Alaska… You Crazy! Election Recap
On election night, one state in the nation voted to legalize marijuana, raise the minimum wage, and add an extra level of environmental protection for sensitive ecosystems facing development. It’s largest city also voted to overturn an anti-labor ordinance which was the brain child of a Mayor (running as a Republican for Lt. Governor) who appears to be about to go down in flames to a non-partisan gubernatorial ticket.
That’s like a cool, edgy progressive place to live, right?
What if I told you that this very same state has elected by a comfortable margin, a majority in the legislature who support none of the issues on the ballot propositions that these people just voted to support?
Oh, Alaska.
The Day After by Edvard Munch, 1895
I’ve often stated that Alaska is not as “red” as people think. And I stick with that. If you ask people what they want, you will get progressive answers. If you ask them to go vote for someone, they zombie into the voting booth and fill in the oval next to the candidate with the R next to his/her name. And so we end up with a legislature that is more conservative than the people it’s supposed to represent.
But wait, there’s more.
What if I told you that same state may have just ousted the fifth most powerful Senator in DC who has a seat on the lucrative and influential Appropriations committee, in favor of a Republican carpetbagger who lied about his residency, can’t answer the most basic questions about policy, and wants to take women’s rights back to 1950. And that same state re-elected a cantankerous old coot who (just in his most recent term) called Mexicans “wetbacks,” assaulted a staffer in the Capitol building, and scolded kids whose friend had just committed suicide? Keep it classy Don Young.
Welcome to the wacky, nonsensical world of Alaska politics. Here’s the down and dirty for those wanting to try to make sense of it all.
Senate:
This was the race the country was watching, and which Ted Cruz and Mitt Romney traveled north to tell us would be the decider in whether the Senate turned Republican or not. Well, it would have turned Republican anyway, and now Alaska gets screwed out of seniority, and clout, and having one senator in each party. Thanks Ted and Mittens.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Begich lags by 3.6%, or 8,149 votes. Absentee votes, of which there are about 30,000, still need to be counted before we’ll know for sure. We had to wait for almost a week last time Begich ran to learn he’d really defeated Republican Ted Stevens. Begich has a habit of making everyone bite their nails to the nub in every election he’s ever in. He won a local race in Anchorage by 13 votes once. Will the Alaska comeback kid do it again? We wait.
The Begich campaign came out with a statement after midnight about the remaining ballots.
“From Southeast Alaska to the North Slope, every Alaskan deserves to have their vote counted. Senator Begich is proud to have run the most extensive campaign in rural Alaska’s history and to have stood for the rights of Alaska Natives and rural Alaska. Begich will make a statement on the race after counts arrive from the seventy outstanding villages and when the number of outstanding absentee and questioned ballots is clear.”
Number crunching can be found HERE.
House of Representatives:
I don’t even want to talk about this one. Yes, Don Young won AGAIN – even after making horrible insensitive remarks about suicide and gay animal sex to a room full of high school students who had just been through the suicide of a classmate. And a hundred other things he’s done over the years. Don Young could eat a puppy on live television, dance a naked jig, and give the entire state of Alaska the finger and still get elected. I cannot explain. I just really can’t.
The whole experience did, however, reveal an intelligent, thoughtful, and charismatic Democratic candidate in Forrest Dunbar. And we can hope he will resurface in the political future. His campaign released the following statement Wednesday morning:
“I would like to congratulate Don on being reelected as Alaska’s Congressman in the U.S. House or Representatives,” stated Dunbar, “He closed out the campaign well, and did a good job in his final two debates. I hope that the Don Young of the past two weeks or so is the Don Young Alaska will have representing us in the U.S. House for the next two years: polite, on-point, prepared, even friendly. It’s been a hard-fought and intense campaign for all Alaskans, and I think those of us who can are happy to have a moment to take a deep breath and reflect a little.”
At Election Central on Tuesday night, Dunbar was asked repeatedly if he will run for the Congressional seat again in 2016. While he has not ruled it out, he will not make an announcement in the remainder of 2014.
Governor/Lt. Governor:
This one is another nail-biter, and we still don’t know what the outcome will be. From the first release of numbers on election night, the independent ticket of Walker and Mallott maintained a narrow lead over the Republican incumbent Sean Parnell and his running mate Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan (the other Dan Sullivan). The lead waxed and waned between 5% an 1.1%, finally settling out with a 1.4% 3,165 vote lead for Walker-Mallott.
