Opinion: Rusk County unites for Hopson event
By TONY FLOYD, Henderson Daily News
To the best of my knowledge, no other community in Texas House District 11 has taken the initiative to show appreciation to a politician of any kind lately, much less one who has held office four terms - going on five.
It’s the nature of our times: the chief representatives of our dreadful political system are usually the objects of derision and ridicule, not appreciation programs.
Granted, the Chuck Hopson appreciation program last Wednesday in Henderson probably does not signal a major departure from prevailing attitudes toward government and politicians.
It was, however, uplifting to see citizens of all political stripes come together briefly to show their appreciation for an elected official who, at the end of the day, has more than adequately represented Rusk County and East Texas interests for almost a decade, regardless of one’s personal political leanings.
It was plain to see the Hopsons - pharmacist Chuck and wife Billie, a longtime educator and school administrator - were genuinely honored that local service clubs would organize such an event on their behalf.
What’s really bizarre, though, is that Rusk County native Hopson, a Democrat from Jacksonville, has never once carried the county, which has increasingly trended Republican since the late 1990s. He’s come mighty close, mind you, especially in the 2004 election.
Hopson has managed to hold his seat mainly on the strength of majorities in District 11’s other three counties - Cherokee, Houston and Panola. Interestingly, those counties, like the rest of Texas, have strongly trended Republican over the same period, just like Rusk County.
And while it was refreshing enough that Rusk County citizens could relinquish their partisan zeal however briefly to honor a Democrat - especially one from Jacksonville! - focusing on that alone would be missing the real importance of the Hopson event.
Besides, as the wise old East Texas pundit John Henry Faulk once said, it’s about as hard to tell the difference between a Republican and Democrat in Texas as it is to tell a male catfish from a female catfish in 10-feet of muddy water.
I’ve always interpreted Faulk’s observation to mean that Texas is conservative, no matter which political party is at the helm, though the political consultants and operatives would have us believe otherwise.
Widening the divisions between us is of course what keeps these political operatives gainfully employed while feeding their wildly inflated sense of self-importance.
On Wednesday, Hopson briefly shared memories of his Rusk County childhood and thoughts on the local program in his honor.
It’s a given that four-term legislators are rewarded for their service and experience with more important and influential committee assignments and responsibilities, and Hopson has been no exception, though Republicans are now in the majority for the first time since the post-Civil War years.
I believe Hopson, who I met during his first campaign for the Legislature in 1999, was truly honored. His comment on East Texas being much stronger and more powerful by working together, rather than pulling in separate directions, was by far the most powerful message of the program.
Rural Texans no longer have the luxury of fighting among themselves. The new political landscape is decidedly in favor of the new suburban communities - Frisco, Southlake, Sugar Land, Rosenberg - where the political strength is now concentrated. The state has been evolving from rural to urban and suburban for a long, long time now.
Nope, it’s not your granddaddy’s Texas anymore, Bubba.
That’s why it’s so important for rural Texans, regardless of party affiliation, to stand together with leaders who share their basic core values.
Henderson and Rusk County did the right thing last Wednesday, no doubt about it.
Tony Floyd is Managing Editor of the Henderson Daily News. His column runs on Sunday. Email him at tfloyd@hendersondailynews.com. Copyright 2007, Henderson Newspapers Inc.
