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GOVERNING TEXAS

THIRD EDITION

ANTHONY CHAMPAGNE

EDWARD J. HARPHAM

JASON P. CASELLAS

Chapter 1

The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas

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The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas

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In some ways state-level politics in Texas resembles national politics, but in other ways Texas’s political culture is quite distinctive.

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Why Texas’s Political Culture Matters

Steinbeck: Texas is “a state of mind . . . a mystique closely approximating a religion”

Myths about Texans

Cowboy image

Rancher who champions economic independence

Wildcatter who is willing to risk everything

Independent entrepreneur who fears the needless intrusion of government

The reality of Texas today is much more complicated

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John Steinbeck’s description is from his Travels with Charley.

Comment on how and why Texas developed its own distinctive culture compared to some other states.

Why Texas’s Political Culture Matters: The Republican Party

Texas is the second-largest state and the second most populous

Texas politics today is dominated by the Republican Party

Tea Party Republicans like Ted Cruz and up-and-coming Democrats like Wendy Davis and the Castro brothers will give rise to new myths about Texas politics

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See Houston Chronicle, “Texas Democrats Donate outside of Texas,” May 8, 2012, www.chron.com/news/politics/article/Texas-Democrats-donating-millions-but-not-to-3538634.php (accessed 12/10/14).

See Houston Chronicle, “Hispanic Dems Blast National Party for Non-Support,” December 11, 2008, www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Hispanic-Dems-blast-national-party-for-non-support-1782461.php (accessed 12/10/14).

Political culture: broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how government and society should function

Political culture in the U.S. states, according to political scientist Daniel Elazar, is

Moralistic

Individualistic

Traditionalistic

Texas Political Culture

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Elazar’s work has many critics. For the purposes of this chapter, though, his classification is useful in drawing differences between states that students may not have considered.

These three political cultures can help generate a larger discussion about political culture differences that students can engage in more readily.

Broadly asking why Texas and New York, or Texas and California, are different usually yields discussion that gets at the heart of ideas on political culture.

The seal of Texas reflects the state’s individualistic political culture.

Texas Political Culture: Moralism and Individualism

Moralistic political cultures: politics is the concern of everyone, and government should promote the public good

Individualistic political cultures: politics is a matter for professionals, and the role of government is strictly limited

Government’s role is to ensure stability so that individuals can pursue their own interests

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The moralistic political culture has its roots in Puritanism, where the contract between God and his people was not individual but rather collective, meaning the whole community had to be good for God to be pleased.

Theoretically, all citizens have a duty to participate in politics, and bureaucracy (government) is a means to achieve the public good.

In looking for links to modern politics, voter turnout rates are highest in moralistic states. See http://www.census.gov/topics/public-sector/voting.html

In an individualistic political culture, politics is seen as a means to further economic and individual success.

Limited government, stable society, individual pursuit of economic gain.

Texas Political Culture: Traditionalism

Traditionalistic political culture: government is run by an established elite

Reflects the values of the slave plantation economy

Public policies disproportionately benefit the interests of elites

Patterns in Texas politics indicate a “traditionalistic individualistic” political culture

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Elite: a small group of people that dominates the political process

Voting and office holding were not intended for everyone because increased participation was a threat to the existing social order.

Links to modern politics: disenfranchisement policies were most prevalent in traditionalistic states.

Texas Political Culture: The One-Party State and Provincialism

The one-party state

For over 100 years, Texas was dominated by the Democratic Party; but this pattern no longer holds

Substantial competition emerged between the parties in the 1990s, and the Republican Party secured control after redistricting in 2002

Provincialism

Texas’s political culture was also once defined by provincialism, a narrow view associated with rural values and notions of limited government

The result often was a self-interested view of the world and an intolerance of diversity

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The point about provincialism reflects business and government orientations.

There is no evidence that Native Americans, African Americans, or Mexican Americans were provincial in their attitudes about diversity or challenges to the social order. Nonwhites are a significant part of Texas history and contemporary society in terms of numbers and cultural fabric.

Texas Political Culture: Business Dominance

Business dominance

Texas’s political culture has also been defined by its longtime dominance by business interests

Other groups that may offer an alternative, like labor unions, are rare, poorly organized, and/or poorly funded

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Ties between business and politics have always been close in Texas. Here, Governor Greg Abbott signs a bill prohibiting local government attempts to ban fracking as a way to continue to get oil and natural gas out of the ground.