Absentee ballots will factor heavily in this race, and it could go either way. The Walker Mallott campaign addressed a crowd of about a hundred supporters this morning, saying they were cautiously optimistic.
“Another Alaska election has come down to the wire,” Walker said. “We’ll just have to wait and see what effect absentee and questioned ballots will have on the totals.”
“Byron and I have been thrilled and humbled by the support of so many Alaskans. We cannot begin to adequately thank our wonderful families, and all our campaign workers, volunteers, and supporters. They are dedicated Alaskans, one and all. We vow to continue to do everything we can to put Alaska’s interests first every time. Alaska faces difficult times and tough choices. Regardless of the victor in this election, I hope we’ll all come together as Alaskans to move our state forward.”
And for anyone wondering why Byron Mallott was not at Election Central last night, he actually had a pretty good excuse. His plane out of Juneau was struck by lightning prior to takeoff, and was grounded. You can’t make this stuff up.
Both candidates stated they will carefully watch the election returns in the coming days and weeks and are hopeful that the positive trend in the numbers continues.
Anchorage Prop 1: Keep Anchorage Safe – Repeal Ordinance 37 (NO)
An anti-union ordinance ushered through the Anchorage Assembly in a series of agonizing political strategeries this year by Mayor Dan Sullivan has finally been overturned. The vote was decisive 54-46 opposed to Ordinance 37.
It’s worth noting that if Lt. Gov wannabe, Dan Sullivan, loses – he will no longer be Mayor, nor Lt. Gov, and his shining achievement will have been overturned by the will of the people. Double smack down!
State ballot initiative 2: Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (YES)
Alaska has now legalized marijuana, which will be regulated like alcohol throughout the state. This ballot measure gathered an assortment of very strange bedfellows indeed. The NO campaign was headed by a former Executive Director of the Democratic Party; conservatives called libertarians liberals; progressives called Democrats traitors; and high school kids are cheering despite the fact that it will now be harder for them to obtain pot. The NO side was a modern day reefer madness, and even brought in an expert to blow something up in a mock hash oil explosion. And yet, the measure has passed, and we can now stop wasting time and money arresting Alaskans for something safer than alcohol; bring new jobs to the economy; and move on to other issues.
The measure passed 52-47% and will go into effect 30 days after the election is certified.
State ballot initiative 3: A fair minimum wage (YES)
Alaskans voted 69-31% to raise the minimum wage, following in the steps of Illinois, Arkansas, and Nevada who passed similar initiatives Tuesday. It was the largest victory of any initiative, and will raise the state minimum wage from $7.75 to $8.75 by January 2015, and to $9.75 by January 2016, with an automatic annual cost of living adjustment (either based upon the Anchorage Consumer Price Index or $1 above the federal rate, whichever is higher) built in for future years.
State ballot initiative 4: Save Bristol Bay (YES)
After a vote of 65-35%, there will be an added layer of protection for “certain large scale mines” will be put in place. Now, even if permits are granted, Pebble mine would have to be signed off on by the legislature.
Honorable Mentions: Local Races
A slew of local races were also decided, and the final results of all can be seen HERE, but here are observations of note on some of those races.
SENATE A – Pete Kelly, the guy who wants to put pregnancy tests in bar bathrooms to curb fetal alcohol syndrome and says that birth control is for people who “want to act irresponsibly” got re-elected with 61% of the vote.
SENATE F – Bill Stoltze, “the Naked Baker,” killer of the film incentive program, denier of meals for poor children, got promoted from the House to the Senate with 75% of the vote.
SENATE K – The awesome and amazing Clare Ross went down to defeat against incumbent Mia Costello 57-43%. Clare had campaigned for the House Seat formerly held by Lindsay Holmes (D–>R) and did so for a full year before being asked to make way for Matt Claman to run that race. She got the short end of the stick, but proved to be a vivacious and tenacious campaigner with a lot to offer. We hope we see her again.
HOUSE 3 – Fairbanks junkyard owner, and would-be abolisher of food regulations Tammie Wilson coasted to victory with 78%.
HOUSE 7 – Republican incumbent Lynn Gattis held her seat from a challenge by former Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright. I once sat on a porch with Verne Rupright and drank too much. I found him inexplicably charming, despite his quote of the night, “F*** the wolves. Kill ’em all!”
