Texans, Who is on the Left?

It's sometimes difficult to determine who is on which team when the legislative sessions begin.

This fall, Texans will go to the polls and largely support conservatives around the state. Texas has become a stronghold for conservative ideas and policies – a role model for other states; envy of some, enemy of others. As observed by myself and other conservative activists living outside the Austin Bubble, it is sometimes difficult to determine who is on which team when the legislative sessions begin.

You need to begin watching the scorecards now. By examining the contribution and expense records of candidates, you can begin to get a picture of the ‘players' and who is on which team. One thing is for sure. The capitol press corp will always quote ‘experts' or ‘analysts' from their own personal liberal friends. If they are desperate for a ‘balancing' quote, the media will identify a ‘social conservative' or ‘religious activist' (portrayed as an extremist with a dangerous agenda).

Even if the conservative issue is taxes, free enterprise, or less government, the ‘balancing' media quote will be from a conservative portrayed to have a scary religious agenda.

One of my favorite examples of the Austin political culture is the Texas Freedom Network (TFN). In an attempt to define the mainstream Texas Christian population, Samantha Smoot currently heads this coalition of liberals in an effort to be “a mainstreamed voice to counter the religious right.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation http://ffrf.org/index.php says this about the Texas Freedom Network:

”the organization started by Cecile Richards, the daughter of former governor, Ann Richards, set out to do something about the danger of the Christian right. She recognized that these 'good Christians' were really not very good at all, and were using religion to justify everything, and making a general nuisance of themselves in every aspect of life by imposing their interpretation of 'the good book' on others. Their ultimate aim was to wrest the government from the hands of the people and put the reins in the hands of God.”

Samantha Smoot will be quoted often during the legislative sessions as if she is an expert on issues such as education and health care. The opposing (conservative) view point will not be quoted or be quoted only as a conservative activist. The goal of the Austin media is to charade liberals as typical, normal Texans and conservatives as extremists living on the fringes of society.

There is a silver lining to the Texas Freedom Network dilemma. TFN has conveniently listed all their friends and enemies on their website. I don't know of anyone else who so clearly draws a line in the sand. They lump all conservatives under the shocking label of “religious political extremists”. Their friends are obviously “progressive and democratic.”

TFN's website states: "Our members are concerned about the growing social and political influence of religious political extremists." Goals are:

To inform the public about the policy positions of the religious right,
To educate people of religious faith not allied with the Christian right in how to formulate and to advocate a faith-based response to the religious right's policy agenda,
To provide research and public education on issues affecting Texas families' well-being and individual and religious liberties,
To train local community and religious leaders in how to effectively represent their viewpoints in the public arena, and
To research the agenda, activities and funding of Religious Right organizations.
In 1996, the need for the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund's research, education and training projects grew out of the work of the Texas Freedom Network. While these two organizations are both devoted to providing a mainstream voice to counter the religious right in Texas , they each have a distinct mission. TFN Education Fund's focus is on research, citizen education and leadership training, while the Texas Freedom Network's purpose is to support grass roots activism aimed at countering the religious right's efforts to radically reshape public institutions.

Check out the website for the Texas Public Policy Foundation . You will find only solid research and opinion about legislative policy. I cannot find any religion mentioned.

So who is on the LEFT? Friends (liberals are labeled ‘progressive' on this site) are identified as:

Progressive Faith-Based Organizations
There are also religious organizations that share TFN's progressive goals. Their sites are listed below:

In the next few months Texans for Texas will try to define more of the struggles experienced by our conservative legislators when they try to work for you in Austin . Please stay tuned and send us your thoughts.

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