381 Comments

It seems. here in Kentucky, we only unite around the KY Wildcats or (sometimes) the Louisville Cards. Damnit I don't really like basket ball. I suppose that makes me a quad or so outsider.

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As for my home, I would never go back to NYC. Born & raised in Queens from 1951 to 1971. It was so different than today’s NYC. It’s horrible. My only loyalty is to the NYY. Will always be a Yankee!

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It is sometimes very painful to live in Austin where the genesis of the hateful legislation and rhetoric commences.

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Returning to the city where I spent the first seven years of my life, should have been the beginning of a normal life. Instead it was out of the frying pan and into the fire.

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It seems that Texas's government is : anti-LGBTQ, anti-a woman's right to choose, pro-vote suppression especially in urban areas of color, anti-immigration, against free-speech and fair elections. Birding there is glorious, but at some universities the progressive faculty meet for dinners at friends' homes because they can't afford to talk politics in a restaurant. .. This is not a state I would like to call home.

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Tried to comment but it disappeared while getting down to 250 characters.

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Another Floridian chiming in — I feel this article completely. I know many friends that don’t have the luxury of staying (they no longer feel safe being here) — others, don’t have the luxury of leaving. For me, it’s where my family is…where I’ve built a life and a home — and I know there is so much more here than what most see or assume. So, I’ve got my place in line — ready to vote, because I know that Florida can be (and is) so much more.

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🤠@DanRather #DanRather 💜💜💜💜Dear Dan, My husband and I agree with you 100% percent 🦄 Texas, its wild flowers and Dan Rather. There's no place like it. 💐🌷

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As a Floridian , I feel everything in this article , and I thank you for saying it so eloquently.

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Powerful and very thoughtful. I have wondered how you were handling the current politics coming out of Texas. As a Missourian we have the same embarrassment of Josh Hawley. I too hold out hope for for a more inclusive state. Best wishes.

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I have always lived by the mantra of, "Bloom where you're planted." I hear much of that in your essay today. If health and energy permit, many of us would love to see your presence on air again to support your more progressive, modern vision of Texas. Your visible influence should go a long way in changing the suicidal course now being charted by the current "leadership." There could be hope for a brighter future for Texas and Texans of all stripes after all.

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It is great that you are enjoying your loyalty to Texas but your reportage always aimed for balance , even though there were important Texans who disagreed with that fact! Think about restoring some balance to your life . Returning to Texas does not mean limiting yourself to those borders ! You are a reporter grounded in curiosity . If one stifles what is at the root of one’s being ,the oxygen may diminish in one’s life. Each one of us in in charge of that in our individual lives .It would be very depressing to live with the right wing realities of Texas politics , without relief. However, perspective is only any US State away by car , plane or train , or even by boat! It sounds as though a break is in order. Besides, there are a lot of liberals moving to Texas to avoid Taxes! That may make a difference in the long run . Those Northern Californians and New Yorkers may make a difference ! In the meantime , no one’s home State is perfect, especially now.

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God Bless and Thank you Dan, a life long Texan. I have been following you since Nixon. I'll never forget when you asked Nixon a question, when running for president. Nixon's reply was "Are you running for president"? You replied "No sir! Are you? Nixon got visibly upset. My political interest was born.

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Dan

I too am a proud native Texan and I too will not let outsiders define my beloved state. However, you and your colleagues have tried to paint our state as a backward thinking backwater because we thankfully don’t see issues the same way you do. Like most liberal elites , your lack of capacity to acknowledge different viewpoints is profound. While blue states that you admire continue to implode and disintegrate, Texas thrives. Please understand that is not a coincidence. Texas welcomes you back because that is what Texans do, but please save your blatant disgust for your lavish dinner parties with your enlightened friends because Texas does not agree or care for your thoughts.

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You do not speak for this Texan, Mr Tully. I too am disgusted by the actions of the few at the Capitol Building in Austin. They (and you) do not represent my beliefs. Thank you Mr Rather for your thoughtfulness in writing this article.

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Mr. Tully--You missed an entire point of what Mr. Rather said. He said essentially that people such as yourself are neither the sole nor the true voice of Texas, although obviously with your critical attempt to dismiss and demean Mr. Rather, you appear to think you are. You also missed another point. He said that in his heart he never really left, so you are quite presumptuous to say that you, as representative of Texas, are welcoming him back. Incidentally, your post is a good example of why so many have come to loathe Texas, which I think is another point he made, that sour, mean spirited, crass and rude, divisionist remarks are so often the currency emanating from the state. You certainly are doing "your" state no favors there, regardless of whether you choose to reject what so called outsiders think or not.

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I challenge you to read all of the responses here and on Dan Rather's Twitter and Facebook to discover that people across the country, including Texans, agree and care for his thoughts a great deal. Thanks for the party suggestion.

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Thank you Dan. I live in DC, but remind my friends and colleagues about a state that produced Sam Houston, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, LBJ, Beto, Al and Sally Galloway (my parents) and Dan Rather, et. al.

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Wonderful and so true.

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