Part 1: Scott Braddock, Dean of the Austin Press Corps, Editor of the Quorum Report, discusses the outcome of the Nov 3 election in Texas.
– There are more Republican voters in Texas than there are Democrats. 300,000 new voters are registered Texas, most of them Republicans. Rove is spending more money in Texas ($20-25M) and has spent money on door-walking, something that Democrats did not do. In Texas, this makes a difference.
– The outcome is that in Texas, Republicans now have more control over state offices.
– In Texas, the Hispanic vote is mostly Mexican-American, and mostly conservative. And Hispanics feel that the Democrats take them for granted.
– The price of oil is all-important to run the Texas economy.. What is needed is $55-$70/bbl, but is now $38, this makes Texans nervous.
Part 2: Bill Curry, writer for Salon.com, former advisor to Bill Clinton, and two-time gubernatorial candidate in Connecticut joins us for a discussion of how the US got to the state we are in, what’s next, and how to proceed in the near future.
– What did we, as progressives, learn from the election. What message were the voters sending?
– We also talk about mistakes that Biden made during the campaign.
– The necessity to refute charges made by political foes.
– The importance of the economy for voters.
– Ways of reducing corruption in government, creating a real change by setting priorities.
