#txvotes

Go to Vote411.org for the November 3, 2015 Texas Constitutional Amendment Election Voters Guides

As a Texan and an Aggie, through and through, I know firsthand how self absorbed the state can be, how prideful its people are when it concerns their independence, their unwillingness to back down in the face of change, to cling to morals and traditions that have no place nor make much sense neither here nor there. From the countless hate mails I received in college, writing op-ed columns that didn't glorify Bush for the Texas A&M community, to the multiple times I've been told the following: "You're a feminist? That's cute." "You're just confused and angsty. You'll grow out of it. " "You're a republican. Look at you. You can't not be." I must honestly say that it is much easier watching Texas politics from afar, fielding the question, "Why would anyone not white and male want to live there?" with a shrug, both sad to call it my home state and thankful that I had managed to escape.

The problem here is not, though, that Texas pride is wrong, or should be toned down. It's that Texans have been truly misled. The GOP is no longer merely a red party. It moves further right with every single election, with every single fear tactic, with every single piece of rhetoric that knows Texans so well, but isn't working in their best interest. Want proof? Greg Abbott built his campaign on keeping Texas great. Rhetoric that looks backward at the Texas we once knew, with little true leadership looking forward. In the spirit of that, of keeping Texas the way Abbott remembers it, this story will serve us well. The unfortunate incident that resulted in his paralysis granted him millions for care, for a complete change in lifestyle. And then he actively worked the system to ensure that no other Texan ever receive the same monetary benefits and ease as he did. That's his type of leadership, the kind where he reaps the benefits, then pulls up the ladder behind him, acting confused as to why no one else could achieve what he has.

He is not an inspiration. He is not representative of Texan morals, traditions or wants for the future. But he is our governor. And Texans, those people so prideful on independence, made that choice, likely via straight ticket voting. Because that's what was easy, that's what didn't force anyone to think, to dig, to ask the right questions. Because that's what Texas has become. A state so wrapped up in fear that the majority of the state wouldn't recognize a modern day Sam Houston if they tried. And now we find ourselves back here, living up to a description that even then was no compliment: