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| Political signs running the gamut from Republican to Democrat are
everywhere in Garland right now as the Red and Blue Waves compete for
top billing. |
With all the talk these days about a "Blue Wave" possibly ready to
sweep over our beloved Lone Star State, it's helpful to remember when
the "Red Wave" swept over Texas some 40 years ago and changed the whole
political landscape for a generation.
Yes, for those
too young to remember, for those who did not live here then, and for
those who choose not to remember, Texas—and Garland—once were
strongholds for Democrats. Republicans were the outsiders looking in,
while Democrats sat at the table and feasted on their political
victories.
Then suddenly, in over a little more than a
decade, everything changed. Even politicians who once boasted of their
Democratic leanings, like chameleons, became Republicans.
I had a ringside seat to watching this shift occur statewide.
Not
only was I a reporter and columnist on the largest daily newspaper in
the state at that time, but my
desk in the newsroom at the Houston Chronicle was very near Editor
Everett Collier's office. Wannabe
presidents, governors, senators, legislators, county judges,
county commissioners, district judges, mayors, councilmembers, etc.,
walked past my desk on their way to see Everett who made the decisions
about which candidates the newspaper would endorse. Sometimes these
hopefuls stopped to chat on their
way to the top person's office. (Or if someone particularly
interesting—such as characters in the Nixon White House Watergate
scandal happened in—I got up and quickly offered my assistance with
directions to the editor's office, hoping to get a better view of the
person and maybe perhaps catch a
few words to remember.)
During that time I
was an actual eyewitness to the "Red Wave" moving across Texas during
the 1970s and into the early 1980s.
Just like they do now with the Republicans, back in that day local and state
officials also lined up with the so-called Southern Democrats in Congress.
In
those days it was a "kiss of political death" to be a
Republican. Today, some see it as the reverse.
More
than a century earlier, Southern Democrats emerged as defenders of
slavery and worked for its expansion. Then after the Civil War, Southern
Democrats were associated with segregation and held the white voters
together as a bloc in the Old South. That monopoly broke apart with the
election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his New Deal, then Harry S
Truman and the Democratic Party's shift toward a pro- and then
aggressive Civil Rights position.
Simultaneously during
that same time frame, the Party of Lincoln, the Republicans, moved
right— away from so-called liberalism on social and cultural issues and
toward a more so-called conservative position in our society.
By the 1970s, the two parties had
de facto
swapped positions on many issues. Then during the 1970s, the transition
began to trickle down to lower forms of government, including states,
counties, and municipalities. Historians say the Republican Party's
"lock" on all forms of U.S. government was complete by 2010.
At
the state and local level, including Texas and Garland, the so-called
"southern wing" of the
Democratic Party was so solid, inflexible, and so sure of itself that it
worked to exclude "those Republicans" from even minor appointments such
as postmasters or any other minor positions of that day. Southern
Democrats
were also known for "being soft" on integration but tough (at least in
talk) on Soviet and Chinese communism. They failed miserably to see the
shifts occurring in American society all around them then.
And within a decade—the 1970s—the
Southern Democrats in Texas and Garland were either swept out of office or quickly switched
parties and dressed themselves up as Republicans.
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| The Garland Republican Women's Club was highly active in the 1970s when
that particular wave swept through town. Here is a Garland News story
about one of their activities. |
I saw that transition
happening before my eyes in the parade of politicians seeking the
Chronicle's endorsement—and also in the Chronicle's endorsements. First they were all Democrats; then they were a
mixture; then finally they were mostly Republicans.
I
got a real laugh out of some politicians who one day were Democrats and
the next day Republicans. I still smile when I think of one state
district judge who was Democrat all the way, then almost immediately
morphed into a sold-out Republican. As I watched and observed, peer
pressure was clearly at play as well as a desire to not be left behind
in the transition that was under way.
Even
here in Garland Kay and I had a ringside seat to the transition that
saw our current hometown shift dramatically from blue to red. Kay's
parents
and some of their neighbors here on Garland's 11th Street at that time
led the
way to bring the modern Republican Party into heavily Democratic
Garland. They were motivated in part by the rigidness and backwardness
of the Southern
Democrats. I stood back in amazement as they worked diligently to
unseat Southern Democrats and replace them with Republicans—or worked
steadily to convince Southern Democrats to switch parties, which many
did, especially as they saw the Red Wave sweeping over them.
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| 11th Street
was a mecca for entertaining Republican candidates. Here Winifred
Stokes, left, and Mable Wheeler, second from right, host candidate
George W. Bush in a party on 11th Street. Mable was my mother-in-law. |
I've been reflecting on those days now that people are talking about the approaching "Blue Wave".
The
Republican Party is, in so many ways, taking on the same characteristics
of the Southern Democrats in the 1950s and 1960s—exclusive, inflexible,
overly sure of itself, unwilling to compromise, and unappreciative of others who don't look, talk, and
act like its members.
A former Democrat herself, Kay's
mother became a devout Republican. She was such a firm Republican, the
first question she asked me after I told Kay's parents I wanted to marry
their daughter was, "Well, there is a political difference here."
At
that time, 50 some years ago, I identified with the more progressive
wing of the Democratic Party. Now I consider myself an Independent
because neither party fully represents my political views. I vote based
on issues that I support and those cross party lines. And yes, I vote
based on what I perceive as the ethics, morals, and transparency of
individual candidates, too. I will not vote for someone just because
some party boss somewhere demands it. Or because the person wears a
label on his or her collar! And yes, over the past 5 decades I have
voted for Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and on occasion Third
Party candidates. While I consider myself a centrist, I have voted for a
few Tea Party and a few Libertarian candidates, too—usually because I
knew and liked them or knew and totally opposed their opponents.