The notable labor unions in Texas are oil-refinery worker unions.

The Land

Texas politics is shaped by the state’s geography

The most distinctive characteristic of Texas’s geography is its size

The longest straight-line distance across the state from north to south is 801 miles; the longest east–west distance is 773 miles

The east–west distance from New York City to Chicago is 821 miles

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Texas is different not merely because it is a large mass of land (or because Texans say it is so) but rather because of the physical differences within that huge land mass.

Texas history, modernization, business, and politics are sharply influenced by the resources and experiences facilitated by the land and location.

Figure 1.1: The Physical Regions of Texas

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The features of the four distinct physical regions in Texas have shaped the state’s politics in a number of important ways.

The Land: The Gulf Coastal Plains

The Gulf Coastal Plains

Where almost all of Texas’s timber production takes place

Home of some of Texas’s most famous oilfields

The foundation of plantation life during the antebellum period, when slavery flourished in the state

Urban areas have become Democratic, while the suburbs have become more Republican

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The Gulf Coastal Plains region extends from the Louisiana border and the Gulf of Mexico, along the Rio Grande up to Del Rio, and northward to the line of the Balcones Fault and Escarpment (see Figure 1.1).

Texas’s political life grew out of the Gulf Coastal Plains.

While the region has almost always been dominated by rural conservative values, urbanization and suburbanization in Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth have added more liberal dimensions to the region’s political culture.

The Land: The Interior Lowlands, the Great Plains, and the Basin and Range Province

The Interior Lowlands

Agricultural economy and rural population

Many of the state’s largest ranches

Conservative political values

The Great Plains

Economy centers on agriculture, cotton production, ranching, and petroleum production

Conservative political values

The Basin and Range Province

Mountains, little rain, and few people

Large Latino population; Democratic Party bastion

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See Figure 1.1.

Economic Change in Texas

Joseph Schumpeter and “creative destruction”

Periodic waves of transformation are fueled by technological innovations in production and distribution

This capitalist process not only creates a new economy, it also destroys old ones

Schumpeter’s theory provides a useful way to think about the economic changes that have shaped and reshaped the Texas economy

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Discuss creative destruction more in depth and ask students to comment on technology and Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction.

The current technological advances blend natural resources, educational investment (which had traditionally been strong at the state’s research universities), and immigration from highly skilled workers from out of state and other nations.

Economic Change in Texas: Cotton

Cotton

One of the oldest crops grown in Texas

Cotton production cycles go up and down

The 1930 Census reported that 61 percent of all farmers in Texas were tenant farmers; one-third of those were sharecroppers

Numbers fell throughout the Great Depression

By 1987, only 12 percent of all farmers were tenants

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The tenant and sharecropping systems condemned many rural Texans to social and economic dependency and helped fuel radical political discontent in rural areas.

Outline the Grange and Populist movements, which played a major role in defining the style of Texas politics.

Economic Change in Texas: Cotton Production

One-quarter of the cotton produced in the United States still comes from Texas

This photo shows land and machinery used to farm cotton

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During the late nineteenth century, in most years Texas produced more cotton than any other state. But although one-quarter of the cotton produced in the United States still comes from Texas, the importance of the cotton industry to the state’s economy has declined since the 1920s.

Economic Change in Texas: Cattle

Cattle

The history of ranching and the cattle industry parallels that of cotton in many ways

The industry took off following the Civil War and expanded throughout the state

Neither cotton nor ranching are as important now as in the past

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The number of people making a living from agriculture has dropped significantly as agribusiness has pushed out the family farm and ranch.

Economic Change in Texas: The King Ranch

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Cattle ranching is another of Texas’s dominant industries. The most famous ranch in Texas is the King Ranch, shown here in 1950. Currently covering almost 1,300 square miles, it is larger than the state of Rhode Island.

Economic Change in Texas: Oil and Gas

Oil and gas

Oil took off in 1901 with the discovery of the Spindletop oilfield

Oil fever spread throughout Texas over the next decade

One can trace the rise and decline and rise again of the oil and gas industry in Texas through production figures (see Figure 1.2)

A major discovery that brought new oil and gas to market could lead to a sudden collapse in prices

A boom-and-bust mentality was introduced

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Discuss Texas and energy and, in particular, Houston as the “energy capital of the world”—myth or reality?

