The GOP, handily in charge for now, ignores the future at its own peril

Not long ago I had the eye-opening opportunity to hear a presentation here in Austin from Robert P. Jones, the CEO of the Washington-based Public Religion Research Institute and author of a 2016 book about something about which we’re all familiar.

Yes, it’s hard to offer something eye-opening about something about which we’re all familiar. But Jones, in words and numbers, makes a compelling in-person case to support the title of his book, “The End of White Christian America.”

The stats and trends are undeniable. America is changing. It might become better. It might become worse. But it is becoming different.

“For most of our nation’s history, White Christian America (WCA) set the tone for our national policy and shaped American ideals,” says the publisher’s blurb about Jones’ book. “But especially since the 1990s, WCA has steadily lost influence, following declines within both its mainline and evangelical branches. Today, America is no longer demographically or culturally a majority white Christian nation.”

It adds up, we’re told, to the reality that “the descendants of WCA will lack the political power they once had to set the terms of the nation’s debate over values and morals and to determine election outcomes.”

Inevitable, but that oncoming reality has yet to take hold in Texas politics for several reasons, including GOP-led redistricting and low Hispanic turnout at the polls.

All of this comes to mind as we near the end of the legislative session on Monday. Some of the most pitched battles — abortion, transgender bathrooms, etc. — have been over “values” issues. The Republicans always win, including an odd effort Tuesday in the House that gutted a Democratic-sponsored animal cruelty bill to make a largely symbolic point about abortion.

One of the sadder things about the Texas Legislature is that it’s color-coded. If you see a non-Hispanic white legislator,