My response to my future mother-in-law was, "I don't intend to make an issue of it, and I hope you won't either."
None of us did! We called a truce, effective on most occasions.
Fortunately
for all of us, after the dreadful and divisive days of Watergate and
Nixon, we could all agree on the Bush family. They and we had interacted
with the Bushes personally in different ways, but we all found them
people worthy of our respect.
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One subject that brought varying political views together in our
family was respect for the George H.W. Bushes. My wife, son, and I had
the privilege of meeting Bush I and his wife, Barbara, when we lived in
Houston, also the Bushes' hometown.
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So fast-forward to today.
Kay and I have many friends and acquaintances in both parties.
We personally know so many who are running for election, or
re-election, in county, statewide, and national races right now. Some
are Democrats. Some are Republicans. Some are Libertarians. And some are
Independents.
Nevertheless, like many others, I wonder
whether a Blue Wave is on the horizon. If it is, it won't be a tidal
wave like many hope and expect. It's been creeping into North Texas
slowly for the past several elections. Dallas County officials,
including its Commissioners Court, have been in the forefront of the
change.
Even Steven Wong, the State Director of the Republican Party of Texas, sees the possibility of a political shift on the horizon.
In one of his recent fundraising emails, he said, "The
Democrats continue to tout a Blue Wave that will sweep across Texas,
wiping out countless Republican seats and effectively turning our state
Democrat.
"We CANNOT let that happen.
"One of the greatest ways to help us prevent this is to volunteer for our Republican Party of Texas Cavalry today!"
I
would much have preferred Wong had said, "Let's head them off at the
pass by starting to treat one another respectfully and show the citizens
of this great state that WE can lead by proving that WE can work
together—Republicans with Republicans, and Republicans with Democrats,
and Republicans with Independents—for a better Texas."
But,
alas, what he and others are saying is far, far removed from that. I am
an idealist who believes our leaders ought to really work together in
actions—not just words—for the good of this city, state, and nation—not
selfishly crowd into a tiny phone booth and espouse inflammatory
rhetoric that sets our teeth on edge.
Unless the
Republicans change their flamboyant rhetoric very soon, the Blue Wave
that many anticipate will continue onward and change the political
landscape for perhaps another 40 years. When that's going to actually
happen, I won't predict.
Remember, Texas and Garland
didn't become Republican overnight. It took longer than a decade. And
the Party in Power then misread the signs of the times badly. Like
the Republicans and their reaction to Hispanic citizens today, the
Southern Democrats of yore failed miserably to see the end-result of the
nation's fervent march toward civil rights. That party made lots and
lots of blunders and mistakes during that transition, especially in
reaction to the revulsion of many to its policies and politics.
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| Because
my mayoral campaign sign was blue, some people automatically and erroneously assumed I was a
Democrat, although I am an avowed Independent. I chose blue because it's
my favorite color and because blue and gold (gold signifying hope)
looked good together. |
I believe in a United States of America where
people of different races, parties, religions, economic levels, and
regions work together for the common good of ALL—not for the good of one
or two particular special-interest groups.
I do not like polarization, nor do I like polarizing leaders.
In
my worldview, people of differing parties work together calmly to find
solutions, not reasons to bicker, undercut, and destroy.
But that's not happening right now. And all the bickering seems to be getting worse and worse.
One
of the reasons I'm hesitant about whether the Blue Wave will actually
occur this year is the way our elections have shifted during the past 40
years from being based on issues, policies, and hard work to today
where money, money, and more money (and the slanted, narrowly focused
advertising and marketing it will buy) are the drivers.
On
the other hand, one of the reasons I believe things might shift, if not
in November then later, are the candidates themselves.
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| District
2 constable candidate Bill Gipson is on the run in hoping to bring a
Blue Wave through North Texas. If Bill wins, he will be the first
African-American in the office he is seeking. We've enjoyed having Bill
in our home for social visits. |
Not since my days at the Houston Chronicle have I
personally known so many who will be on the ballot this fall in the
midterm elections in Texas. The Party in Power is wielding too many that
are seasoned political veterans nearing or in the older-adults
category. With rare exceptions, the Democrats are younger, more
energetic, and full of optimism about their personal futures. If they
lose, many of these candidates are likely to be back on stage next
election time—older, wiser, and more seasoned.
A Blue Wave coming? Look carefully at what the previous Red Wave taught us:
1. Something similar has happened in the past, so a transition of that magnitude is possible in the present.
2. Such transitions happen slowly, usually not overnight. One election does not a pattern make.
3.
Don't jump to conclusions too quickly when such a transition is under
way. I've read too many articles over the years that could have been
titled, "Is the Republican Party (or the Democratic Party) dead?”
Political obituaries are dangerous to write or read—and even more
dangerous to believe.
4. If and when it does happen,
you will see lots of people in red quickly changing their colors again.
Politics, after all, is a fluid business, with way too many in both
parties licking their fingers and sticking them in the air to test which
way the wind is blowing.
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| We've
been in numerous
social occasions where we've gotten to know many of the candidates
running for office in the November elections. Congressional candidate
Colin Allred is a graduate of our alma mater, Baylor University. Five of
our 10 immediate family members are Baylor graduates. We'd love to see
many of the next generation graduate from there, too. |
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