A New Manifesto for Texas Conservatives
Heath Mayo published a piece in Texas Monthly:
As a lifelong Republican—and, more recently, dedicated Never Trumper—it’s clear to me that the state GOP desperately needs to enter the twenty-first century.
[T]he future of Texas conservatism—whether Donald Trump retains the White House or Texas Republicans hold on to the Texas House—should be rooted in one concept: opportunity. Opportunity is at the core of the Texas ethos. It’s what inspired pioneers to come here and start a new life, and it continues to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Emphasizing opportunity would harness that ethos by keeping government out of our way‚ except when we face make-or-break moments in our lives. When Texans go to school, enter the workforce, become ill, or have a run-in with the law, their opportunities can change for the better or worse. Conservatives ought to address those hinge events without feeling unduly hemmed in by the small-government orthodoxy that has defined the movement since Ronald Reagan’s presidency. That orthodoxy has been found wanting of late, even among the Republican faithful, many of whom responded four years ago to Trump’s promise to strengthen the social safety net (a promise he quickly abandoned once in office). But rather than follow the lead of the national GOP, which has embraced the traditional left-wing strategy of encouraging identity-group grievances (in this case those of the white working class), Texas conservatives should seize the mantle of equal opportunity for all.