A voice for the rest of Texas.  

Honestly, the slogan, like the name was just something I came up with on the fly.  I mean, who is the “rest” of Texas anyway??  I never intended to actually start a blog, much less have it run on its own website.

The origin of Texas Leftist is actually quite simple.  My Facebook page was mired in a sea of comments from people that agreed or disagreed with me, and I finally decided that rather than lose like 100 friends over politics, it would be much easier to just start a blog and have an outlet for my thoughts. The national debate was becoming so divisive (newsflash… it still is), that it seemed like we forgot how to be civil and actually listen to each other.

Some read the word “Leftist” and assume an extreme ideology, but that has never been the intention for this blog. In fact, the very first post was actually an appeal for moderation and common sense in the raging healthcare debate. After just a couple of posts in 2010, I stopped blogging for a while, but came back in 2012 when I just couldn’t deal with all of the misinformation circling the wagons out there… especially in Texas.  So once again, I tried to at least counter the lies with some fact-based assessment.

Since then, blogging has become a regular and treasured activity.  From political interviews and election “analysis” to music and cultural events, Texas Leftist has nearly taken on a life of its own.  A new ad-free website (and help from a great, tech-savvy friend) has made posts easier and better than ever before.  Never could I have imagined that this blog would lead to coverage on the Chronicle website, an op-ed via CultureMap, references on Forbes.com and even panel punditry on Houston radio.  Every bit of it still seems unreal.

So have I succeeded in being “a voice for the rest of Texas”?  Not sure, as it seems a very huge task for any singular individual to achieve.  But at least something can be said for adding another unique perspective to the state and national conversation… one that hopefully helps readers along their way.

5 years strong.  Thank you for reading!

Or is it 3??