See Figure 1.2.

Residence patterns followed the industry trend.

Figure 1.2: Oil Production in Texas

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Economic Change in Texas: Oil and Gas Continued

Oil and gas continued

Oil and gas transformed the government and the economy

The power of government was expanded through the Railroad Commission

Higher education has benefited

Oil and gas production is emerging again in the Texas economy, which will result in new demands for water supplies and new environmental concerns

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This is an opportunity to show how government both influences the economy and is shaped by it.

Ask the students how they benefit from the Permanent University Fund; tuition, for example.

Ask students about water and the Texas economy: shortages, conservation and regulations, and Texas law on water ownership.

Economic Change in Texas: High-Tech Industries

High-tech industries

World oil prices began to collapse in 1982

Texas emerged in the 1980s as a leader in high-tech industries

Approximately 331,000 jobs in Texas were supported by tech exports in 2012

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Discuss the impact of oil prices on the economy. See www.oil-price.net.

Houston has become known worldwide for its medical center and expanding research facilities.

The Austin–San Marcos metropolitan area is the home of computer giant Dell.

The Dallas metropolitan area is the home of a number of important companies, including Texas Instruments.

In the 1990s, Texas emerged as a leader in high-tech industries. Here, a Texas Instruments employee oversees the production of silicon wafers in the company’s Dallas semiconductor plant.

Economic Change in Texas: NAFTA

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), signed in 1992, created a free-trade zone among the United States, Canada, and Mexico

Texas exports increased

Although there were some NAFTA losers, there were also big winners

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Ask students who won and who lost in the implementation of NAFTA.

The pressing national debate over terrorism and border security has added a new dimension to the debate in the twenty-first century.

The signing of NAFTA in 1992 created a free-trade zone in North America. Although many Texas workers were adversely affected by the availability of cheaper labor in Mexico, NAFTA appears to have had a beneficial effect on the state’s economy as a whole. Here, President George H. W. Bush stands between President Carlos Salinas de Gortari of Mexico and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada at the signing ceremony.

Economic Change in Texas: The Military

Since annexation, the state’s economy has been closely tied to the establishment of military bases

An expanding military significantly stimulates economic growth and employment

During 2014, over 173,000 citizens directly employed by the U.S. military were living in Texas

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See Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3: Major U.S. Military Bases in Texas

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*In October 2010, Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, and Randolph Air Force Base were merged into U.S. Air Force 502nd Air Base Wing, Air Education and Training Command.

Economic Change in Texas: The Great Recession

Texas in the Great Recession

In 2007, the nation entered what some have called “the Great Recession”

Texas was one of the last states to enter, and was one of the first to exit, the Great Recession

Texas’s economic miracle: low taxes and low services, pro-business and free market government, and an entrepreneurial spirit

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Discuss the reality of the myth (if it is a myth) of the Texas economic miracle and the political chest-thumping that accompanies it.

Not all citizens and sectors of the economy participated or benefited in the miracle; encourage students to discuss redistribution of prosperity (wealth) during boom and bust.

What are the factors that contributed to Texas’s soft landing during the Great Recession?

Economic Change in Texas: Tea Party Protesters

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Texas was not hit as hard as other states by the recession that started in 2007 and deepened in 2008. However, some Texans—including these Tea Party protesters—were alarmed by the massive spending involved in the national government’s stimulus efforts.

The People of Texas

Three factors account for population growth in Texas

Natural increase (births)

International immigration (from outside the United States)

Domestic immigration (from one U.S. state to another)

Texas’s population in 2012 was estimated to be over 26 million

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By 2013 natural increases accounted for only 54 percent of population growth, while international immigration accounted for about 16.8 percent and domestic immigration 29.7 percent.

Texas, then, is being redefined more by new residents than by native-born Texans.

What factors may have played a role in the higher birth rate within the state?

Figure 1.4: The Changing Face of Texas, 1850–2015

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*Latinos were not counted as a separate group until 1990 and were included in the white census count.

