Texas - holy crap!

[GaijinPunch]

I'm guessing not, I can't even find a record of this in searches. It was about 2005. Everyone swiped a state issued card with some reader, which must have been tied to a validation system (TX/Smith county ?).

Back in the 90's everyone had to have a card (cardboard, like SSN) to drink in Texas. Forgot what the fuck it was called though, and I'm likely the only one here qualified to remember, since Rancor is such a youngster. I think this was more for generating funds rather than for tracking though.

[dcharlieJP]

I'd like to hope it was a loyalty card.... get through a lake of whiskey and there's a free liver transplant

[rancor]

Back in the 90's everyone had to have a card (cardboard, like SSN) to drink in Texas. Forgot what the fuck it was called though, and I'm likely the only one here qualified to remember, since Rancor is such a youngster. I think this was more for generating funds rather than for tracking though.

lol - I remember those. I worked in a restaurant in my youth, but they were phazed out by the time I could drink. Behold, and reminisce on the Unicard!

[Acid King]

Not to overshadow the fetus killing, but yesterday Texas also executed its 500th prisoner since reinstating the death penalty. Way to go, Texas!

[GaijinPunch]

lol - I remember those. I worked in a restaurant in my youth, but they were phazed out by the time I could drink. Behold, and reminisce on the Unicard!

That's it! Totally forgot.

Way to go, Texas!

<Bows> We're serious about taking The Old Testament literally.

[BryanM]

Not sure if serious...

Dead serious. I wasn't joking about Texas becoming a battleground then back to a Democratic state. That's happening. For realsies.

There's massive misconceptions about what the GOP's base really is. It isn't rich people. It isn't white people. It isn't religious people.

It's white evangelical protestants, and nothing else. 40 percent of their voters. 40.

With:

* There being less white people being born than died last year. (All growth in this demographic came from... wait for it... immigration.)

* The fastest growing religion in the country is "none". 18 to 29 year olds are in this bracket about 5 times higher than the 65 year olds.

* The fastest shrinking religion is probably evangelical protestant. ~60% loss when you compare the top age bracket with the bottom one.

* Old people dying.

There is zero hope for the GOP to ever be a national power again. The Demographic apocalypse is just too robust, and their stances too crazy for any rational person to forget during their lifetime.

FDR broke the back of their ideology over his limp knee like a-so; it is only natural to return to being that country once again. The Southern Strategy was brilliant, but unfortunately impossible to tactically implement once you're no longer able to wield it like a knife. The entire point of it was to say one thing to one place, and another to another (bashing unions is a great example: plays great some places, terrible in others). Which, is impossible to do in our modern media.

[GaijinPunch]

Dead serious. I wasn't joking about Texas becoming a battleground then back to a Democratic state. That's happening. For realsies.

When? Texas has 2 quite large, and 1 large-ish cities, but the rural population of Texas is massive. Having a hard time digging up stats. I think the one thing that would tip the scales would be the minority population, assuming the GOP doesn't figure out how easy it is to trick the Hispanic Catholic population that voting for them is what God really wants.

[antron]

assuming the GOP doesn't figure out how easy it is to trick the Hispanic Catholic population that voting for them is what God really wants.

not as long as the republicans continue to try and deport their cousins.

[BryanM]

When?

For battleground status, 2016 to 2020. For blue, 2025-2030. I think these are the more realistic, conservative estimates.

The Democrats certainly feel like the time to push is now. Millions of $, and one of Obama's campaign critters is leading the charge. The campaign started sometime earlier this year.

In context, how Wendy polled as an unknown, before she was up to her shenanigans as detailed in <---- this ----> thread:

2014 Governor election
Rick Perry: 47
Wendy Davis: 41

And Castro (The Party is really pushing this guy, as you could see from his DNC speech) does about just as well. Just a matter of time before they lose it.

assuming the GOP doesn't figure out how easy it is to trick the Hispanic Catholic population that voting for them is what God really wants.

Eh, never going to happen. If immigration and trashing them as sub-human "scum" weren't on the table, the Hispanic community overwhelming disagrees with the GOP on about everything. Even abortion. 74% believe in Choice.

Catholics get a bum rap because of the Pope and all the defense of boy touching and vague but not overwhelmingly intense woman-hate from the mothership. But they are not monolithic robots, nor is it a cult - they're just people. More of them are like Biden than Huckabee.

This clip is a wonderful summation of my TLDR.

[MadSteelDarkness]

I'm guessing not, I can't even find a record of this in searches. It was about 2005. Everyone swiped a state issued card with some reader, which must have been tied to a validation system (TX/Smith county ?).

Back in the 90's everyone had to have a card (cardboard, like SSN) to drink in Texas. Forgot what the fuck it was called though, and I'm likely the only one here qualified to remember, since Rancor is such a youngster. I think this was more for generating funds rather than for tracking though.

Uh, i've been drinking (legally) here in Tejas since '94 and i've never heard of this. Granted, i do my level best to stay the hell out of small towns, dry counties, or both.

It's a shame, but i agree with most sentiments expressed in this thread. Texas is a pretty fucked-up place! Politically, in particular. But remember, Wendy Davis is also a Texan.

