The GOP has had such a stranglehold on statewide offices here in Texas for so many years now that it's hard to remember a time when it was any different. Even Ann Richards seems very much like the Democratic exception to the Republican rule.
On today’s special edition of Houston Matters, we devote the hour to politics.
We talk with former Texas Republican party executive director Dr. Wayne Thorburn about how Texas has remained so conservative for so long. He writes about it in his book Red State: An Insider's Story of how the GOP Came to Dominate Texas Politics.
Then, we hear an alternate take from journalist and Texas native Richard Parker, author of Lone Star Nation: How Texas Will Transform America. He believes we're in the midst of demographic, social, and – yes – political change, exemplified by Houston's suburbs.
And finally, we hear from Houston Chronicle political columnist Bill King about his search for a "rational center" in American politics.
