Knowing what you know about the current political climate in the U.S., how much have we changed in the last 18 years?

I don't think Texas has changed a lot. Texas remains conservative, Republican and stuck in the years of George Bush Sr. and Jr. Much of the American South seems intrenched in the illusions of apple pie, the maverick individual and church for everybody. In this sense America has not changed. Still, America has one of the most thoughtful presidents in its history so perhaps there is hope.