Texas political culture essay

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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W HY TEXAS’S POLITICAL CULTURE MATTERS In his Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck once described Texas as “a state of mind . . . a mystique closely approxi­ mating a religion.” Americans passionately loved or hated Texas. Steinbeck believed that Texas, de­ spite its vast space, its varying topography, its many cultures and ways of life, had a cohesiveness that may be stronger than in any other part of America. He wrote, “Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city,

country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans.” Certain myths define the obsession that is Texas—and Texans—in the popular imagination. The cow ­

boy who challenges both Native American and Mexican rule, the rancher and farmer who cherish their eco­ nomic independence, the wildcatter who is willing to risk everything for one more roll of the dice, and the independent entrepreneur who fears the needless intrusion of government into his life—such are the myths about Texans.

These myths extend far into the popular imagination when we think about various politicians who have led the state since its founding: the visionary Stephen F. Austin locked in a Mexican jail after presenting Texas’s grievances to the authorities, the military hero Sam Houston who wins the Battle of San Jacinto but is thrown out of office because of his rejection of secession, the irrepressible Ma and Pa Ferguson who both served as governors, and the larger­than­life Lyndon Baines Johnson who began his career as a schoolteacher in Cotulla, Texas, and completed it as a champion of civil rights and the poor.

The reality of Texas today, its people and its leaders, is much more complicated than the Texas of pop­ ular myths. Texas is not only the second­largest state in the Union, comprising more than 261,000 square miles; it is also the second most populous. In 2015, Texas is estimated to have a population of almost 27.5 million people, and that population is rapidly growing and becoming more and more diverse. Whites consti­ tute 43.5 percent of the population, while Latinos constitute more than 38.6 percent. Approximately 12.5 per ­ cent of the population are African American, and 4.5 percent are Asian. Eighty­five percent of Texans live in urban areas, with many involved in an economy driven by high­tech industry and globalization. More than 27 per ­ cent of the population has a bachelor’s degree. On the whole, Texans are young, with 26.4 percent under the age of 18 and 10.3 percent over the age of 65.

Throughout this text, we will examine how Texas is changing and creating new myths about the people, politics, and politicians found in the state. We should be careful before we fully accept

The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas

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any of these myths. As in the past, the reality of Texas—its people and its poli ­ tics—is much more complex than the myths we spin about it. Conservative Re­ publicans may control today’s political agenda, but their long­term dominance in politics and government is not certain. Increasing racial and ethnic diversity points to a new Texas, one that looks sharply different from the one in the his ­ tory books and one that appears to favor Democrats (the party preferred today by most Latinos, African Americans, and recent immigrants). The future of the state and its people will be determined in large part by the strug gle be tween an assertive Republican majority and a Democratic minority trying to regain power as both parties try to address the various political, economic, and demographic challenges facing the state. Moving our understanding of governance and poli­ tics beyond the myths about Texas is the goal of this chapter and the book.

CHAPTERGOALS

• Describe the defining characteristics of political culture in Texas (pp. 5–7)

• Explain how Texas’s geography has influenced its political culture (pp. 7–10)

• Trace the evolution of Texas’s economy (pp. 11–22)

• Explain how the population of Texas has changed over time (pp. 22–30)

• Describe Texas’s shift from a rural society to an urban one (pp. 30–38)

political culture broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function and politics should operate; American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy

moralistic political culture the belief that government should be active in promoting the public good and that citizens should participate in politics and civic activities to ensure that good

individualistic political culture the belief that government should limit its role to provid ­ ing order in society, so that citizens can pursue their economic self­interest

traditionalistic political culture the belief that govern ­ ment should be dominated by political elites and guided by tradition

elite a small group of people that dominates the political process

Texas Political Culture

Studies of Texas politics often begin with a discussion of Texas’s political culture. Though the concept is somewhat open ended, states do often exhibit a distinctive cul- ture that is the “product of their entire history.” Presumably the political culture of a state has an effect on how people participate in politics and how individuals and insti- tutions interact.1 Political scientist Daniel Elazar has created a classification scheme for state political cultures that is used widely. He uses the concepts of moralistic, in- dividualistic, and traditionalistic to describe such cultures. These three state political cultures are contemporary manifestations of the ethnic, socioreligious, and socioeco- nomic differences that existed among America’s original thirteen colonies.2

According to Elazar, moralistic political cultures were rooted in New England, where Puritans and other religious groups sought to create the Good Society. In such a culture, politics is the concern of everyone, and government is expected to take ac- tion to promote the public good and advance the public welfare. Citizen participation in politics is viewed as positive; people are encouraged to pursue the public good in civic activities.

