Disclosure: I borrowed “penurious reactionaries” from the editorial board of the New York Times because the term is so appropriate to the Texas Republican Party. I also learned a new definition from the Houston Chronicle’s editorial board with regard to the Texas Lt. Governor. Mr. Pecksniffian. Words can pack powerful clout.
There seems to be a contest among Republicans these days to see who can be the Party’s biggest and the most blustering buffoon. Whether it’s Donald Trump speaking out of all sides of his mouth, demonizing someone or something, while later contradicting or reversing statements he made an hour ago, or the sanctimonious Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. Patrick has ginned up a hoax which happens to be his recent raving rampage on public potties and the state’s transgender community. Let’s see who can be the most vociferous, out spoken, self-promoting jerk. Let’s see who is best at disparaging others in order to bolster himself. Donald Trump seems to have ratcheted up the carnival barking con artistry, all right. It must be a challenge for Dan Patrick, a well known right wing forked tongue and self-righteous charlatan, as well as a former talk radio shock jock, to keep up with the Donald.
In lock step with the Lt. Governor’s demented war on who can use what potty, the Texas Republican Party recently agreed upon one of its most deranged policy platforms. Not only are some of the policies completely out of touch with most Texans, but no matter, the delegates voted on each and every plank.
What is news is that every single one of those ideas — sound and/or unsound — was approved by the delegates at this convention. They didn’t vote on the platform as a whole. They voted to approve every single plank — 266 of them.
I seriously doubt that every delegate read each and every one of the 266 planks. After all, this is the anti-education party. Who among them would read that vast volume of words much less comprehend what all mean? Actually, thanks to an unnoticed grammatical error one of the planks suggest the majority of Texans are gay.
If history is any guide, the party’s candidates will pick and choose from the list, grabbing the ideas they like, ignoring others and distancing themselves from the entire platform, saying something like this time-tested line: “That’s just a snapshot of the sentiments of the GOP delegates at that time.”
The delegates can run but they cannot hide. Below are among the 10 worst of the GOP platform agendas, thanks to our friends over at Progress Texas. Check out their gifs.
1. Limit voting rights. (Done. The Jim Crow Voter ID law disenfranchised 600,000 voters in 2014.) 2. Restrict access to affordable healthcare (Done. Texas GOP refuses to expand Medicaid.) 3. (Here’s where Dan Patrick comes in.) Discriminate against gay and transgender Texans. 4. Ban abortion and punish women. (Done. The GOP ran Planned Parenthood out of the state. There is a rise in unwanted pregnancies.) 5. Do downright wacky things to our system of government ... and no women in combat and more Benghazi hearings, duh. (Accomplished, 24/7 in Austin and Washington, D.C.) 6. Make life harder for working families (Done. The GOP has been punishing the poor for decades.) 7. Educate Shmeducate. (Texas schools rank at the bottom.) 8. Tear immigrant families apart. (Done. Xenophobia is a core Republican value.) 9. Promote religious freedom. For Christians only. (Per the Texas Taliban.) 10. Perpetuate racism. (This effort has been ongoing since as long as I can remember.)
All of the above is completely out of step with the people of the state’s largest city, Houston. Houston, a highly diverse city, is, in fact, a global melting pot. A recent survey conducted by Rice University’s Kinder Institute reveals that the majority of us align with the Democratic Party. We are also more inclusive and tolerant than our Republican “representatives” in Austin and Washington, D.C. I would not be surprised if the same is true in other large urban areas such as Dallas and San Antonio.
The Political Disconnect
If the platform ratified by the state Republican Party at its convention last week seemed to be emanating from a parallel universe, it's because it was. Sort of, at least for most residents of Houston and Harris County. In its annual survey of attitudes held by citizens of our fair city, the Kinder Institute of Rice University described a universe far more inclusive and tolerant. True, the edicts laid down at the Texas Republican Convention are not binding on elected officials or candidates, but they are a clear snapshot of the mind-set of active party members, just as the Kinder Houston Area Survey reveals the opinions of Harris County residents. Nor are the differences totally surprising, given that Houston's status as one of the most diverse cities in the country distinguishes it from less urban parts of the state. Still, it is worth assessing the gulf between the attitudes of our state's elected officials and our neighbors in Harris County.
“The Pecksniffian Mr. Patrick” and his potty politics.
In the political universe, bathrooms would be policed to ensure that entry is based on an individual's "biologically determined sex." Who would do the policing isn't clearly stated. Perhaps Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was most vociferous in his criticism of President Obama's directive that transgender students be allowed to use public school facilities that matched their gender identity.
A majority of Houstonian’s believe a local equal rights ordinance is important.
In Houston's universe, according to the Kinder survey, 70 percent of Houston residents say it is "very important" to pass a local equal rights ordinance to protect people from discrimination. Odd, since the survey was conducted a few months after voters failed to approve just such an ordinance. They appeared to be responding to the same boogie-man, perverts-in-the-Ladies-Room fears being enflamed by the lieutenant governor.
The majority of us support abortion and gay rights.