HOUSE 9 – This was an interesting 3-way race between semi-moderate Republican Jim Colver, Constitution Party candidate Pam Goode, and Democrat Mabel Wimmer. Tea Party Republicans, Libertarians, and Constitution Party candidates were hopeful of a Goode upset, but she came away with a respectable but insufficient 29% of the vote to Colver’s 57% and Wimmer’s 13%. I got a little grammatical twitch saying to myself, “It’s ‘Vote Well!'” every time I read her advertisements to “Vote Goode.” Maybe next time she can use, “Vote Well, Vote Goode.” I’ll just throw that out there as a free bit of consulting work.
HOUSE 10 – Wes Keller, who held up a statement from the legislature honoring the Girl Scouts’ 100th birthday because he read something on the internets about how they secretly promote baby killing, won his seat back with 61%.
HOUSE 15 – Democrats were really hopeful about picking up this East Anchorage seat from Gabrielle LeDoux. They had a strong candidate in Laurie Hummel, who ended up with 47% to LeDoux’s 53%. We hope to see Hummel again.
HOUSE 19 – Incumbent Democrat Geran Tarr held her seat 62-36 against the winner of the weirdest sign award. Cean Stevens’ purple banners featuring mountain silhouettes, a full moon, and herself gazing into the middle distance with a vapid smile and long flowing blonde tresses looked more like an ad for some kind of wiccan chakra crystal healing therapy than a political sign.
HOUSE 21 – This is the race that should have been Clare Ross’s to win. As it stands Matt Claman is ahead of conservative Anand Dubey in a district that went overwhelmingly for Obama – by only 35 votes.
HOUSE 22 – I cannot believe that Liz Vazquez actually is going to hold political office. I remember the last time she ran. I watched her performance at the Tea Party debate and thought to myself – she’s even too over the edge for THEM! She lost that race, but undaunted returned, and now she will be in Juneau. Wow. This will be interesting.
JUDGES –
All were retained.
So, there you have it. We won’t know several races until the absentee ballots are counted. Until then we’ll have pins and needles and a vague sense of dissatisfaction. In other words, business as usual.
After the recovery from this cycle, all eyes will turn to Lisa Murkowski, Senate Republican who is up for re-election in 2016. Buckle up folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Well now, things are looking interesting. Time to dust off the keyboard! I’ve never supported legal eagle Palin appointed Parnell then again who the heck supports someone who was appointed? Insanity! I certainly hope Walker pulls this off. Alaska’s fisheries need common sense management.
Bryce Wagner (above) being wingnuts and inbred are synonomous terms.
It does not matter in the Gov. race either way we are still getting a republican/conservative Govenor. Walker or Parnell it is the same thing. One of them was just better at fooling Alaska Democrats.
Governors aside, we will not have Mayor Dan running our elections if Byron Mallott is Lt. Gov.
Ah- are Alaskan Democrats fooled? Or are they taking a chance the unity ticket meant what it said and are prepared, as I am, to hold em to it all?
Hmmm?
I shook Mr Walker’s hand and told him I was a a Dem through and through ( I’ve hung with the Ds when they just torch my shorts with their horsepunky weinie mewling and the like- sometimes, I’ve only stayed to get even with Andrew Jackson’s ghost) and if I voted for him I was keeping both eyes open for any straying from stated missions.
Don’t insult me Anonimous. Nor my D neighbors.
Two antlers up, Pi.
http://www.juanitajean.com/2014/11/07/oh-please-dear-lord-just-one-more-favor/
Anybody heard Mydamn Sinator-elect koch sucker laugh?
This piece byDavid Atkins explains a good bit, I think – another look at why Republican voters are blind to the reality that’s gonna bite them right along with the rest of us, and continue to vote their prejudices:
Angry people are angry. They have a right to be. And they’re going to get angrier.
And why not? The country is broken, and everyone who isn’t already wealthy knows it. Wages are stagnant; millennials are a lost generation with high student loan debt and unaffordable housing; the rich just keep getting richer; entire industries are disappearing, work hours are getting longer with lower pay, and life is generally less stable than it used to be. And it seems like absolutely nothing is going to change any of that, no matter who gets into office.