Individualistic political cultures, on the other hand, originated in the middle states, where Americans sought material wealth and personal freedom through com- mercial activities. A state with an individualistic political culture generally places a low value on citizen participation in politics. Politics is a matter for professionals rather than for citizens, and the role of government is strictly limited. Government’s role is to ensure stability so that individuals can pursue their own interests.

Traditionalistic political culture developed initially in the South, reflecting the values of the slave plantation economy (pre-1865) and its successor, the Jim Crow era (1876–1965). Rooted in preindustrial values that emphasize social hierarchy and close interpersonal, often familial, relations among people, traditional culture is con- cerned with the preservation of tradition and the existing social order. In such states, public participation is limited and government is run by an established elite. Public policies disproportionately benefit the interests of those elites.

States can, of course, have cultures that combine these concepts. One book classi- fied California as having a “moralistic individualistic” political culture and New York an “individualistic moralistic” culture. Often, Texas is categorized as having a “tradi- tionalistic individualistic” political culture.3 Taxes are kept low, and social services are minimized. Political elites, such as business leaders, have a major voice in how the state is run. In spite of the difficulty in measuring the concept of political culture in any empirical way, it is a concept widely regarded as useful in explaining fundamental beliefs about the state and the role of state government.

When considering the political culture of a state, one must recognize that it is not a stagnant thing. Political culture can change over time. Texas is undergoing dramatic changes, including some change in its political culture. It is also difficult to classify the political culture of a state as large and as diverse as Texas in any one category. The liberal cultural norms of urban areas like Houston, Dallas, and Austin often stand in sharp contrast to those found in the conservative suburban and exurban areas of

Describe the defining characteristics of political culture in Texas

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these cities. These, too, differ from the political cultures found in south Texas along the border or in the rural Panhandle of west Texas. In fact, Texas has many different political cultures or subcultures within its borders.4

To understand the complexity of political culture in Texas today, it is useful to consider three long-lasting patterns in Texas politics and the changes that they are undergoing: the one-party state, the idea of provincialism, and business dominance. We examine these elements of Texas political culture below.

The One-Party State Persists

For over 100 years, Texas was dominated by the Democratic Party. Winning the Demo- cratic Party primary was tantamount to winning the general election. As we will see in later chapters, this pattern no longer holds. During the 1990s substantial competi - tion emerged between the parties for control of the state legislature. Following re- districting in 2002 the Republicans secured a 7-vote majority in the state Senate and a 24-vote majority in the state House. Between 2002 and 2016 all major statewide elected offices were controlled by Republicans. One Court of Criminal Appeals justice switched to the Democratic Party in December 2013 after being elected as a Republi- can, but was defeated in the November 2016 general elections. The question today is not whether the political culture of Texas will continue to be defined by a powerful Democratic Party, but how that culture will be redefined by two forces: a powerful Republican Party in most suburban, exurban, and rural areas that is growing increas- ingly conservative and a Democratic Party that controls Texas’s most urban areas.

Provincialism Is Declining

A second pattern that once defined Texas political culture is provincialism, a narrow view of the world that is often associated with rural values and notions of limited gov- ernment. The result often was an intolerance of diversity and a notion of the public interest that dismissed social services and expenditures for education. Some of the more popular politicians in Texas have stressed cornpone—a rural rejection of modern urban lifestyles—intolerance, and a narrow worldview rather than policies that might

offer advantages to the state as it competes with other states and with other nations. Like the one-party Demo- cratic state, Texas provincialism has faded as a defining feature of the political culture. The growing influence of minorities, women, and gays in state politics, increasing urbanization, and Texas’s relevance in the global econ- omy have all undercut Texas’s traditional provincialism.

Business Dominance Continues

A third, continuing pattern that has helped define Texas’s political culture is its longtime dominance by business.

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

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

• Do you agree with the popular myth that Texas is overly provincial—that is, intolerant, narrow minded, and overly critical of government? Why or why not?

• Do you think Texas needs to be more welcoming of outside interests and ideas? If so, what do you think government and the people could do to foster more open­mindedness in Texas?

provincialism a narrow, lim ­ ited, and self­interested view of the world often associated with rural values and notions of limited government

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Labor unions are rare in Texas except in the oil-refinery areas around Beaumont–Port Arthur. Other groups that might offer an alternative to a business perspective, such as consumer interests, are poorly organized and poorly funded. Business groups are major players in Texas politics, in terms of campaign contributions, organized inter- est groups, and lobbyists.

This chapter will investigate the economic, social, and demographic changes that transformed Texas’s political culture during the twentieth century. These changes shook Texas government and politics in the 1990s and have continued to shape them in the second decade of the twenty-first century.