**Data for 2015 are estimated based on 2010 census. Percentages are from 2014 estimates.

The People of Texas: Whites

Whites

For most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the dominant ethnic group was non-Hispanic whites

The first wave were encouraged by empresarios such as Moses Austin and his son Stephen F. Austin

As a percentage of the population, the white population peaked at 74 percent in 1950

This percentage began to fall, reaching 43.5 percent in 2015, and will likely continue to fall (see Figure 1.4)

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Note the importance to the growth of Texas of impresarios: individuals who promote, organize, or help to finance particular endeavors.

Texas is a majority minority state, which has tremendous implications for public policy.

Today, a white Texan is likely to live in an urban or suburban area who was not born in Texas. They are also likely to vote Republican.

In what ways is demographics likely to change public policy in Texas?

Figure 1.5: White Population in Texas Counties, 2014

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The People of Texas: Latinos

Latinos

Most Latinos in Texas are people of Mexican descent

Until 1900, Latinos were concentrated in south Texas; by 2000, Latinos constituted majorities in San Antonio and El Paso and sizable minorities in other cities

The political status of Latinos in Texas has changed considerably over the past 100 years

The number of Latinos elected to public office rose from 1,466 in 1986 to 2,521 in 2011

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1. See the Pew Hispanic Research Center for more information about Texas Latinos and related topics: www.pewhispanic.org/states/state/tx/

2. In short, Latinos are not a new demographic or political phenomenon in the state.

3. Texas traces its origins to Spain and Mexico; there is nothing new about there being Latinos in Texas.

4. The use of the terms Hispanic and Latino can be confusing. This is a good opportunity to note the different meanings of these terms.

Figure 1.6: Latino Population in Texas Counties, 2014

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The People of Texas: Latinos Continued

Latinos continued

The political status of Latinos in Texas has changed considerably over the past 100 years

The white-only primary and the poll tax actively discouraged voting by Latinos

In 1956, Henry B. Gonzalez became the first Mexican American to be elected to the Texas Senate in modern times

The La Raza Unida Party emerged in the mid-1960s

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Poll tax: a tax that was required to be paid in order to vote

The large number of Latino elected officials reflects two things:

The huge number of local offices up for election in Texas: 254 counties and 1,265 school districts means there are many offices.

Latinos live in Texas in large numbers; this makes it easier for them to get elected where there are naturally occurring majority minority districts.

The People of Texas: African Americans

African Americans

People of African descent were among the earliest explorers of Texas

Most African Americans, however, entered the state as slaves

Mexican authorities’ antislavery attitudes kept the black population relatively low (5,000 in 1830) until the Texas Revolution and expansion of slavery

Emancipation (June 19, 1865) did not bring anything approaching equality

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The number of slaves in Texas rose to 58,000 in 1850; and by the Civil War, over 182,000 slaves lived in Texas, approximately one-third of the state’s entire population.

The People of Texas: African Americans Continued

African Americans continued

Black Codes restricted the rights of former slaves

Federal court cases in the 1940s and 1950s offered some hope of relief

The Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights (1965) helped open the political system to African Americans

In 1972, Barbara Jordan became the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas

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The Supreme Court decision in Smith v. Allwright (1944) outlawed the white primary.

The decision in Sweatt v. Painter (1950) guaranteed African Americans admission to Texas’s graduate and professional schools.

The landmark case Brown v. Board of Education (1954) outlawed the segregation of public schools.

Barbara Jordan

Born February 21, 1936, Houston, TX.

Died January 17, 1996, Austin, TX.

Previous office: Representative (TX 18th District) 1973–1979.

Awards: Presidential Medal of Freedom, Spingarn Medal.

Education: Boston University, Wheatley High School, Texas Southern University.

The People of Texas: Racism

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As in most former slave states, there was initial resistance to the civil rights movement in Texas. These signs appeared in Fort Worth’s Riverside section in September 1956 during a protest over a black family’s moving into a previously all-white block of homes.

Figure 1.7: African American Population in Texas Counties, 2014

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The People of Texas: Asians and Age

Asians

In 2015 about 1 million Asians lived in Texas—about 4.5 percent of the state’s population

Asians tend to be concentrated in urban and suburban areas

Age

The population of Texas is relatively young in comparison with the rest of the nation

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In 2015, 27.3 percent of the Texas population was estimated to be under 18 years old; and only 11.5 percent was 65 years of age or older.

