Ambrose Bierce quote, “Conservative, n: A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal who wishes to replace them with others” relates to the two political parties, in America. Bierce was a novel writer and based on his quote I think he was a liberal. His quote defines a conservative and a liberal in a very unsubtle way which can be misleading to some even though it is true. Texas is known as a conservative state and California is known as a liberal state. Texas has been a conservative state since 1944 and Democrats haven’t been able to win it since. Two Presidents of the United States are from Texas and were from the Republican Party. Many believe that Texas became conservative when people started moving West, moving West was not a really smooth process back in the days. This takes us to the Frontier heritage when people had to cope with a lot of issues because of the move towards West. This made people angry at the government and caused distrust and anger towards the government, the government wanted to make changes to some of the old …show more content…
For example, marijuana is legal in California and is still not legalized in Texas even for medicinal purposes, abortion in Texas is legal only till 20 weeks after fertility whereas in California abortion is legal till after viability. Same is true for LGBT rights, Texas did not legalize LGBT marriages until the supreme court ruled that all states had to make it legal. Also many support gun laws in Texas whereas liberals such as California are against gun laws. These are the significant differences seen in conservative and liberal political cultures in the United
In the comparison of Texas to New Mexico, it can be believed that they share very common political views being neighboring states but that quickly diminishes when taking a closer look into their differences between political cultures, the state constitutions, and the branches of their government including legislative, executive, and judicial. The two states also differ in the issues that they face but they share many as well mainly due to their close proximity to the Mexican-American border.
Detra, I can relate with you as I am also not a Texan native or know much about Texas government and its history. When I hear about Texas first thoughts that comes to mind is either their love for their football team, bbq, or women’s big hair do’s. That’s what I related to “everything is bigger in Texas” with, however as I have read it also relates to their pride, their state size and their growing population. I also never understood why Texans are extremely proud people then again as I have been reading and as you have mentioned they have had an interesting history and have shown that they will fight for what they believe in no matter the cost.
States’ rights, the fight for the unborn and their right to life, and resistance to gun legislation, tend to be some of the top issues for conservative Texas voters. The last time a Democrat carried the state of Texas was in 1976, when Jimmy Carter won the Presidential election. During the 2004 presidential election, then President and Republican candidate, George W. Bush, won with 61.09% against 38.30% votes for the Democratic candidate John Kerry. However, in the more recent Presidential elections that were held in 2008 and in 2012, the very popular Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, did not win the majority vote for Texas. Thus, looking at this information, it can be said that the state of Texas tends to lean more towards the Republican side.
Texas is a unique place with a colorful history of legendary cowboys and tall tales. The state stretches over the middle section of the southern United States. Texas has experienced shifts in governmental control within the United States. French, Spanish, Mexican, and Confederacy, and all having once been in charge, not to mention the time Texas spent as an independent republic. Texas has had many battles and wars within its borders, resulting in seven different constitutions within a span of fifty years between each document.
Texas: For over a 100 years Texas was a one-party state of Democrats (Munisteri). Republicans did not have a chance until Abraham Lincoln who was against slavery and defended the Union during the Civil War. During this time before Republicans took over Texas was free-willed and won majority of seats in the race and had all seats in Legislature. One of the best ways to describe this era was best stated by Author Steven, “developed a free spirit, a pride in self-reliance and a work ethic that is still unmatched today “Early Texans lived, loved and died entirely by their own efforts without relying on government to fulfill their needs. Just like modern Texans, early settlers believed in
Texas has always been an individualistic state. Since the Alamo to the decision to leave the Union and stubbornly retain traditions, morals, and ideas to this day. After the Civil War, Texas went under radical reconstruction. This was a military rule in which Texas functioned under a military government that made a constitution that made the government more centralized, provided compulsory school attendance, and guaranteed a full range of rights for former slaves. By far, this constitution was a great stride forward in civil rights and made the government more efficient. However, white Southerners were extremely angered by this because of their racist attitudes and stubbornness. When reconstruction ended, white Texans quickly took back the
The Texas constitution is very long and detailed. The Texas constitution is long and detailed because of provisions that specifically tells the government what they can or can’t do. Now with the Texas constitution the government does not have the option about interpreting it to their advantage or disadvantage. Instead any person with the power inside of the government, if they wish to act outside of laws stated in the Texas constitution must have to amend the constitution. Now for the United States constitution, it is very brief and broad which allows the government to interpret it any way they would like in a sense. By doing this they can claim their implied powers to meet any specific circumstances that must do with public policy. When it comes to civil liberties the United states constitution are listed as the bill of rights which are just amendments listed versus the Texas constitution which are also called bill of rights but are stated in the first
Texas has all three political cultures all over the state, but when people outside of
Liberals and conservatives greatly differ in opinion. Liberals tend to be more open-minded and believe it is the duty of the government to provide equality to all. Conservatives, on the other hand, are typically more anxious and independent. They often support a small limited government. These two groups shape help shape America in regards to the political system. Liberals and conservatives differ on their opinion of the role of the government and in how they manifest in the media, the court system, and congress.