If you’re liberal you’re inclined to blame the plutocrats for that, and you would be right. If you’re of a more conservative bent, you’ll probably blame immigrants or government regulation or godlessness. And then there’s a very confused sliver of the electorate that blames all of the above and bounces back and forth between which side they want to punish more, exacerbating the now familiar midterm and presidential turnout seesaw.
As things get worse, the hostility of Americans toward each other and the political process itself is only going to increase. Conservatives don’t want to live near liberals or let their children marry them. Liberals feel the same way, as well they should. It’s getting to the point culturally where you can almost just look at a random person on the street and guess their political ideology simply by demography and the way they dress and carry themselves, and sense the palpable discomfort as members of the opposite team pass each other on the street.
Compromise isn’t going to fix any of this. People say they want compromise because in their personal lives compromise is how normal people solve problems. But compromise isn’t the goal–it’s a means to an end. What people want is problems to get solved. If stuffed shirt Democrats aren’t fixing things, maybe the nice smiling folksy pro-business lady will get in there and do something.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2014/11/conservative-nonsense-political-history
Rilly interesting read on whitey wingnuts perceptions of reality for the past 30 years.
Yep. But none of that matters to Republicans true believers with vulcanized brains.
Paul Krugman states it precisely:
“America’s right wing knows what it knows, and never looks at evidence or admits mistakes.”
Tok numbers– Mark Begich- 120 Ohio Dan- 284 Mark Fish L- 21 Ted Gianoutsos-14
Walker/Mallot 159 Care/Lee 13 Meyers/Rensel 14 Parnell/sullivan 248
Forrest Dunbar- 95 Jim McDermott L- 43 Don Young- 296
Ballot Measure 2- Marijuana Act— Yes 238 No–189
Ballot Measure 3- Increase Minimum Wage– Yes- 306 No-134
Ballot Measure 4- Protect Bristol Bay- Yes-263 No- 164
Tok…there you have it. Must be frustrating for the 95-120 sane ones who live there.
MP..For us “sane ones” It is a bit frustrating. Jeanne’s picture of THE DAY AFTER pretty much summed it up, except I would have to replace the bottles on the table with a vaporizer. .
I am jazzed, though knowing the 3 ballot measures passed. , and waiting for the “final” outcome in regards to Mark Begich and Walker/Mallot.
You are definitely not speaking for all of us in Alaska. So don’ t write this as if you are!
Um. This is an opinion piece on a left-leaning blog. So… 🙂
If this is an opinion piece, which i understand it is, then you should also understand that just because the author is a flaming liberal doesn’t mean that flaming conservatives cant have an opinion as well.
Or, is this only open to like minded thinkers? Is this that site where liberals all go to agree with each other, pat each others backs, and poop all over conservatives?
Personally, I like to go to sites that don’t all agree with me, so I can have discussions with people of the opposite political spectrum, and have a little bit of fun. Its quite boring to sit around with a bunch of others who think like me, high fiving as we slam those unable to defend themselves, as they were not invited to the party.
As for the comments on the election itself, I find the blogger who wrote this to be a bit sour. What did they expect? Contrary to what you all try to convince yourselves at these “bash a conserve” parties, Alaska is definitely a RED state, and your preconceived notions of what red means is really quite stereotypical, bigoted, and a bit offensive. As a person who is fiscally red, and socially blue, (a libertarian) I can assure you that we are not all religious fanatics. I grew up in the ’70’s, and was here during the last time pot was legal. I was ashamed when the out of staters chose to vote MJ illegal in the late 80’s/early 90’s. I grew up when pot was no big deal in AK. It was not a problem, and only became a problem when it was re-criminalized. But, I’m a conservative, so I cant be pro -pot…..can i? My religious beliefs say i cant….at least that is what liberals tell each other when we are not there to set the record straight. And, for the record, I am not a christian either.
Above, there is a comment by Mo says: In it he has printed a very offensive blog from some dude named David Atkins, which proves my whole point. This moron (Atkins) has no idea what he is talking about, yet, there are quite a few on your team that will just assume that for some reason, this uber-liberal, can somehow understand the minds of those he hates. I can assure you, Atkins is far off base.
Would it not be better to understand the realities of those that you and your team perceive as the enemy? Would it not be better to honestly know what they are thinking, rather than just slamming them, and then assuming the slam is also reality?
