521 11/18/02 10:57 AM Page 524 Why It Matters Now Texas State Politics, Major shifts during this period 2 changed the directions of the Republican and Democratic 1960–1995 Parties. TERMS & NAMES OBJECTIVES MAIN IDEA John Connally, indicted, 1. Trace the development of the two-party After 1960 Republicans began to Phil Gramm, George Bush, system in Texas during the second half challenge Democratic leadership House Bill 72, teacher of the twentieth century. in Texas. Texas elected the second certification, “no pass–no 2. Identify the leadership qualities of past Republican governor in its history as play,” special session, Ann and present elected leaders of Texas. well as its second female governor. Richards, George W. Bush 3. Analyze the leadership qualities of In the 1990s Republican George W. Texans who have been president of Bush won two terms as governor and the United States. went on to become president. WHAT Would You Do? Imagine that you have always voted for Democratic candidates in elec- Write your response tions. Lately, however, you find yourself disagreeing with many of the to Interact with History Democrats’ ideas. Unfortunately, you don’t agree with many of the in your Texas Notebook. Republicans’ ideas either. What could you do to improve the situation? Would you start a new party or try to get one of the other parties to change? How would you persuade others to join you? John Connally In 1962 Texans elected Democratic candidate John Connally as gover- nor. Raised on a South Texas cotton farm, Connally had campaigned for Johnson but was more conservative than Johnson was. Despite Connally’s election, Texas Republicans were beginning to gain important offices. During Connally’s six years as governor, Texas’s population grew by more than a million people. Federal money for public health, education, and welfare helped pay for some services for this growing population. The state budget was stretched to pay for other needed services. But Connally would not give up his plans for great changes. He raised taxes to increase teachers’ pay and improve libraries. He approved fund- ing for colleges and universities. He supported reform for state govern- ment. He also took steps to develop the arts and tourism in Texas. The Sharpstown Scandal In 1968 Preston Smith was elected governor of Texas and served two terms. A conservative Democrat, Smith drew most of his support from rural Texas. Smith’s administration was damaged by what became known John Connally as the Sharpstown scandal. Speaker of the House Gus Mutscher and 524 ✯ Chapter 25 521 11/18/02 10:57 AM Page 525 other state officials were accused of taking bribes from the head of the indicted charged with a crime Sharpstown bank in return for political favors. Several legislators were indicted, and some served time in jail. As a result of the scandal, more than half of the members of the Texas legislature left office. Some lost their reelection bids, while others chose not to run for reelection at all. A number of the House members, includ- ing Democrat Frances “Sissy” Farenthold, formed a group called the Dirty Thirty. In an effort to reform the House, the Dirty Thirty helped to pass the Open Records Act. This law required officials to file reports of all donations to their political campaigns. Because the Sharpstown scandal had hurt Governor Smith’s public image, several Democrats ran against him in 1972. Frances Farenthold challenged Uvalde rancher Dolph Briscoe and Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes in the Democratic primary for governor. Farenthold hoped to become the first female governor since “Ma” Ferguson. Farenthold was supported by many women and liberal Democrats but was defeated by Briscoe. Farenthold challenged Briscoe again in 1974 but lost. Texans voted to change the governor’s term of office from two years to four. The change took effect in 1975. Briscoe, a moderate politician, promised Texans “no new taxes.” Throughout his three terms as gover- Frances Farenthold campaign items nor, Briscoe kept his promise, managing the state’s growing expenses without raising taxes. Republicans Gain Ground in Texas Republicans became a force in Texas in 1961 when John Tower took over the Senate seat vacated by Lyndon Johnson. Republicans gained more power in Texas in the late 1970s and early 1980s when an oil boom Phil Gramm boosted the Texas economy. Because of the boom, thousands of job seek- A former economics professor ers from other states and Mexico moved to Texas. Many of these new at Texas A&M University, Texan Texans were Republicans. Also, by 1978 some Texas Democrats Phil Gramm was first elected to had begun switching to the Republican Party. As a result, little- the U.S. House of Repre- known Dallas businessman Bill Clements defeated Democrat sentatives in 1978. He John Hill in 