State Republican Platform Confirms
Our Differences Can’t Be More Stark

By
Steve Brown
Chairman, Fort Bend County Democratic Party

Over the weekend, Republican delegates converged on Dallas to set their agenda and define their priorities for the next two years. They adjourned having identified a litany of policies and beliefs that further distanced them from the ideals of the Democratic Party, and perhaps most Texans. Indeed, the gulf is widening between Republican beliefs and the true needs for Texas.

Besides the familiar anti-abortion, stem cell and gay marriage sentiment we’ve become accustomed to, the newly ratified Republican platform contains pretty harsh language that can easily be interpreted as being unfriendly toward Hispanics. Specifically, their platform calls for making “American” English the official language of Texas, urging the Legislature to pass voter ID, taking a tough stance against illegal immigration and ending birthright citizenship. This is a pretty oppressive stance towards a community of people who not only will soon be in the majority but also have the potential to offer much to this state in terms of talent and resources.

The Texas State Data Center projects that Hispanics will make up the majority of Texas’ population by 2020. Additionally, their numbers are likely to dramatically increase by 2040 as a result of an aging Anglo population. Despite that, Hispanics are the most impoverished and least educated community in our state. At the turn of the century, over 1.6 million Hispanics in Texas were poor, and half didn’t have a high school diploma. The latter figure is understandable considering how young the Hispanic population is. Nevertheless, these figures can be outright tragic if we intend on amassing a competitive workforce, and be the future home of emerging economies and industries.

This isn’t new data. We’ve known for years that our state’s demographics have changed substantially. Instead of focusing on issues that might better allocate resources to ensure that all Texans have the opportunity to make a contribution to our state, Republicans have instead insisted on thumbing their collective noses at Hispanics. They prefer to pursue legislation to weaken Hispanics influence as opposed to recognizing that they are a significant partner in our state’s future.

Democrats must seize this opportunity to frame the immigration debate in terms that stress true family values, tolerance, fairness and a path to citizenship. We must recognize that any laws that separate families or engage in racial profiling are unacceptable, and we must engage all immigrant populations in this debate. We must also make this debate more robust by focusing on long-term policy solutions that address the education, income and housing disparities that exist between Anglos and minority communities.

Republicans have done us a favor. I challenge all Democrats to step to the plate and change the tone of this debate. Our very future might depend on it.

Steve Brown is the Chairman of the Fort Bend County Democratic Party.