Political culture is complex even in a place like Texas where there is a broad consensus about core values and ideals. Despite numerous constitutions and national flags, the changing fortunes of political parties, and the almost complete transformation of the economy, the state's political culture displays a remarkable continuity. The dominant political culture's particular combination of economic liberalism (faith in the "free market" economy), social conservatism (favoring traditional values and moralism), and populism (promoting the rights and worthiness of ordinary people) has proven quite resilient over many decades and even centuries. These ideological tendencies are expressed in a dominant political culture that tends to favor low taxes, low government services, and pro-business policies, while at the same time reserving a significant respect (at least in the abstract) for popular control of government.
Historically, the conservative values conveyed by many Texans have shown disapproval for change and differences. Amongst the list of social and political views conservatives have disapproved of in the past would be civil rights, women’s rights, and gay rights. All three are issues of which are still under conflict and disapproval. With this said, gay rights are the most recent issue that has shaken the traditionalist views upheld in Texas. To state the opposition of gay rights, conservatives in general do not support the relationships shared between homosexuals. They deem it as unnatural or immoral and therefore, it is seen as wrong in their eyes. In addition to the conservative claims as homosexuality being unnatural, the traditional culture does not take too kindly to change, which is exactly what began as soon as the Court’s ruling was made. In conclusion, it is the traditional political culture such as the conservative ideology shared by many and the opposition to change that has affected Texas in
Political culture reflects the political ethics and convictions of people, not only around the United States of America but also all over the world. The people believe that the government is responsible for the type of services (like education, health care, community services, etc.) that they are entitled too; therefore, if the outcome is not good the political system has failed. There are three different political cultures: moral, traditional, and individualist. The State of Texas has a mix from all the cultures; however, traditional and individualist cultures seem to predominate.
Texas has a reputation throughout history of differing views from the federal government in laws and politics pertaining to social, fiscal, and educational issues. On the whole, Texas operates as a largely conservative state. Because of this, policy-making is often right wing. With the institution of a Democratic, liberal president, the State’s dissent from the Federal government has only increased over certain issues. One hot topic of the 2012 Presidential election was immigration. With the major increase in immigration, it is no surprise that the issue was so emphasized. Between 2000 and 2011 there was a 30 percent
A political ideology plants the social and political beliefs of a group. The two sides of the Texas Political ideologies form the basis of how our politicians will play a proper role of government in our state. Between the left wing and the right wing differences do exist. The left wing is liberal and the right wing is found to be conservative. Being said, the left wing beliefs in moderate changes and government involvement. Between being liberal or conservative, very controversial topics exists that are very important to our daily lives. Liberals believe that the government should take action to reach equality for everyone. For example liberals stand for freedom of religion, immigration, and government powers. They push for laws that offer
Texas is a state that has always been recognized for its size and politics. Elections are a huge part of democratic societies that are intended for citizens to choose their public leaders and approve the policies set by candidates. Political parties and interest groups also play a key role in shaping opportunities for public participation. Most Texans and historians know that the Democratic Party’s historical dominance is important to state politics. It is less likely that people are not aware of the consequences of the one-party system for public participation and democracy in Texas. Like many of the rim South states, the white elitist belonged to the Democratic Party which stemmed from the end of Reconstruction until the late 20th