I will admit there probably are a few right wingers out there that think that way, just as there are also a few left wingers out there that think child molesting is OK because its about sexual freedom, and besides, Muslims do it, and they are the darlings of the left. (yeah, its really offensive that people will just listen to some stupid blogger who spouts crap, isnt it)
Anyway, just thought i’d pass on that not everyone reading this blog is agreeing with it. Or the comments, and perhaps, not all of the comments are based in reality. Although, I do agree with the pot thing, the minimum wage, (although, its still pretty low compared to other states that do not have the super high cost of living Alaska has), and I dont know enough about the Anchorage ordinance 37 to give an opinion. As far as Pebble is concerned, I am both for and against that one…..jury is still out. For me……
Oh, and having had personal dealings with Begich, and do not think very highly of him, I’m ok with him losing, but not necessarily good with Sullivan as the other choice. To me, Begich has the little man syndrome, and has been riding on his fathers coat tails all his life. The fact that he was 100% party lines says to me that he is nothing special, and can be replaced with little or no loss. Having lost the majority in the senate, his seniority would mean little of nothing come the new session. Time for Marky to get out from under his dad’s reputation, get a real job, and prove he can actually do something on his own for once. Little Banty Rooster wanna be!
Oh Pfffftttt!
What a loada horsepunky.
Who cares that you “thought (you would) pass on that not everyone reading this blog is agreeing with it” ?
Well- duh.
You have rather missed the point that the “Carol” commenter rather missed the point her/itself as to what was being said here.
Or did you just skip on by that part of this convo just to slip in and snark at the blog owner? Hmmm?
I didn’t think anyone here was completely enamored of Begich. He voted too many times with the enemy on important issues,but at least he is and always was an Alaskan citizen,not a carpetbagger recruited by Karl Rove to try to steal a seat for wingnuts.
Mayhaps you should lurk some more and see how things really are here. Ms Jeanne gives due credit to wingnuts when they ever do the right thing for all of Alaskans. You are likely welcome to converse,but Jeanne’s rules are the law. Brush up on them.
northy slopey abouty to losey his jobey so he is pissey…
I love, love, love how conservatives magically think “all of us” means them, and only them.
You know, the “real” Americans.
They really bought that “silent majority” line. The oligarchs are no doubt still chortling about how easy it was slip that one over. Lesson learned: there is no lie so rancid a conservative catfish won’t swallow it.
Oh Carol hon- mmm, mmm, mm
Take a deep breath and look around you.
If you can’t see how silly we are in this state, all of us, and the way votes shake out so often, you need to make an eye appointment tout suite!!
And if you continue to take your dour lil self so/too seriously you’ll pop, dear. where in the world in this opinion piece do you see Ms Devon “speaking FOR all of us”?
‘Cepting maybe to poke fun AT all of us? Which isn’t really the same thing…
WELL SAID…!!
Heh – rmuse at PoliticusUSA came up with a phrase that immediately called to mine Carol’s post above, and, I think, describes the Alaskan voters who do not find themselves validated by this blog’s opinions:
If any of the racists, religious right, and discontented morons who voted for Republicans…
bucha kan’t fix stupid docha no..knot hurd to be dum dum rethuglican
As ugly as Tuesday was for ‘murrica,there is still heavenly beauty to be seen. There is an absolutely,perfectly round,perfectly huge and perfectly yellow Harvest Moon gracing iowa’s early evening skies right at this very minute. My humblest wish is for all my friends from the Mudflats to experience this magic moment,as I have.
🙂 🙂 🙂
MFI It was a magical moment. Thanks for looking up and noticing and passing this on.
Beauty,in its many forms,soothes this savage beasty the way music used to before my hearing went South. Glad you liked it. 🙂
I saw that too.. One of the special moments …
Initiative 2 is actually going into effect 90 days after the election is certified, not 30 (unfortunately).
Not like anyone will wait until then to start doing anything they’re not already doing, if you know what I mean and I think you do.
Great job recapping! Most voting adults in Alaska are from somewhere else. They come here for a variety of reasons. They often stay because you can live pretty much where and how you want to.
A young friend told me once that after growing up here and now having lived around the world, he reflected that he had never been hassled about being gay while here in Alaska. He was surprised that we are still a red state.
