Being a Liberal in a Red State (Allen Clifton)
Yeah, I can relate to this.
Allen makes a crucial point when he reminds us that extreme wingnut dominance in Texas is a comparatively new phenomenon: It has been less than 20 year since Ann Richards, may she rest in peace, was governor.
There are many reasons for the far right ascendancy in recent years, many of them having to do with the power of the Bush/Perry/Oil axis and its harnessing of corrupt fundamentalist preachers.
None of this is irreversible, however, and demographic change alone will in fact make reversal all but inevitable. The Republican leadership is trying to mitigate this with attempts to limit voting rights and demonize immigrants and, of course, through relentless and outrageously obvious gerrymandering. The all out effort to destroy public education is also part of this drive to hold back the tide of history, since an ignorant, mis-informed electorate is far more susceptible to far right propaganda appeals.
Despite what people in California, New York and other “blue states” think, there are liberals in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and other “red states.”
In fact, there are millions of us.
For me, being a liberal in a red state is often very frustrating. Sometimes I ask myself, “Does thinking I’m the last sane person on the planet actually make me insane?” Not because I’m the only liberal I’ve met, but you just feel so overwhelmed by conservative rhetoric that you can easily feel isolated from reality.
As for me, I live in Texas—Dallas to be exact. Usually when people who follow my page Right Off A Cliff find this out they either say it gives them hope for Texas or they ask how in the world can I stand being a liberal in such a red state. Trust me, it’s not always easy.
MUCH More: Forward Progressives — Being a Liberal in a Red State