd Staples, who have both demonized immigrants in the harshest ways possible. These two aggre-posts from last week contain details of their (there's no other good word for it) call to genocide.

http://brainsandeggs.blogspot.com/2014/01/updates-from-wendy-davis-jerry.html

http://brainsandeggs.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-non-wendy-davis-wrangle.html

David Dewhurst, the incumbent, has matched their hateful rhetoric. He polls first in the four-horse race, and may just shift back toward the middle if he is renominated. Jerry Patterson is the wild card (as mentioned in the first of the two immediately above), appealing to "Tejanos" without actually doing so.

Senator Davis must right her ship quickly after the multiple broadsides she took last week. And it's accurate to say that once the GOP fields their candidate for LG, probably after a runoff in April, LVDP may very likely be best positioned for the upset.

In Texas, where the LG holds the reins of power and the governor's office is of the "weak" variety, this would be to Democrats' advantage if Leticia's (and not so much Wendy's) prospects start to brighten as the year goes on.

Just my humble O.

[Gothmog]

10. There is no squandering being done

I guess that Leticia is not sufficiently Hispanic? I can assure you that the Democrats are focused on the Hispanic vote.

[blogslut]

13. Ms. Van de Putte made a stop in the reddest precint in the nation recently.

State/Nation-wide Democratic candidates almost never do that.

Of course she needs more support from the state and national parties but she's off on the correct foot, AFAIK.

[redqueen]

14. I agree.

He spells it out here:

but her political credentials are as impressive as her ability to wage legislative battles. Van de Putte has been in the Texas Legislature longer than Davis and served in both chambers —elected to the House in 1990 and the Senate in 1999.

All of this makes the apparent strategy among Democrats —one that relies on the populist appeal of Davis —so perplexing.

...

But electoral politics is about money and votes, and I don’t see enough of either for Davis. Indeed, there is a palpable sense of enthusiasm for her, but I fear that it will only ignite the enthusiasm for the conservative white base of this state, which has demonstrated that it will turn out to vote.

Van de Putte, however, has the potential to draw real enthusiasm from an Hispanic electorate, which could frustrate the GOP establishment in this state. The Republican Party knows it has a problem attracting Hispanic voters and dreads the day that a viable Hispanic statewide candidate will come along —a day that most demographers say is a certainty in this state.