Demographics are destiny. As I have recently written, Texas is headed blue; the only question is when. I have also correctly asserted that Karl Rove shares a good bit of my thinking about this. Texas Democrats are increasingly excited and Texas Republicans increasingly worried. Have you noticed how Texas Republicans have been traveling the nation suggesting “Come to Texas if you don’t like Rahm Emanuel harassing banks, come to Texas if you don’t like women being helped and respected by Planned Parenthood, and come to Texas if you are a polluter”? This attempt to import reactionary voters to Texas won’t work. Perhaps next they will suggest Texas Republicans have a lot of (white male) babies and indoctrinate them young!

{mosads}Witness Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who has been a great disappointment. I had hoped he would inject some intellectual content and serious ideas to conservative thought. Instead, he hectors war hero Chuck Hagel, and while he becomes the poster hero of the fringe right, and is destined for many headlines from Matt Drudge, he has little influence in the Senate and offers much evidence of the GOP plight in Texas and nationally.

Do Rick Perry, Ted Cruz and Texas Republicans believe the future of Texas should be standing up for big banks, standing against respect for women, and pushing for pollution? As Butch said to Sundance, who are these guys?

The next stage in the renaissance of Texas Democrats will be twofold: first a major recruitment effort for upcoming races for governor and U.S. Senate at the top of the ticket in 2014, and second, a major wave of voter registration and a major new campaign to register Texas voters, which should be supported by Democratic donors (and the Clintons) who smell victory in 2014 and 2016.

This notion of importing reactionary new voters is ridiculous. The future of Texas looks a lot more like San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro than Ted Cruz, and it looks a lot more like Hillary Clinton than Rick Perry. With High Noon coming to the Lone Star State, Texas Democrats have good reason to be excited, and Republicans have good reason to be worried.

If Texas Republicans want to run against Jerry Brown and Rahm Emanuel, they should move to California and Illinois, because that dog won’t hunt in a great state that is leaving them behind.