Discussion:
Its suppose to be 100 words each please:
First classmate:
Texas in many different aspects has been known to be conservative, even more so specifically in its political culture. Historically, it has been known to be this way, in that its traditionalistic views at times took over, and at times had an unfavorable impact. "Given the characteristics of these two traditions, one might well conclude, as have many scholars, that the Texas political culture is conservative." (Government and Politics in the Lone Star State) The fact that Texas is mainly based on the individualistic and traditional views more so than the moralistic has affected Texas in a way that citizens in lower classes do not participate as much as states that have views of the latter. A good example of this would be how many people moved to East Texas to be able to harvest cotton. Seeing this to be true, you can observe that Texas really does its best to emphasize the success of its local businesses and those of the wealthy. The actions of the government weren't really encouraged unless it had a great effect on the already higher class. "During much of its history, Texas was one of the least democratic states, with restrictions on voting rights, limited party competition, and low rates of voter participation." (Government and Politics in the Lone Star State) You can observe this in our society of our state today, in that many care much more about local businesses, such as oil, rather than preserving the little natural land that is still left in Texas. Another would be how large our interstate highways are becoming, with the idea that this would lead to many more people to come to local businesses around the highways.
Reference : Gibson, L. Tucker, et al. Government and Politics in the Lone Star State. Pearson, 2017.
Second classmate:
I definitely agree that Texas does hold a more individualistic and traditionalistic political culture. An individualistic political culture is one where the role of the government is limited and the economy and politics are mainly ran by the people. A traditionalistic political culture is one where people show a conservative viewpoint.
Social conservatism is a major ideological tendency shared by most Texans, which is the belief in traditional values over moralistic ones. Texas's political culture is seen as traditionalistic because of the one-party dominance in state politics. Texas is by far the largest state that reliable votes Republican in state elections, best reflecting their conservative nature. "During much of its history, Texas was one of the least democratic states, with restrictions on voting rights, limited party competition, and low rates of voter participation." (Government and Politics in the Lone Star State). The individualistic political culture can be seen by the reliability on private businesses and the lack of government support for the economy. In the past, these businesses could be seen by ranches, cotton farmers, and the oil industry who avoided the help of the government and practiced individualism. While we still see many private ranches in parts of Texas, these days we see private businesses in more modern terms with the likes of shops and gas stations in urban areas.
Reference : Gibson, L. Tucker, et al. Government and Politics in the Lone Star State. Pearson, 2017.