Demographics are destiny, they say, but apparently destiny can sometimes be derailed or distorted—that is, if Texas has anything to say about it, the Lone Star State is currently 40% Latino demographic projections say that by 2040, that figure could grow to 50%. Now, this shouldn’t be so surprising to people, and especially to people who live in Texas, not for nothing. But we’re talking about a big chunk of land that used to belong to Mexico, before the mid 1800s, when a bunch of white people from states like Missouri and Tennessee, invaded the territory and tried to bring their black slaves with them, even though the Mexican said, No, you can’t do that. Of course, the state of Texas or test, if you prefer, was always going to be heavily Latino, and becoming more so all the time, due in large part to immigration and higher birth rates among immigrants.
A lot of white people are panicking about all this. And they would love to reverse those demographic changes, or at least stop them in their tracks. So much so that when you break down the anxiety that Americans feel about the issue of immigration, which pollsters say is now the number one concern in this election, I would say that at least half of the worry has to do with something that people never talk about out loud: demographics.
You’ve probably heard about the great replacement theory, a right-wing conspiracy popular with white supremacists that suggests white people are being pushed around and pushed out by massive waves of immigrants. The fear is that they’re going to be replaced or at least displaced. Well, they say somebody has to do something to stop this. So here comes Texas, where Republican Governor Greg Abbott is drawing the line with an immigration law that he says will scare off as many undocumented immigrants as possible, maybe even some legal immigrants who are afraid that they might be mistaken for undocumented.
To turn back the clock, Abbott will need a magic wand. Or maybe just a state immigration law that allows local and state cops to enforce federal immigration statutes by arresting people who they suspect are in the country illegally—read Latinos. Even though Abbott is a former Texas Attorney General, his grasp on basic legal concepts like the federal Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and the fact that only the federal government can make immigration policy is so weak that it makes me wonder if whatever law school he attended also doubles as the rodeo clown college.
It’s no wonder that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently blocked the law from being enforced. Because it’s not clear that’s constitutional. The smart money bet is that’s not not that avid cares much one way or another what the courts say. He’s not in this for the law. He only cares about the politics. Supporting this divisive and unlawful piece of legislation is how Abbott shows Republican voters in Texas and around the country, that he’s a tough guy who will keep Texas and the whole country safe from what Republicans describe as an invasion along the US Mexico border. Best of all, Abbott doesn’t have to do the really hard thing. You know, the thing that would really take courage, and that’s going after all those Texans who hire the undocumented, to do their chores, to carry out every job imaginable because a lot of Americans don’t want to work anymore. See, taking on employers is scary employers fight back. So Abbott would rather just go after the poor and the weak, a bunch of desperate, largely uneducated non citizens who can’t vote through what they say everything is bigger in Texas, even the cowards.
Then, aside from the politics, there’s the demographics. Texas Republicans don’t have a prayer of winning elections over the next 20 years in the state. If Texas continues to go down the road that’s on now and becomes more and more Latino. See, the Texas immigration law is the last gasp of those who want to change that reality. Silly Texas Republicans don’t you understand? You don’t spit in the wind. And you don’t make enemies out of those who will soon make up the majority.
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Ruben Navarrette
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Texas is Hispanic, and that’s not going to change
Apr 16
By Straight Arrow News
Hispanic people now make up the largest ethnic group in Texas, according to the latest U.S. census data, and almost half of all minors in the state are Hispanic or Latino. This data feeds the fears of some right-wing Americans who believe in the “great replacement” theory. The theory states that non-white populations are displacing or “replacing” white populations as the dominant ethnic group. Crucially, the theory goes on to suggest that these new ethnic majorities will then either discriminate against white minorities, erase their culture, or will even condone violence against them.
Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette says that Texas is only going to continue becoming more and more Hispanic and suggests that conservatives move beyond their fears of ethnic replacement.
A lot of white people are panicked about all this and they would love to reverse those demographic changes, or at least stop them in their tracks — so much so that when you break down the anxiety that Americans feel about the issue of immigration, which pollsters say is now the number one concern in this election, I would say that at least half of the worry has to do with something that people never talk about out loud: demographics.
You’ve probably heard about The Great Replacement Theory, a right-wing conspiracy popular with white supremacists that suggests white people are being pushed around and pushed out by massive waves of immigrants. The fear is that they’re going to be replaced, or at least displaced. Well, they say somebody has to do something to stop this. So here comes Texas, where Republican Governor Greg Abbott is drawing the line with an immigration law that he says will scare off as many undocumented immigrants as possible, maybe even some legal immigrants who are afraid that they might be mistaken for undocumented.
To turn back the clock, Abbott will need a magic wand. Or maybe just a state immigration law that allows local and state cops to enforce federal immigration statutes by arresting people who they suspect are in the country illegally — read Latinos. Even though Abbott is a former Texas attorney general, his grasp on basic legal concepts like the federal supremacy clause of the Constitution and the fact that only the federal government can make immigration policy is so weak that it makes me wonder if whatever law school he attended also doubles as the rodeo clown college. It’s no wonder that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently blocked the law from being enforced.
