| There has been much ballyhoo lately over polls showing Bill White behind Rick Perry. White would do well to remember that given a choice between a Republican and a Democrat talking like a Republican, the real thing wins every time.
I am so sick of Democrats trying to play the Republican's game using their words and playing to their strengths. We haven't tried this in a rather long time, but why not try to run on Democratic values? Running as Republicans sure hasn't worked. We haven't won a statewide race since Governor Ann Richards. Obviously pretending that we are just like the Republicans doesn't work.
Believe it or not, there are actually more of us out there. We just don't vote our numbers because we feel like we'll just loose anyway. So why bother? When we promote ourselves as Republican lite, we turn away voters that have voted for us. Instead, they come away with the notion that there isn't any difference between the two parties, so why bother?
If we want to win in Texas, we need to start acting like real Texas Democrats. We need to be more like Ann Richards and Barbara Jordan and Molly Ivins and Ladybird Johnson. Ladybird faced down the old south and the KKK to promote the Civil Rights Act. She didn't say stupid bs like "I'm for family values."
Who could forget Ann Richards as the keynote at the DNC? People are still quoting it. She wasn't pretending to be a conservative. How about when Barbara Jordan stood up to President Nixon and called him out? Was she pretending to be a Republican? Does anyone remember Ralph Yarborough? Did he ever pretend to be just like the Republicans just to get elected?
We can elect Democrats in Texas statewide once more, but we'll have to start sounding like real Democrats to do it. |
