Greetings from Texas: Property of God-fearing Conservative White Patriots...others not welcome

On an overcast Monday afternoon, officers in bulletproof vests swept into a house on Houston’s north side. The armed deputies and agents served a search warrant. They carted away computers, hard drives and documents. The raid targeted a voter registration group called Houston Votes, which was accused of election fraud. It was initiated by investigators for Attorney General Greg Abbott. His aides say he is duty-bound to preserve the integrity of the ballot box. His critics, however, say that what Abbott has really sought to preserve is the power of the Republican Party in Texas. They accuse him of political partisanship, targeting key Democratic voting blocs, especially minorities and the poor, in ways that make it harder for them to vote, or for their votes to count.

One of the really interesting demographic trends in Texas is a bad omen for Republicans. The Rio Grande Valley has long been a Democratic stronghold (Latinos don’t vote Republican. Who knew??), but over the past few years Texas’ major metropolitan areas (Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and, most distressingly for those who think God’s a Republican, Houston) have been shading purple. Harris County, which contains Houston, is no longer a reliably red district as minority population growth outstrips that of Conservative White Christians. Yes, Virginia, the explosive growth of Texas’ Hispanic population means that before too much longer, the Lone Star State will no longer be reliably and unquestionably red. It’s turning purple…and hopefully in time it will turn blue.

As you might imagine, this not has NOT been well-received among the White power structure, convinced as they are that God is a Republican and has always intended for them to be the rightful owners and rulers of Texas. The idea that the status quo might be threatened at the ballot box means only one thing: democracy must be altered to keep “undesirables” (i.e.- non-Whites who don’t vote Republican) from voting. Texas, like numerous other red states, have passed laws designed to make it more difficult for minorities and the poor to cast their ballots. The more of “them” they can turn back from polling places, the better the chances Republicans will be able to maintain power…as God intended.

At first, the attempts to alter voting patterns were subtle, with Republicans nibbling around the margins in the name of “electoral integrity.” Now they’ve long since abandoned subtlety. Their attempts to deny voting rights to minorities and the poor are as open and undisguised as they immoral and unconstitutional. Then again, Republicans care about the Constitution only insofar as it can be used to cement their “rightful” place atop the political food chain.

If you can’t beat ‘em, cheat ‘em.

Attorney General Greg Abbott has been the point man when it comes to voter suppression in Texas, and while he has the law on his side, the law is an ass. Voter ID suppression laws in Texas have one purpose: to make it as difficult as possible for minorities and the poor to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed franchise. YOU can’t lose if THEY can’t vote, right? It’s sad and pathetic watching and the White power structure bending law, morality, and the Constitution to their will and their desire to do whatever it takes to maintain power. That 50%+ of Texans support Abbott for Governor in the latest polls only serves to point up who truly pathetic the current states of politics in the Lone Star State…and the willingness of Texans to allow democracy to be stolen.

If God’s a Republican, shouldn’t the GOP be allowed to do what they need in order to maintain power? Is it really cheating if the Almighty has blessed Republicans and made them the rightful owners of Texas? After all, they’re really just doing the Lord’s work…right??