And so am i

[antron]

But remember, Wendy Davis is also a Texan.

and what a superwoman she is (Taiwanese style):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsszNpUAb-U

[brentsg]

I'm guessing not, I can't even find a record of this in searches. It was about 2005. Everyone swiped a state issued card with some reader, which must have been tied to a validation system (TX/Smith county ?).

Back in the 90's everyone had to have a card (cardboard, like SSN) to drink in Texas. Forgot what the fuck it was called though, and I'm likely the only one here qualified to remember, since Rancor is such a youngster. I think this was more for generating funds rather than for tracking though.

Uh, i've been drinking (legally) here in Tejas since '94 and i've never heard of this. Granted, i do my level best to stay the hell out of small towns, dry counties, or both.

It's a shame, but i agree with most sentiments expressed in this thread. Texas is a pretty fucked-up place! Politically, in particular. But remember, Wendy Davis is also a Texan.

And so am i

I was living in TX in the '95 timeframe and don't recall any special requirements either. I just had ye ole TX driver's license.

I particularly miss the ladies with awesome accents selling ice-cold tall boys from tubs by the gas station register. It made a great stop for the long drive home after work.

[rapoon]

I was living in TX in the '95 timeframe and don't recall any special requirements either. I just had ye ole TX driver's license.

I particularly miss the ladies with awesome accents selling ice-cold tall boys from tubs by the gas station register. It made a great stop for the long drive home after work.

I don't remember the card(s) or requirements either. License was enough in Tarrant county.

As far as Texas turning (back) blue, the GOP base and Hispanic voter pop are secondary until illegal/questionable redistricting stops.

[GaijinPunch]

assuming the GOP doesn't figure out how easy it is to trick the Hispanic Catholic population that voting for them is what God really wants.

not as long as the republicans continue to try and deport their cousins.

Ouch.. touche' !

For battleground status, 2016 to 2020. For blue, 2025-2030. I think these are the more realistic, conservative estimates.

Possibly, but I don't think for 2016 it'll be battle ground. I think you could be right, but I still think it's a generation away from being anything less than red.

Uh, i've been drinking (legally) here in Tejas since '94 and i've never heard of this. Granted, i do my level best to stay the hell out of small towns, dry counties, or both.

I don't think it was required, and have no idea why they did it, but some establishments made sure you had a card, and if not, charged you a $2 processing fee for one. This was more apparent (and maybe exclusive) to suburbs though.

[BulletMagnet]

Which, is impossible to do in our modern media.

As usual, this is the part that worries me, since such a huge portion of today's media is both corporate-owned (the god-awful MSNBC very much included) and very rarely held accountable for being provably wrong, which is why such a shameful portion of the population still believes that tax cuts for rich people magically increase government revenue (and right-wing candidates can still insist on it with a straight face, when they should be laughed out of the room). Who knows, maybe the much-ballyhooed blogosphere (assuming enough knowledgeable people are manning the reins there to begin with, not to mention that our perpetually overworked and underpaid classes have the means or opportunity to do their own research) will rise above it all, but if any of this was actually happening (at the very least, at the pace everyone seems to be insisting) our modern joke of a GOP would have all but died out a LONG time ago.

[BryanM]

Largely now the battle is between the Democrats getting people registered to vote (anyone would do - Democrats and Mexican-americans are under registered in the state), versus the Republican's ability to disenfranchise.

Last month, I'd have said 2020 is a done deal... but of course the Supreme Court had a differing opinion. Texas wasted literally 2 hours (what were they doin') to start exploiting the new gaping hole in the Voting Rights Act.

I choose to be unrealistically optimistic just the same.

but if any of this was actually happening (at the very least, at the pace everyone seems to be insisting) our modern joke of a GOP would have all but died out a LONG time ago.

Nah, Judgment Day was always around 2020.

The collateral stuff that happens, such as the current progress in gay marriage, is just a consequence of the way the wind is blowing. Ask someone in 2000 if they think gay marriage would ever be more than just a thing a couple small hippy states dip into when feeling bi-curious, they'd say never. Ask someone in 2013 if they think the GOP would be a minority party in 15 years, they'd call you a crazy nazi hippy.

blogosphere

People complain a lot about not having a choice, but honestly we do have a little democracy. You just have to vote and get others to vote for someone in primaries.

The internet has been utterly fantastic at this.

Guys like New Republic have molded the GOP into the Tea Party, ball of crazy that it is today. They aren't so terrible because they want to be per se, but because they have to be.

Places like Daily Kos used PPP like a knife (a mirror of the Southern Strategy, but applied nation wide, ironically) to determine when to push policy. And of course, fighting against any democrat they find unacceptable.

Without the internet, who the hell knows how things would be today.

----------

Of course, Rick Perry's wonderful use of the Texas School Board as a place to employ young earth creationists has probably decimated my soul so much that this is so much wishful thinking - an extreme state of denial. Still, the numbers! They exist. They're there. All the disenfranchisement in the world won't be tolerated when half your state is tan.

[GaijinPunch]

And they just executed their 500th inmate since reinstating the death penalty.

[Domino]

And they just executed their 500th inmate since reinstating the death penalty.

Did the 500th inmate murdered someone?

[Udderdude]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/texas- ... h-e,32973/

[GaijinPunch]

And they just executed their 500th inmate since reinstating the death penalty.

Did the 500th inmate murdered someone?

Either that or treason. Why?

http://www.theonion.com/articles/texas- ... h-e,32973/