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Sabato’s Crystal Ball: For GOP’s Sake, Texas Better Not Secede
Rhodes Cook on FOR GOP’S SAKE, TEXAS BETTER NOT SECEDE
Of all the jaw-dropping comments made by politicians this year, the one that takes top prize was not uttered in the nation’s capital but deep in the heart of Texas. There, in conjunction with a tax day “tea party,” Republican Gov. Rick Perry floated the idea of his huge state along the Mexican border seceding from the Union.
As explanation, Perry declared that “we’ve got a great Union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that?”
Wacky and silly has been a common reaction to the idea of Texas’ secession. Yet to those who take the idea at all seriously, responses range from potentially treasonous to “close the door behind you on the way out.” As a political matter, it would be about the worst thing that could possibly happen to Perry’s Republican Party at a time that it holds neither end of Pennsylvania Avenue and is a receding force in many states.
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24 Responses to “Sabato’s Crystal Ball: For GOP’s Sake, Texas Better Not Secede”
Who cares. The Republian Party is irrelevant to politics. Besides, given the Hispanic birthrate and illegal immigraiton rate, the Democrats will eventually gain control in Texas.
What Larry Sabato should be writing about is what the U.S. will be like as a one party state where the Democratic Primary will be the real election.
Texas secession will be a win-win-win for nearly everyone. Texas will get to govern the way we want too. Other non-socialist states will conclude that secession is the best option and become free. This situation will allow the United States government to implement Democratic Party ideas without hindrance from the GOP. Folks in North America can truly have a choice of what type of government they want. Because there will be many to choose from.
Larry Kilgore for Texas Governor 2010 – Secession!!!
Absolutely, so stop talking about it and start the process already.
The rest of us want to see how long it will take a moderately wealthy state to become a third world rat hole. I give it ten years before the professional classes start jumping the border into the US.
DQ — The rest of us want to see how long it will take a moderately wealthy state to become a third world rat hole.
Can we take a look at California? I'm not sure if it can be considered “third world rat hole” yet, but with all of the programs that are on the chopping block, things aren't looking too good. And, by the way, they didn't have to secede to get there.
No, they just had to write a stupid rule into their constitution that permits a minority party to obstruct at will. Get rid of that rule and most of California's problems will be manageable.
Texas Secessionist want a “Cheap Labor Conservative” state with no welfare, no regulations, no unions and the ability to discriminate at will.
Well for all the talk about national patriotism, “one nation under God,” and such, I live in a small Texas town and regularly see “Secede” bumper stickers on the backs of pickup trucks.
I expect a few of us (despite this being our lifelong “home”) would pick up and move out of the Texas “nation” if it were to secede, taking our investments and belongings with us. Not sure how long it would take to crater, even with 1/5 of domestic oil production.
Ok, haha Texas seceding. Kind of funny, chuckle-chuckle. Maybe we're all in jest here and I don't need to point out the truly grave conclusions we must logically come to if we think about what would actually happen if Texas were to secede. First: Civil War 2. Absolutely would happen. Then, even if Texas were to make it through the civil war having won, we're looking at what would almost certainly be the worst refugee situation to ever hit this continent. And yes, I'm including the Trail of Tears in that. Anyway, maybe everyone's already on the same page and realizes how truly catostrophic it would be if Texas were to leave the union, and we're all just joking around; it's hard to tell sometimes.
On a lighter note, I do find it pretty awesome (and by “awesome” I mean “retch-inducing”) that the same Texans who were telling all us coastal lib-ruls how unpatriotic and un-American we were because we didn't think we should rush into an unwinnable war or demonize all the Muslims in the world are now actually proposing treason. That's, like, way patriotic.
Why? There is no reason to go to war. All we need to do is partition the National Debt, Remove the US military forces out of Texas and call it a day. As far as I am concerned keeping Texas in the Union is not worth the Bones of a single US Marine.
Good riddance to bad trash…
Again: are you in earnest here? I mean, the millions of American citizens who live in Texas and want to remain Americans are probably the biggest reasons. Other reasons: interstate commerce with Texas, the roads, oil fields, etc, which are partially or fully federally owned.
Don Quijote:
I wish our Esteemed Governor Perry would consider your points before he goes on some rant again about how great our state is. We're just licking our wounds down here for his choice of Don McLeroy (young-earth creationist extraordinaire) as leader of the State Board of Education, narrowly defeated in the Senate because of all the protests letters we had to write.
Texas: my home. Born and raised. And after returning (a 15 year duration in another state) “home” I can sometimes hardly recognize the place. My wife commented a few weeks ago “my goodness we Texans seem to think a lot of ourselves at times…”
The problem with Texas is not your esteemed governor, he is but a symptom, but the people who keep voting for him and his ilk. From the looks of it, these are not people willing to learn the easy way, read a book or two, pay attention to what happens in other countries when conservatives get into power using religion & racism as a wedge, so they will have to learn the hard way.
We have plenty of commerce with Canada, why should Texas be different?
At LEAST maybe his (Rick Perry's) “secede” statements might preclude him from running as a Republican hopeful for president. It would at least be a bit awkward to explain national patriotic sentiments (ie I'm hearing “Real America”) if one considers the rest of the states somehow expendable.