Civil rights? The platform would outlaw ALL abortions and ban gay marriage. Harris County residents support abortion rights by 57 percent; 56 percent support gay rights.
We are not in favor Donald Trump’s wall. No thank you. We would rather see a path to citizenship for our city’s immigrants.
Build a wall to keep immigrants out? A resounding no: 77 percent of Harris County residents are in favor of a path to citizenship if undocumented immigrants meet some reasonable requirements; 63 percent declared that immigrants contribute more to the American economy than they take. As for religious tolerance, 51 percent were generally positive in their feelings toward Muslims.
Despite the recent economic downturn in the oil and gas industry, we are highly optimistic about the future. The majority of us believe the government should do more to reduce income inequality and help poor families.
Most important, the pessimism about America that is the hallmark of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump's campaign will not find fertile ground here. Houstonians are remarkably optimistic about their lives. Despite the recent difficulties of the oil business, 62 percent rated job opportunities as "excellent" or "good"; 61 percent said they expected their financial situations to be getting better in the next few years. Despite the teeth-jarring, suspension-busting potholes that litter our streets and the freeway-jamming traffic, 38 percent rated life in the Houston area as "getting better." And they are willing to share their good fortune: 66 percent believe the government should do more to reduce income differences, and 59 percent said that we are spending too little to improve conditions of the poor. The Republican platform would repeal minimum wage laws and oppose mandatory pre-school and kindergarten.
Given what Rice University’s Kinder Institute has revealed about Houston, why did the city vote down the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance last year? Why do we end up with politicians in our state government who do not represent us? Nor do they share our values.
The answer is simple. Voting matters. Big time.
The questions, of course, are why in a democracy this generosity of spirit and optimism is shared by too few of our state government leaders and why Houston's equal rights ordinance failed to pass last year's referendum. The answer is simple: Voting. The more votes cast, the more representative the results. If Houstonians want their attitudes reflected in public policy, the only way to make that happen is by casting their ballots. Not just in the big presidential races, but in primaries, local elections, run-off elections, whenever there is an opportunity to shape our universe. The 2015 election that defeated the Equal Rights Ordinance had one of the largest turnouts in decades: 27.5 percent. Almost three quarters of our citizens did not vote. This election cycle's primary runoff races are being contested on Tuesday, May 24. We look forward to seeing a large turnout.
Every election matters. Every single one of them. We end up with politicians like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Dan Patrick because Republican primary voters turn out all of the time. Election after election. The GOP knows how to energize its evangelical base with social hot button issues such as transgender bathrooms, gay marriage and abortion. It foments fear among the Party’s gun loving NRA base. Democrats will take your guns away! The Party will repeal the Second Amendment! The Muslims are coming!
Democrats should do the same. Not with fear but with the hope our core values naturally engender. President Obama won two elections based on hope, change and optimism about our future.
If we fail to vote we end up with more scary, narcissistic characters like Trump, Cruz and Patrick. As well as with their right wing extremist and intolerant agendas that have nothing in common with our values as Democrats, or as decent human beings for that matter.
For Houstonians who haven’t voted early in the run-off election please find your polling location and sample ballot here. If you want to learn more about the candidates please visit the League of Women Voters voter's guide.
For those of us who do not live in Houston please visit your local county clerk’s web site or contact the nearest Democratic Party headquarters in your area.
Vote like our lives depend upon it because they do.
Too busy? Does one really want more of this?
The Pecksniffian Mr. Patrick, always on the lookout for an opportunity to sow seeds of discord in a godly cause, announced recently that Texas needs a North Carolina-style law to keep transgender people out of what Patrick considers the wrong restroom.
You've heard about the problem Patrick and other bathroom-fixated ideologues and opportunists are so bravely seeking to address, right? Surely you've heard about the hordes of hairy-legged men donning calico dresses, invading women's restrooms and preying on young girls. To hear Patrick tell it, the perversion is so pervasive we're surprised he's not calling for an immediate special legislative session. Maybe he'll even find funds for statewide potty patrols (similar, perhaps, to the stick-wielding enforcers of public morality in some Arab countries).
Meanwhile, Patrick and Ken Paxton, the state's law-breaking top law-enforcement official, are trying to bully the superintendent of the Fort Worth public schools into resigning. Kent Scribner has to go, they say, because he put in place policies designed to protect transgender students from discrimination. Fortunately, local control still prevails, for now, at least.
I didn’t think so.
66,000 cases of child abuse, 171 deaths from abuse, 0 cases of transgender bathroom assaults
A serious elected official would spend his time and energy on serious issues. Most Texans can name quite a few: public education, higher education, health care, foster care, transportation, climate change, storm protection, tax reform. the list could go on. One other thing: A serious man would not scapegoat a group of people who already have problems with public understanding and acceptance.
We need politicians who don’t feel the need to vilify others in order to prop up and promote themselves. Surely we can do far better than the likes of Trump and Patrick and their deplorable political agendas.
The problem, of course, is not transgender restroom usage; that's a hoax crafted for scapegoating. The problem is pandering politicians who are wasting time and taxpayers' money. The problem is Dan Patrick.