1978 to become the third Republican governor was elected three times in Texas history. as a Democrat before switching political par- One Texas Democrat to switch parties was Phil Gramm, ties. In 1984 Gramm who won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as was elected to the U.S. a Democrat. In 1984 he switched to the Republican Party. Senate as a Repub- As a Republican, Gramm has served in the U.S. Senate for lican. A strong supporter many years. of Republican presi- In 1980 Republican Ronald Reagan chose George Herbert dents such as Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Walker Bush as his running mate in the U.S. presidential elec- George W. Bush, Gramm has tion. Born in Massachusetts, Bush had moved to Texas after he also served as chairperson of the graduated from Yale University. He then built a successful oil business in National Republican Senatorial Midland. He later moved to Houston, where he was elected to Congress Committee. ● How has Phil for two terms. He lost a race for a seat in the U.S. Senate to Democrat Gramm’s experience helped Lloyd Bentsen, Jr. Bush served as ambassador to the United Nations, him to be an effective leader in the Senate? chairman of the Republican National Committee, and chief U.S. repre- Politics in Modern Texas ✯ 525 521 11/18/02 10:57 AM Page 526 sentative in China. In 1976 he became director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Bush helped Reagan win Texas and the nation in the 1980 Desegregation of presidential race. Texas Schools Republicans also gained a number of seats in the Texas legislature. Many Texans expected Republican governor Clements to win a second Although some school districts, term as well. However, in 1982 Clements lost to Texas attorney general such as San Antonio, desegre- gated their schools in the Mark White. White was a Democrat who had successfully won over 1950s, many Texas schools many minority Texans by emphasizing educational reform and economic remained segregated. In 1970 development. As governor, White appointed a number of minorities to District Judge William Wayne his staff and to important government posts. Justice ordered the Texas Education Agency to take action to desegregate Texas Education Reform public schools. The court even- During the 1980s many people became concerned about declining tually ordered the busing of minority students to schools literacy rates and test scores among students in Texas schools. In 1984 that enrolled whites. Although Governor Mark White appointed a committee to study the state’s educa- this practice was hotly debated, tional problems. Headed by Dallas billionaire H. Ross Perot, the it finally increased the number committee studied Texas schools and made a number of recommenda- of African American students in tions. The result was known as House Bill 72. This bill placed strict these schools. ● Why do you guidelines on teacher certification and tied teachers’ salaries to perform- think it took so long to deseg- regate Texas schools? ance. It gave more money to local school districts and called for smaller classes. House Bill 72 also made attendance rules stricter, required students to be regularly tested, and raised the minimum passing grade from 65 to 70. teacher certification proof that The most debated part of the bill was its “no pass–no play” ruling. an individual has met all the Under this new rule, students who did not pass a required number of state’s qualifications for teaching courses could not take part in extracurricular activities, such as sports or music. As a result, some school teams lost their star players. This upset many Texans, who held House Bill 72 against Governor White in the next election. special session a legislative or congressional meeting that is The Texas Oil Crash called to accomplish a specific task House Bill 72 alone reduced Governor White’s reelection chances, but the oil crash of the 1980s made it almost impossible. From 1983 to 1986, the Texas oil industry was in financial trouble. The demand for oil Political campaign buttons decreased, and prices dropped sharply. Thousands of people lost their jobs, and businesses and banks collapsed. In a short time, the entire Texas economy was in a slump. As the economy worsened, fewer taxes could be collected.This, in turn, made it difficult for the state to pay for important public services. As a result, Governor White called the legislature into special session to cut the state budget and raise taxes. Neither of these moves was popular with Texas voters. When White ran for reelection in 1986, he was easily defeated by the Republican candidate, Bill Clements. 526 ✯ Chapter 25 521 11/18/02 10:57 AM Page 527 ▲ In 1990 President George Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which guaran- teed civil rights to Americans with disabilities.