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I've wondered about how much of outsiders' responses have been driven by their own prejudice against Texas and our current political representatives. Which rea

I've wondered about how much of outsiders' responses have been driven by their own prejudice against Texas and our current political representatives. Which really isn't fair since Texas has a massive number of democratic voters. We have multiple large metropolitan areas but we also have massive rural regions that tend to outweigh when it comes time to vote.

rbanffy 6y ago
I always suggest democratic voters to mode to districts where their votes count the most.
dominotw 6y ago
> Which really isn't fair since Texas has a massive number of democratic voters meaning it would've been fair if didn't have democratic voters?
- ptcrash 6y ago
  As in, Texas has a fair blend of both parties but get perceived as being "red". With the current political atmosphere, people tend to want to make issues political. What this article is trying to point out is that this was an engineering problem, not a policy problem.
BitwiseFool 6y ago
I would say the majority of those outside responses are from people who see Texas as some kind of backwards red state that was overdue for some comeuppance. If you look at the red vs blue divide nationally, this is quite literally the perfect storm for blue team to yell at red team "I told ya so". Intense weather due to climate change which red team denies, loving the idea of an independent grid that cuts you off from other states, being against federal regulations but asking for federal aid, and having one of your senators fly to Cancun in the middle of it. I could go on, but all of this happened right after talk of succession was trending on social media. I also believe a lot of online activists are hoping to capture the energy and anger over this event to "turn Texas blue" as they have been wanting to do.
- tommyguide 6y ago
  You're not wrong, but red team is not exactly wasting the opportunity to score political points either: Rick Perry and others saying "See? Wind power + green new deal bad".
  - BitwiseFool 6y ago
    That's true, I am just more exposed to the Twitter and Reddit coverage, which is decidedly blue team. There is absolutely a bunch of red team folks trying to use this to their advantage. However I will say that I don't think red team is going to be as successful as blue team in this event.
- rootusrootus 6y ago
  > I would say the majority of those outside responses are from people who see Texas as some kind of backwards red state that was overdue for some comeuppance. Consider that Texans have a well-earned reputation for talking about secession from the union, Don't Mess with Texas, etc. In some ways the dynamic between Texas and not-Texas reminds me of the dynamic between USA and not-USA. > turn Texas blue People have to realize that there is not really red states and blue states. It's urban-vs-rural, and whether a state turns red or blue has everything to do with the growth of metropolitan areas, not some shift in political values.
  - reddog 6y ago
    > Don't Mess with Texas Don't Mess with Texas was simply a highly effective ad campaign from the '80s aimed at reducing littering on Texas roadways by the Texas Department of Transportation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas
    - rootusrootus 6y ago
      Sure, but it has evolved into an attitude in the 40 years since.
    - 6y ago
folkhack 6y ago
> I've wondered about how much of outsiders' responses have been driven by their own prejudice against Texas and our current political representatives. Californian with family in the Midwest - lots of folks are too dense to realize there are people on the other side of natural disasters when these horrible situations are happening. That prejudice happens to some degree, I've lived it =/ Regardless of politics, best of luck to you and your own.

rbanffy 6y ago

I always suggest democratic voters to mode to districts where their votes count the most.

dominotw 6y ago

> Which really isn't fair since Texas has a massive number of democratic voters meaning it would've been fair if didn't have democratic voters?

ptcrash 6y ago
As in, Texas has a fair blend of both parties but get perceived as being "red". With the current political atmosphere, people tend to want to make issues political. What this article is trying to point out is that this was an engineering problem, not a policy problem.

BitwiseFool 6y ago

I would say the majority of those outside responses are from people who see Texas as some kind of backwards red state that was overdue for some comeuppance. If you look at the red vs blue divide nationally, this is quite literally the perfect storm for blue team to yell at red team "I told ya so". Intense weather due to climate change which red team denies, loving the idea of an independent grid that cuts you off from other states, being against federal regulations but asking for federal aid, and having one of your senators fly to Cancun in the middle of it. I could go on, but all of this happened right after talk of succession was trending on social media. I also believe a lot of online activists are hoping to capture the energy and anger over this event to "turn Texas blue" as they have been wanting to do.

tommyguide 6y ago
You're not wrong, but red team is not exactly wasting the opportunity to score political points either: Rick Perry and others saying "See? Wind power + green new deal bad".
- BitwiseFool 6y ago
  That's true, I am just more exposed to the Twitter and Reddit coverage, which is decidedly blue team. There is absolutely a bunch of red team folks trying to use this to their advantage. However I will say that I don't think red team is going to be as successful as blue team in this event.
rootusrootus 6y ago
> I would say the majority of those outside responses are from people who see Texas as some kind of backwards red state that was overdue for some comeuppance. Consider that Texans have a well-earned reputation for talking about secession from the union, Don't Mess with Texas, etc. In some ways the dynamic between Texas and not-Texas reminds me of the dynamic between USA and not-USA. > turn Texas blue People have to realize that there is not really red states and blue states. It's urban-vs-rural, and whether a state turns red or blue has everything to do with the growth of metropolitan areas, not some shift in political values.
- reddog 6y ago
  > Don't Mess with Texas Don't Mess with Texas was simply a highly effective ad campaign from the '80s aimed at reducing littering on Texas roadways by the Texas Department of Transportation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas
  - rootusrootus 6y ago
    Sure, but it has evolved into an attitude in the 40 years since.
  - 6y ago

folkhack 6y ago

> I've wondered about how much of outsiders' responses have been driven by their own prejudice against Texas and our current political representatives. Californian with family in the Midwest - lots of folks are too dense to realize there are people on the other side of natural disasters when these horrible situations are happening. That prejudice happens to some degree, I've lived it =/ Regardless of politics, best of luck to you and your own.