Usually, I chalk Democratic dreams of a blue Texas to the same sort of thinking that brought us the inevitability of the coalition of the ascendant and 100% certainty that Donald Trump was going to lose.
Major parties have lived more for patronage than principles; their goal has been to bind together a sufficiently large coalition of diverse interests to get into power; and once in power, to arrange sufficiently satisfactory compromises of interest to remain there.
I ran on forming broad coalitions with people throughout the caucus and across the aisle, and so that involves the Blue Dogs, people who are talking about tax reform.
There is a very long list of parties in this year's election, some of the parties I have never heard of.
I don't want to associate myself with any specific group of politicians.
In politics, everybody is free to choose his friends and allies.
Major realigning events can reshape coalitions and change how large groups of people view politics, policy, and the parties.
I think whenever you see what may be the seeds of a third party, you need to be very skeptical because there's not a very good track record for third parties.
We have always had, remember, small groups of both parties that split off. There were the "blue dog Democrats." There were the "Dixie Democrats." Democrats were never going to, ever again, pull together.