Demographics are destiny, they say, but apparently destiny can sometimes be derailed or distorted—that is, if Texas has anything to say about it, the Lone Star State is currently 40% Latino demographic projections say that by 2040, that figure could grow to 50%. Now, this shouldn’t be so surprising to people, and especially to people who live in Texas, not for nothing. But we’re talking about a big chunk of land that used to belong to Mexico, before the mid 1800s, when a bunch of white people from states like Missouri and Tennessee, invaded the territory and tried to bring their black slaves with them, even though the Mexican said, No, you can’t do that. Of course, the state of Texas or test, if you prefer, was always going to be heavily Latino, and becoming more so all the time, due in large part to immigration and higher birth rates among immigrants.
A lot of white people are panicking about all this. And they would love to reverse those demographic changes, or at least stop them in their tracks. So much so that when you break down the anxiety that Americans feel about the issue of immigration, which pollsters say is now the number one concern in this election, I would say that at least half of the worry has to do with something that people never talk about out loud: demographics.
You’ve probably heard about the great replacement theory, a right-wing conspiracy popular with white supremacists that suggests white people are being pushed around and pushed out by massive waves of immigrants. The fear is that they’re going to be replaced or at least displaced. Well, they say somebody has to do something to stop this. So here comes Texas, where Republican Governor Greg Abbott is drawing the line with an immigration law that he says will scare off as many undocumented immigrants as possible, maybe even some legal immigrants who are afraid that they might be mistaken for undocumented.
To turn back the clock, Abbott will need a magic wand. Or maybe just a state immigration law that allows local and state cops to enforce federal immigration statutes by arresting people who they suspect are in the country illegally—read Latinos. Even though Abbott is a former Texas Attorney General, his grasp on basic legal concepts like the federal Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and the fact that only the federal government can make immigration policy is so weak that it makes me wonder if whatever law school he attended also doubles as the rodeo clown college.
It’s no wonder that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently blocked the law from being enforced. Because it’s not clear that’s constitutional. The smart money bet is that’s not not that avid cares much one way or another what the courts say. He’s not in this for the law. He only cares about the politics. Supporting this divisive and unlawful piece of legislation is how Abbott shows Republican voters in Texas and around the country, that he’s a tough guy who will keep Texas and the whole country safe from what Republicans describe as an invasion along the US Mexico border. Best of all, Abbott doesn’t have to do the really hard thing. You know, the thing that would really take courage, and that’s going after all those Texans who hire the undocumented, to do their chores, to carry out every job imaginable because a lot of Americans don’t want to work anymore. See, taking on employers is scary employers fight back. So Abbott would rather just go after the poor and the weak, a bunch of desperate, largely uneducated non citizens who can’t vote through what they say everything is bigger in Texas, even the cowards.
Then, aside from the politics, there’s the demographics. Texas Republicans don’t have a prayer of winning elections over the next 20 years in the state. If Texas continues to go down the road that’s on now and becomes more and more Latino. See, the Texas immigration law is the last gasp of those who want to change that reality. Silly Texas Republicans don’t you understand? You don’t spit in the wind. And you don’t make enemies out of those who will soon make up the majority.
Related
Trump supporters want to be victims of anti-white racism
The racial anxieties of conservative white Americans are certainly nothing new to U.S. history, but in recent years observers have warned of a range of factors that may be radicalizing right-leaning Americans into political violence and extremism. Donald Trump, in particular, often receives credit for normalizing this extremism for a new generation of Americans. Straight…
Tuesday
Texas is Hispanic, and that’s not going to change
Hispanic people now make up the largest ethnic group in Texas, according to the latest U.S. census data, and almost half of all minors in the state are Hispanic or Latino. This data feeds the fears of some right-wing Americans who believe in the “great replacement” theory. The theory states that non-white populations are displacing…
Apr 16
Liberal Americans are abandoning DEI
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have emerged as popular values for many left-leaning Americans. These Americans celebrate certain events, such as Barack Obama’s victory as the first Black U.S. president, as historical achievements and milestones of forward progress over time. Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette worries that these values are eroding on the left,…
Apr 9
GOP hypocrites ‘tough on crime’ while supporting criminal Trump
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, conservative politicians won campaigns in part by positioning themselves as “tough on crime” and talking about “the rule of law.” Later, during the Trump administration, it was the Democrats who positioned themselves as the defenders of law and order. Now, despite fielding a presidential candidate who faces 91 felony criminal…
Apr 2
Democrats too soft on Biden’s poor treatment of immigrants
Republicans have attacked U.S. southern border security from every angle. What’s sometimes missing from the public view of this conversation are the criticisms of Biden’s own fellow Democrats, many of whom argue that the president is being far too tough with immigrants who dream of living in the United States. Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben…
Mar 26
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