Perhaps you don't know the difference between interstate commerce and international commerce. Big difference. And do you really think that happy international trade treaties will be forth-coming between the US and a “nation” that has recently forcably removed itself from the mother country? Generally there's some, er, “tension” in those situations. And again, large portions of the infrastructure belongs not to the state of Texas but to the United States. You think the US will willingly give up the large oil reserves in Texas and along the gulf coast?
I've also got to mention again the unavoidable humanitarian crisis that would go along with millions of people who were born US citizens, want to remain so, and would have to be relocated. Even if Texas were willing to let them leave peacefully, even if there weren't large groups of vigilantes popping up and witch-hunting those against the secessionist cause — which in such a situation could not be considered a given — and even if the US were to help out with the billions upon billions of dollars that would be needed for the relocation, any time you get millions of people who have to uproot their lives and move hundreds or thousands of miles, families in tow, with all their possessions, and find somewhere new and start from scratch, you get a pretty monumental refugee crisis and public health crisis. It would make Katrina look like a walk in the park — both in cost and likely in human lives.
What I'm trying to say is that we can be flip and cynical and talk about how crazy Texans are and how we'd be better off without them, but let's not pretend that it would be good for Texas OR for the rest of the US if they were to press this in any serious manner.
Texas? Who cares? their problem.
If Texas seceded, I would expect the place to turn into a third world rat-hole really fast and to serve as a nice example to other States that think that Secession is a good idea as to what happens when you let “Cheap labor Conservatives” take over.
Getting rid of the State that gave us Shrub would be a straight up win for the US
Did you even read my comment? Do you actually think that all Texans are worthless? Or that all people in Texas are even Texan? Or that it would be good for anyone, in or out of Texas, to have a third-world rat hole where Texas now sits?
Yes.
Probably not. No just that quite a few of them are right wing nuts who live in a fantasy world in which taxes and government services are not required.
If you live in Texas, and vote in texas you are a Texan. And if as a Texan, you have a high political official who speaks of secession and you don't impeach, recall or do whatever is needed to put said official back in private life asap, I am assuming that enough Texans support him and his traitorous position.
I don't get to make that desicion, the fine people of Texas do, if they want to secede, i won't stop them, it's cheaper for me to have a third world rat-hole where texas use to be than to have another civil war.
This is asinine. Texas will not succeed. Perry was playing up to a partisan crowd and was basically making an inside joke. Sure there are a few idiots who really believe, probably the same number who believe in UFO's, so what. The rest of us are justifiably proud of Texas and I'm sure more than a bit partisan. The idea of Texas as it's own country is an intellectual exercise to amuse ourselves and maybe puff ourselves up a bit. Doesn't every state have something they think makes them a little better than any other? California doesn't want to succeed but they love to mention that they are the 3rd largest world economy if taken as a country. New York just has an ego about everything. Alaska is the frontier. The list goes on. So? At least when we play pretend we know it. Some of you act like you think it could happen. And by the way DQ if you got rid of Texas you would lose a large chunk of the military (16%). Texas is home to more fortune 500 companies than any other state. We have the second largest economy in the country. Wer are the number one exporter of goods in the country. Houston has the 58 fortune 500 companies based here second only to New York. We have the most farms in the nation both number and acre, the most cattle (20%), #1 in goat and sheep products, produce the most cotton (29%), I can go on. basically the number 2 agricultural state in the US. Texas produces 1/5 of the oil and 1/3 natural gas in the US. Major fishing production. Chemical manufacturing, oil refining, major manufacturer of electronics. And by the way we are not going bankrupt.
So what was it you said
“Good riddance to bad trash”
Wow the ignorance abounds.
So I guess zero sympathy for the humanitarian crisis that would erupt, zero care about all the people who have been transferred there for work, zero compassion for the literally millions of people who would bilked out of their rights as American citizens because of their inability to get out before the border walls go up? I mean, even if we go with your evidently foregone conclusion that only people who are both politically active and liberal enough to call for impeachment even matter (is this supposed to be a liberal position? what kind of liberal are you?), only about 60% of the 23million people there even consider themselves Republican, let alone off-the-charts right-wing.
“f they want to secede, i won't stop them”
Well, thank Goddess you're not in charge.
Slip of the tongue?
slip of the spellcheck
Secede? Secede? Secede? Secede, hell.
I want a new amendment. The “State full of assholes” amendment. Passed by a majority of Voters it goes into effect. If the majority of voters in states other than the proposed asshole state vote for it, then the asshole state gets kicked out, at once, literally, all federal projects are packed up and moved permanently. All of the asshole states will have to provide their own diplomatic corp, passports, etc. All of the states criminals housed in other states or federal pens will be hauled to the states borders and kicked out.
Secede, secede shit, I want you assholes out of my country. The sooner the better. Take OK and KS with you..
Starve when the Ogalla Aquifier dries up. Don't be packing up grandma and grandpa and shipping them here as dogfood neither; They are yours barbecue'm.
1
Joe did you skip your meds again?
Most of your would be secessionist have no problems with reason 2 or 3. As a matter of fact it probably gives them a woody to know that some poor non-white, non-English speaking schmuck in some third world rat-hole is having his country bombed from the nineteenth century into the middle ages.