Table 1.1: Per Capita Personal Income in Texas and the United States, 1990-2014

Poverty and wealth

Despite the growth of the 1990s, incomes in Texas have lagged behind the nation as a whole

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Per capita income in Texas metropolitan areas is considerably higher than in rural areas.

The percentage of the population in Texas living below the federal poverty level has fluctuated but has remained higher than in the nation as a whole.

Urbanization

Much of Texas’s history is linked to ongoing urbanization

Now, 85 percent of the population reside in urban areas (see Figure 1.9)

Urbanization and the accompanying suburbanization are the forces driving politics in modern Texas

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Urbanization: the process by which people move from rural areas to cities.

Figure 1.9: Urbanization in Texas, 1850–2010

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Table 1.2: Race and Ethnic Breakdown of Texas, 2014

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The Urban Political Economy: Houston

Houston

Largest city in Texas; fourth-largest city in the United States

Second or third busiest deep-water port in the United States (depending on whose ranking is used)

Oil fundamentally transformed the Houston area and made Houston one of the leading energy centers in the world

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Name other factors that have contributed to the prosperity of the Houston metropolitan area.

Are there any negatives about Houston’s growth (traffic, for example)?

The Urban Political Economy: Dallas–Fort Worth

Dallas‒Fort Worth

The Metroplex: Dallas, Fort Worth, and a number of other suburban cities

With the discovery of oil in east Texas in 1930, Dallas became a major center for petroleum financing

Dallas looks to the east and embodies a more corporate culture

Fort Worth looks to the West and since the two world wars has emerged as the home of a large aviation industry

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The railways had great significance for both Dallas and Fort Worth. In the early 1870s, Dallas became the first rail crossroads in Texas, forever transforming its place in the state’s economy. By 1900, Fort Worth was served by eight different railroad companies, many transporting cattle and cattle-related products.

The Urban Political Economy: Charles Park

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In some areas of Texas, Asian immigrants are a growing force. The signs behind Charles Park, president of the Asian District Development Association of Dallas, at the Asiana Plaza in Dallas attest to the changing demographic landscape of Texas.

The Urban Political Economy: San Antonio

San Antonio

Texas’s second-largest city

San Antonio’s population has become increasingly Latino

San Antonio lacks high-paying manufacturing jobs, and average metropolitan income is lower than in Houston and Dallas

The economy rests on national military bases, educational institutions, tourism, and a large medical research complex

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Approximately 59.4 percent of the San Antonio population is Latino, 29.2 percent is white, and 8.3 percent is African American.

Thinking Critically about Texas’s Political Culture

The economy and the people of Texas have become diversified

In Texas, government is often seen as getting in the way of individual liberty

Two notions of equality play important roles: equality of opportunity and political equality

Texans in general as well as Texas’ political leaders are committed to the idea of democracy; but tensions exist between the ideal and the reality

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Geography

Latino Cotton Pickers

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Most Latinos in Texas are Mexican American. During the first half of the twentieth century, Mexicans immigrated to Texas to work in the emerging cotton industry. Today, Latinos like actor Eva Longoria and Representative Joaquin Castro are influential in politics and important leaders in their chosen professions. Here, they participate in the launch of the Latino Victory Project PAC, founded by Henry R. Muñoz III, which supports Latino candidates for public office across the country.

Paso del Norte Bridge

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The Paso del Norte Bridge between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez is the busiest cross-border footpath between the United States and Mexico.

Immigration Reform Protesters

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As immigration has changed the demographic profile of Texas, it has also given rise to numerous political debates. Here, protesters for immigration reform rally in San Antonio outside a hotel where U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner held a fundraiser.

Figure 1.8: Per Capita Income in Texas Counties, 2014

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SOURCE: QuickFacts, www.census.gov (accessed 6/21/16).

The Latino Population in Texas

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Most Latinos in Texas are Mexican American. During the first half of the twentieth century, Mexicans immigrated to Texas to work in the emerging cotton industry. Today, Latinos like actor Eva Longoria (center) and Representative Joaquin Castro (right) are influential in politics and important leaders in their chosen professions. Here, they participate in the launch of the Latino Victory Project PAC, founded by Henry R. Muñoz III ( left), which supports Latino candidates for public office across the country.