Party Conflict.pptx

Who said “Politics is about who gets what, when, and how”?

Harold Laswell

What party dominated politics in Texas from the 1870s until the 1960s?

the Democratic Party dominated politics in Texas

Who was part of the Post-Civil War Democrat Platform?

• White conservatives

• Agriculture interests

• Pro-business

• Resistant to civil rights

• Opposed federal programs

• Distrust federal
  government

How many Republican held statewide office from 1874 to 1961 in Texas?

No Republican held a single statewide office

What are 29 offices elected statewide in Texas?

• 2 U.S. Senators

• Governor

• Lieutenant Governor

• Attorney General

• Comptroller

• Ag Commissioner

• Land Commissioner

• Railroad Commissioners

• 18 Supreme Court Justices

How consistently did Texas vote Democratic in presidential elections during the period of Democratic dominance?

Texas voted for the Democratic presidential candidate 17 elections in a row

What change during the 20th century influenced major shifts in the Democrat Party Platform, Not the ideology of conservative Texas voters?

both economic and social changes

What was the New Deal?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's collection of federal programs and policies intended to address the Great Depression. It expanded the federal government's role in the economy and society

Did Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” program cause an increase or decrease of Democratic Party support in Texas?

decrease

What years was FDR in office?

FDR elected in 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944 when he died in office

What did the New Deal support?

• Supported unions, child labor
  laws, taxed and regulated the
  super rich

• Social Security, Interstate
  Highways, electricity in rural
  areas

Why did the New Deal divide Texas Democrats?

Conservative Democrats favored business interests and distrusted big government, while liberal Democrats supported federal programs, labor unions, and distrusted corporations.

Why did civil rights divide the Texas Democratic Party?

The Democratic Party increasingly supported civil rights, while many conservative Texas Democrats opposed desegregation and federal civil rights intervention.

what started the Shivercrat movement?

Deeper divisions occurred in the Texas Democratic Party, when the national Party added civil rights to their platform in 1952

What do the Shivercrats represent?

the first “break” in the Solid Democratic Stronghold in Texas

Why did they become known as the Shivercrats ?

Governor Shivers strongly opposed civil rights and kept segregation in Texas he also encouraged Texas Democrats to support Eisenhower (the Republican!) for President.

Who did the Shivercrats vote for?

Shivercrats voted for Eisenhower (R) for President in 1952
but still voted Democrat for every other position

What was the “final straw” that led to conservative Texans supporting the Republican Party?

Passage of civil rights legislation under President Lyndon B. Johnson
in 1960s

What is a Yellow Dog Democrat?

Texas Democrats fiercely loyal the Democratic Party, even with divides over
government programs and civil rights

What is a Blue Dog Democrat?

Southern Democrat with conservative ideology

Why did Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy in the 1970s cause the Republican Party Rise?

It directly appealed to white Southerners racial grievances

How popular was Ronald Reagan?

Ronald Reagan built the most powerful voting coalition in American history in the 1980s

How did Ronald Reagan lead to the rise of the Republican Party Rise?

• First to join social conservative ideology with the financial
  backing of the Republican Party

• First to promise “Conservative Justices” as a response to the
  “Liberal Justices” who passed Brown v Board, Roe v Wade, etc

In the 1984 presidential election Reagan won how many states?

Reagan won 49 out of 50 states – creating the largest and most powerful voting bloc in American history

What happen after George W Bush was elected in 1994 as Governor?

since then no Democrat has held statewide office in Texas

What is party polarization?

Party Polarization is when the parties become more distant in terms of their ideology and less willing to compromise.

how can social media contribute to political polarization?

The unelected billionaires who own the social media platforms we all use benefit from us fighting with each other. They purposefully push negativity into our algorithms because the more we fight each other the more money they make

A conservative Texas Democrat votes for Dwight Eisenhower for president in 1952 but votes Democratic for other offices. What is this voter called?

Purple voter

What do red, blue, and purple states represent?

• Red: generally Republican-leaning.

• Blue: generally Democratic-leaning.

• Purple: politically competitive, with significant support for both parties.

TEXAS IN THE 1960 & 2016
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Could Texas become a purple state?

maybe…. if

1)Latinos vote in greater numbers
and support Democrats
2)Republicans keep the same
platform on issues like healthcare
and immigration

What is redistricting?

The redrawing of geographical boundaries to proportionally distribute the voting population

Redistricting in Texas is mandated by?

the Texas Constitution of 1876

How often must Texas legislative districts be redrawn according to the Texas Constitution of 1876?

Every 10 years after the census, to reflect population changes.

What are Legislative Districts?

are geographical boundaries for representation

How many districts are there in the Texas Legislature?

• 150 Texas House of Representatives districts.

• 31 Texas Senate districts.

Who redistricts Texas?

State Legislators

Who are currently gerrymandering the state to keep themselves in power?

Republicans

What is Gerrymandering?

It is the redrawing of geographical legislative districts (redistricting) in a way that favors one political party

How many congressional seats did Texas gain in the 2000 and 2010 censuses?

• 2000 Census: Texas gained 2 of the 435 total
  Congressional House seats

• 2010 Census: Texas gained 4 of the 435 total
  Congressional House seats

When did Republicans win control of the state legislature for the first time in 130 years?

2002

What happened in 2003?

The state legislature enacted radically new state districts

What is partisan gerrymandering?

What is partisan gerrymandering?

The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one political party over another.

What is Racial Gerrymandering?

is the process of breaking apart districts where minorities are concentrated,
denying them a voting majority

What case led to the Supreme Court ruling that racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional?

Shaw v Reno, 1993

What was rules in the Shelby County v Holder, 2013?

Struck down section 5 of Voting Rights Act of 1965 that required some states (including Texas) to get approval from the Justice Dept before changing their
election laws

Do Democrats want to “pack” or “crack” distracts?

Democrats want concentration of minorities to “pack” districts

Do Republicans want to “pack” or “crack” distracts?

Republicans want to disperse minorities or “crack” their districts

What was Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 designed to do?

It required certain jurisdictions with histories of voting discrimination to obtain federal approval, known as preclearance, before implementing changes to voting laws or practices.

Why was Texas subject to federal oversight under the Voting Rights Act (VRA)?

Texas had a history of racial discrimination in voting. Under the former coverage system, it was among the jurisdictions required to obtain preclearance for covered election changes.