Episode 205: What Makes A Red State Blue?
While Republicans hold every statewide office in Texas, the 2006 national elections saw Democrats take back the United States Congress. Are there any changes ahead for the party politics of Texas? (airing week of March 4th)
Panelists:
- Bill Bishop, Author, The Big Sort
- Paul Burka, Texas Monthly
- Matthew Dowd, Political Strategist
Bill Bishop, 53, is a writer living in Austin. He has worked as a columnist for the newspaper in Lexington, Kentucky and as a special projects reporter in Austin. Bishop and his wife, Julie Ardery, owned and edited the newspaper in Smithville, Texas. He is now completing a book on political segregation that will be published by Houghton Mifflin Co. in 2008.
Paul BurkaPaul Joel Burka is a senior executive editor, political columnist, and blogger for Texas Monthly. Born in Galveston, he received his B.A. in history from Rice University, where he lived at Hanszen College and served as sports editor for the Rice Thresher. He later received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where he worked on The Daily Texan. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and spent five years as an attorney with the Texas Legislature, where he served as counsel to the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Burka received a National Magazine Award for reporting excellence in 1985 and the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award. He is also a senior lecturer at The University of Texas at Austin.
Matthew Dowd is a founding partner of ViaNovo, an international communications and brand positioning firm. Matthew's recent political work includes serving as the Chief Strategist on two winning reelection efforts - for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 and for President George W. Bush in 2004. Prior to 2004, Matthew served as a senior advisor to the Republican National Committee and as a senior strategist on the 2000 Bush campaign. In the 1990s, Matthew was President and founding partner of Public Strategies, Inc, an international public affairs firm. A frequent contributor to MSNBC and Fox News, Matthew teaches at the University of Texas' LBJ School of Public Affairs and has led seminars at Stanford, Harvard and Yale Universities. He is a founder of HotSoup.com an online community of people who influence other people, and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Applebee's America: How Successful Political, Business and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community.
Research Links:
- “The Myth of the Middle,” by Bill Bishop and Alan Abramowitz, Washington Post, March 1, 2007.
- “The Great Divide,” by Bill Bishop, Austin American-Statesman, series in 2004.
- “Bills to move up primary could boost state's clout in '08,” by Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News, February 1, 2007.
- “Could Rick Perry be the new Dan Quayle?” by Editorial Board, Denton Record-Chronicle, February 12, 2007.
- "Some say Perry may have bigger ambitions," by Kelley Shannon, Bryan-College Station Eagle, February 10, 2007.
