Special Edition: Election Wrap-Up

Yesterday was something like a mini-dress rehearsal for the momentous elections coming up in 364 days, the first Tuesday of November, 2012, in which voters will pick between a mainstream conservative and a right-wing extremist for president-- and have the opportunity to elect progressives in both chambers or switch party dominance of both or either house. Yesterday wasn't that dramatic. But it was dramatic. Especially in Ohio.

Although the biggest election in the state was to pick a mayor for Columbus-- incumbent Michael Coleman (D) was reelected over Republican Earl Smith 72-28%-- the real action was a statewide ballot measure-- much hated Governor John Kasich's anti-union Issue 2. Despite massive amounts of money spent by billionaire fascists David and Charles Koch and their front groups and allies, the measure was soundly defeated 62-38%. More votes were cast yesterday to defeat #issue2 than were cast to elect Kasich governor last year. Even staunchly Republican Butler Co., the north Cinci suburbs that keep reelecting Boehner, turned on Kasich and gave the No on 2 a healthy 58-42% margin. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was pretty jubilant:

One message rang loud and clear tonight in Ohio and across the country: those who spend their time scapegoating workers and pushing a partisan agenda will only strengthen the resolve of working people. From the very beginning, it’s been clear that Gov. Kasich, and indeed many politicians, were pushing an agenda that was about politics, not about solving our nation’s problems or creating jobs.

Today’s defeat of Issue 2 is a major victory for working families in Ohio and across the country. Ohio’s working people successfully fought back against lies pushed by shadowy multi-national corporations and their anonymous front groups that attempted to scapegoat public service employees and everyone they serve by assaulting collective bargaining rights. And it’s a great day for common sense, as Ohioans from all backgrounds and political parties rejected the crazy notion that the 99 percent-- nurses, bridge inspectors, firefighters, and social workers-- caused the economic collapse, rather than Wall Street.

Politicians in Ohio and across the country should finally understand that working people will fight hard to ensure the survival of the middle class, and politicians who fight battles for the richest 1% will find their radical efforts stopped by the voices of working people.

Let's hope Obama's campaign and the idiots at the DCCC and DSCC draw the right conclusions. The massive victory in Ohio last night wasn't a Democratic Party victory; it was a democratic 99% victory. If the Democratic Party wants to be part of that, it isn't too late for most of them... I don't think. If they think the enthusiasm for voting yesterday had anything to do with embracing their corrupt, conflicted and pathetic party, they're likely to be as disappointed next year as they were last year. People hate the Democrats; they just hate them less than the Republicans. Both parties are basically contemptible, with unbelievably bad leadership. The whole country would be better off if the parties' leaders were all put on trial for corruption and... dealt with appropriately.

The other two important ballot measures yesterday were in Maine-- to restore same day voter registration that the GOP abolished-- and Mississippi's insane Initiative 26, the so-called "personhood" law that defines a sperm and an egg as a legal human being from the moment of fertilization. Both the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor endorsed the controversial and clearly unconstitutional Personhood thing but it lost anyway (58-42%), extremism getting smacked with a rolled up newspaper across the snout even in backward, ignorant, superstitious Mississippi. In Maine, despite big last-minute spending by teabag Gov. Paul LePage supporters (as well as the crazy, inflammatory attacks that are always associated with right-wing extremism), same day voters registration was restored 60-40%.

Constitutional officers were elected in Kentucky and Mississippi. There were no blue to red or red to blue changes in Kentucky-- Democrats for Governor (56% for Steve Beshear), Attorney General (55% for Jack Conway), Auditor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer and the Republican was elected Agriculture Commissioner. Mississippi was the mirror image of what happened in Kentucky. Republicans won all the statewide races except that the incumbent Attorney General was reelected.

Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia also had state legislative races. It's irrelevant to discuss Mississippi because there's no Democratic party just an out-and-out fascist GOP and a nearly as bad entity that calls itself a Democratic Party. Going into the day, the Republicans controlled the state Senate 27-25 and the so-called Democrats controlled the House 68-54. The Republicans won more than enough "Democratic" seats in the House to now be in control of the whole government-- Executive mansion, Senate and House. It doesn't matter. The state is getting exactly what they think they want.

Democrats controlled both houses of the New Jersey legislature-- the Senate 24-16 and the Assembly 47-33. The Democrats increased their hold slightly, despite a major effort-- ignored-- by Chris Christie. The loud-mouthed fat man lost an "Assembly seat, as a Democratic candidate from Gloucester Township, Gabriela Mosquera, won an open contest for a seat previously held by a Republican, in a district that was redrawn to exclude the incumbent’s home."

Virginia, which will be key for Obama next year, went badly. The Democrats lost their bare 22-18 seat control of the state Senate and the Republicans retained their control of the House. A very radical right GOP now has complete control over the state government and will likely make immediate moves against democratic institutions, particularly voting rights. This was really the worst news of the night.

In Wisconsin, Democrats fought to hold onto the La Crosse Assembly seat now that Jen Shilling has been elected to the state Senate. And they did-- by a much better margin than anyone had dared hope for. Democrat Jill Billings beat reactionary Republican Dave Dewes better than two to one-- 5,938 to 2,247.

The race we've been talking about the most, though, was a special election to fill the open seat in Iowa's 18th senatorial district. Democrat Liz Mathis beat Republican Cindy Golding, 55.8-43.5%, saving the Senate-- and the entire Iowa state government-- from right-wing extremist domination. The large margin of victory was in great part due to the incredible work Progressive Kick did on absentee ballots. 50.4% came in from Democrats and 27.2% came in from Republicans. In the end, though Mathis won just about everywhere, Iowans having contemplated what happens when Republicans get complete control on any government.


Arizona fascist buffoon Russell Pearce, the embarrassing state Senate president, was recalled and replaced by a more mainstream Republican Jerry Lewis. Lewis beat the detested Pearce 53-45% despite having been outspent by Pearce 3-1. And that wasn't the only good news in Arizona. For the first time in a generation, there will be Democratic mayors in both Phoenix and Tucson, respectively Greg Stanton and Jonathan Rothschild.

In New York, Erie County Executive Chris Collins (R) was defeated in his reelection bid by Democrat Mark Poloncarz, 53-47%, a big and unexpected shakeup for the GOP. And at the extreme other end of the state Suffolk County elected Democrat Steve Bellone over Republican Angie Carpenter (57-43%), also a surprise outcome. And in Michigan, anti-education and anti-gay wingnut state Rep. Paul Scott (R), a Michelle Rhee protege (she wasted $200,000 trying to prop him up) was recalled, largely by the efforts of angry school teachers and parents.

The last race of the night saw Suzanne Bonamici, the worst of the three Democrats running to replace David Wu, win her party's nomination. She'll be facing perennial candidate and right-wing crackpot Rob Cornilles in January for the remainder of Wu's term.