George Bush's exit from Washington marks the end of the political and social era dominated by the mythic idea of the Texas oilman, so says a post over at the Daily Beast.
The most visible Texas politician in American right now is Ron Paul. Ron. Frickin. Paul. Jesus.
Point taken.
Bryan Burrough points out that since 1948 the American public has been fascinated by the real larger-than-life personalities of the richest men to wear spurs and and scheme to take over the world. As if we needed a reminder, he runs through a list of good ol' Texas boys and their accomplishments: Tom Delay (gerrymandering, corruption), Phil Gramm (complete and total economic collapse), George Bush I and II (Iraq and Iraq, to be brief) - amongst others.
With that history, it's easy to see how some who watched the Bush wagons pack up and ford the Potomac hope that the Texans stay well west of the Mississippi for a long time to come. But somehow, Burrough forgot the women - the sharp-tongued, progressive cowgirls that battled the boys every step of the way - like Ann Richards and Molly Ivins, Barbara Jordan and Sarah Weddington.
These Texas women spoke truth to power, used their wit and considerable intelligence to trip up the mythic Texas oilmen at every opportunity, and elbowed their way into the capital in Austin to make the world more fair for women and men of all colors. They did it with style and grace and they didn't take no shit off of nobody.
It might get me in trouble with my fellow Texans, but I'm glad to see the outdated cowboy mentality run out of DC town on a rail. But I'm not heralding the fall of the Lone Star State. On the contrary - I think that it's just time for the cowgirls to have a go at it. I'm proud to be a Texas woman, proud to learn from the history of the women before me, and proud to live up to the warning about us: "Don't Mess With Texas Women."
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Don't Mess with Texas Women.