The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Episode: Lawrence Wright Talks to David Remnick About Texas as a Bellwether of American Politics
Date: July 31, 2017
Host: David Remnick
Guest: Lawrence Wright, New Yorker staff writer

Episode Overview

This episode centers on a conversation between David Remnick and Lawrence Wright about Texas’s unique political culture and its significance as a predictor—or bellwether—of American political trends. Drawing from Wright’s extensive reporting (and his then-forthcoming book), the discussion explores Texas’s evolution from a progressive stronghold to a Republican-dominated state, internal GOP divisions, current culture wars, voter suppression, demographic changes, and the state’s potential political future.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Texas as a Political Model for America

• Wright’s Thesis:
  • Texas “was the model for the country that we have become,” with its Republican dominance preceding and influencing broader national trends. (03:30)
  • Its political evolution and cultural struggles mirror those now playing out elsewhere in the U.S.

2. Republican Party Dynamics in Texas

• Internal Divisions:
  • The Texas GOP is split: “the conservative business oriented group and the more social cultural group” (03:47)
  • The social/cultural wing feels its agenda is unfinished and is aggressively pushing issues such as restrictions on public schools and bathroom bills.
• Governor Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick:
  • Remnick: "The governor, Greg Abbott, doesn't have much of a national profile..." (04:23)
  • Wright notes Abbott’s cautious business conservatism but says he’s “terrified of being outflanked on the right by his lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick,” who wields greater influence (04:33–05:12).
  • Patrick’s priorities are capping property taxes ("smothering public schools") and “the Women's Right to Privacy Act," or the so-called bathroom bill (05:41–06:03).

3. Culture Wars and Legislative Priorities

• Public Schools:
  • Patrick’s push for private school vouchers and property tax caps threatens school funding.
  • Wright: “He's defunding them. And, you know, that's the same thing as far as I can see.” (06:05)
• Bathroom Bill:
  • Personal testimony highlights the practical harm to trans individuals, often overlooked by legislators (06:03–06:44).
• Immigration and Sanctuary Cities:
  • Wright: “The majority of Texans don’t care about the bathroom bill... but are passionate about immigration,” especially in the suburbs. Hence, there’s bipartisan support for punitive sanctuary city laws (06:57–07:17).
  • State retaliation against Sheriff Sally Hernandez for her sanctuary stance is cited as an example (07:17–07:59).

4. Texas’s Political Shift: From Progressive to Hard-Right

• Roots of the Shift:
  • Remnick and Wright discuss how Texas, once home to progressive leaders like LBJ, shifted rightward (07:59–09:09).
  • Karl Rove’s view: Texas’s roots were more populist than progressive—"the populist believe that somebody's after them...It was the Wall Street bankers...now...it's government and government is the enemy” (08:24–09:09).

5. National Perceptions and Stereotypes of Texas

• Eastern Attitudes Toward Texans:
  • Wright addresses open disdain from coastal elites, with Texans seen as “braggarts...careless personal lives...narcissistic...” (09:33–09:54).
  • Remnick: “you refer to the Eastern attitude toward Texans as the Texans have the...they possess the nation’s id.” (10:01)
  • Wright: “The politician who most expresses that is probably Donald Trump. If he'd put on a cowboy hat...people would have recognized him.” (10:01–10:24)

6. Demographic Change and Political Future

• Population Growth:
  • Texas is expected to double in size by 2050, largely due to job growth attracting people nationally (10:48–11:14).
• Political Consequences:
  • Newcomers from the Midwest and coasts brought Republican traditions, and suburbs—now the reddest areas—swelled (11:19–12:11).
  • “Those people filled in the suburbs, and the suburbs are where the redness really gets bright.” (12:11)

7. Will Texas Turn Purple (or Blue)?

• Demographic Potential and Voter Reality:
  • Wright: “Texas would be blue now if people actually voted.” (12:24)
  • The real obstacle is low turnout among “the young, the poor, and the poorly educated”—groups Republicans actively suppress (12:32).
  • Voter ID laws and underfunded schools are cited as disenfranchisement tools (12:32–13:05).
• Are Democrats Deluded About Texas?:
  • Clinton’s campaign flirted with winning Texas in 2016, but ultimately, the Democratic Party “doesn’t even have offices in a lot of counties” and is “desperately seeking celebrities to run for offices.” (13:10–13:47)
  • Example: “Tommy Lee Jones would be top of the list for some and he’d be hard to vote against.” (13:48–13:53)
• State Party Fragility:
  • Both Republican and Democratic parties in Texas are described as “fragile” and internally divided, similar to past eras (13:54–14:08).

8. Wright's Emotional Take

• Disturbed, Not Hopeful:
  • Wright candidly concludes: “No, I’m not hopeful. I’m upset...Texas is a marvelous, dynamic entity...but it’s not going to be wonderful if we don’t educate our children and if we don’t take care of the health and welfare...That’s where the state’s falling down.” (14:13–14:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Texas as a National Model:

  • “Long before the country became as Republican as it is now, Texas was that in a way, it was the model for the country that we have become.” – Lawrence Wright (03:30)

• On GOP Internal Feuding:

  • “The only party in Texas, really, the Republicans, are splitting in half...” – Lawrence Wright (03:39)

• On School Funding Battles:

  • “[Dan Patrick’s] defunding them. And ... that’s the same thing as far as I can see.” – Lawrence Wright, on Texas public schools (06:05)

• On National Perceptions:

  • “When people think of Texas, they think of us as ... braggarts ... up and down narcissistic and caring only about ourselves...” – Lawrence Wright (09:33–09:54)
  • “You refer to the Eastern attitude toward Texans as ... they possess the nation’s id.” – David Remnick (10:01)

• On Trump and Texas:

  • “The politician who most expresses [the Texas id] is probably Donald Trump. If he’d put on a cowboy hat rather than a gimme cap, people would have recognized him.” – Lawrence Wright (10:01–10:24)

• On Voter Suppression:

  • “There’s an effort by the Republican establishment to keep those people from voting...this is a total effort at disenfranchisement.” – Lawrence Wright (12:32)

• On the Future:

  • “No, I’m not hopeful. I’m upset...it’s not going to be wonderful if we don’t educate our children and if we don’t take care of the health and welfare...That’s where the state’s falling down.” – Lawrence Wright (14:13–14:42)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Texas as a National Political Model: 03:23–03:39
• State GOP Internal Divisions: 03:39–04:23
• Governor Abbott’s Cautious Politics: 04:23–05:39
• Dan Patrick’s Political Priorities: 05:39–06:05
• Bathroom Bill and Personal Stories: 06:03–06:44
• Immigration & Sanctuary Cities: 06:57–07:59
• Why Texas Turned Right: 08:24–09:09
• Texas Stereotypes and The 'Nation's Id': 09:33–10:24
• Texas’s Population Boom: 10:48–11:14
• Suburbs and the Red Shift: 11:19–12:11
• The “Purple Texas” Dream: 12:11–13:16
• Hope for the Future: 14:08–14:42

Tone and Style

The conversation blends dry humor and intellectual rigor, with both Remnick and Wright balancing anecdote, analysis, and personal reflection in a conversational and insightful exchange.

[End of summary.]