Texas governor-elect Abbott begins transition

From the AP via the Austin American-Statesman:

Republican governor-elect Greg Abbott says he is starting his transition into office by discussing Ebola with state health officials.

Abbott said Wednesday he has also begun meeting with top lawmakers a day after his landslide victory over Democrat Wendy Davis. His 20-point victory was the biggest in a Texas governor's race since George W. Bush coasted to re-election in 1998.

More here.

Ugh.  And, yeah, the US Senate went Republican, too.  I mean, they don't have a veto proof majority or anything along those lines, but still, it's depressing.  But really, not THAT depressing.  Republicans have power, once again, but that is in no way the last word on what this country is about.

I left this as a comment on a friend's discussion thread on facebook just now:

The truth is that most people don't even vote. I mean, some four million votes were cast for governor here in Texas, only a fraction of the adult population in the state, and Republicans got sixty percent of that. NONE of these elections, not the one that got Obama into the White House, not the one that got Abbott into the Governor's Mansion in Austin, none of them truly reflect the will of "the people," whatever that is. Instead, they reflect the will of the people who are concerned enough about the affairs of the nation to show up and vote.

And clearly, this time around, more Republicans care than Democrats. So congrats to the GOP for that. Of course, what I'd like to see is EVERYONE who is eligible voting. I'd like to see the "democratic" part of "democratic republic" have some meaning. But it doesn't really, not for a very long time. And that's sad.

This isn't the end of all things or anything even close to that.  And, for that matter, the Democrats suck, too, just not as bad as the Republicans.  The point is that there continues to be a great deal of potential for social change in this nation.  We just need to figure out how to unlock it and send it in the right direction.  Entirely doable.  The big question to me is why the Democrats don't seem to be terribly concerned with doing that--I'm starting to think that party bigwigs are pretty much okay with the way things are.

Prove me wrong, Democrats.

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