There’s a saying here that to locate any place use the next bar or church on the corner (we have a ton of them). Lots of folks left behind rules when they settled here but still vote as their church from back home tells them to. Leave them alone outside of that arena and they leave you alone as well, but voting is a whole different story. Glad we are progressing…someday we’ll elect candidates who will follow the measures we vote for.
And, this is how I became interested in Alaskan politics from thousands of miles away.
This and a Alcan road trip from Chicago in 2001 (pleading request of our only child, an adventurous teen-aged boy in his junior year of high school). Took about a month round-trip, worth it. We’ve visited each state except Hawaii, and seven Canadian provinces.
Thanks AKM for your blog!
Well, it is a LONG drive to Hawaii. With very few gas stations.
Hijack a bus and leave the driving,gas,food,etc to the bus line.
Electric car with solar panels… night driving might be a problem… 🙂
🙂 My pleasure!
I dream of a state where candidates are elected based on their achievements and vision for Alaska, rather than their political affiliation. Sen. Begich represented us well; I am sorry that he is a victim of a vicious machine. I have lost any and all respect for Murkowski in her plea for a better partner for Alaska. She wants only what’s good for her ( chair of energy ). All D’s need to remember this in 2016.
give one example of how Begich represented us well…if you say obamacare, thats why he lost! 0 legislation for alaska from Begich in 6 years.
Rural post offices, F16s at Eielson, coming out for fisherman instead of foreign mining companies… you know, stuff like that.
yep
facilitated/arranged for IHS monies due Native Health entities for a way too long time to be disbursed as they should have been.
pushed the VA from hell to breakfast- lying sacks o spuds Rs be damned-
http://www.factcheck.org/2014/06/twisting-begichs-response-to-va-scandal/
worked dang hard on a decent update to the MSA, created the Safe Villages Act- which deals with Alaska’s peculiar set of issues with alaska Natives and sovereignty and the like quite nicely, worked hard on any number of other policy issues with Alaska’s wellbeing in mind.
you, dear bryce a. , are myopic and full a hooey.
Senator Begich did a damn fine job for this state and the nation. That some of his better work hasn’t passed into law yet is at the feet of foot dragger, melodramatic meglomaniacs like Ted Cruz- not Mr Begich.
So Pffffttt!!!! and Fie! on your foolishness.
And yes, all of this and more. Anyone with a problem in Alaska can pick up the phone and get some help on important issues in Alaska…like keeping rivers healthy, and fair treatment from Customs, and much, much more.
Better yet, why don’t you provide examples of how Begich did not represent Alaska well as compared to Murkowski or Young. And be sure to include the impacts of those examples on Alaskans.
D’s should have figured this out in 2010.
yeah she’s not her daddy for sure…just a ghost in a suit…
Who were the Einsteins that thought it would be a good idea to dump Clare for a multiple loser like Matt Claman? They are part of the problem, they need to go.
The people have spoken and if your a Dem im so sorry for your loss . The reason why people voted the way they did is because of obama and how he force is agenda on the people .lets see what the rep can do with the house and the senate. In two years if they cant get it done the im sure American will re elect a dem as president . Thus the cycle . So tired of politicians!
I’d love to remind whitey wingnut they’ll rue the day wingnuts were given control of both houses of obstructionism,but ww doesn’t have a conscience so when ‘murrica goes down the tubes,again,it will be the black guy in the White’s Only House that will be blamed.
The People Have Spoken:
We want dirty air.
We want genetically modified fish.
Privatize our social security.
Take our health insurance away.
Send our jobs overseas.
Give the corporations and wealthy more tax breaks.
Stop giving us benefits for our tax dollars.
More war.
Don’t tell us what’s in our food.
Yes to even higher health care costs.
More pollution so corporations can make more profits.
Equal rights for folks like me.
Equal pay for guys.
Equal economic opportunity for folks of my political and religious persuasion.
Quality education for the privileged.
Suppress our vote.
Take our land, our water, our subsistence rights, and our sovereignty.
Prisons over education.
We don’t need no stinkin’ science or healthy planet.
Well said!
Hash oil explosion?
Iowa had a bad night, too, at least from the viewpoint of a progressive.
iowa-sux right enough.
.
Iowa leapt off a cliff into deep, murky waters.
So sorry Alaska!!
I’ll hand this one off to The Rude Pundit:
1. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2014 midterms in a single anecdote: Last week, as he’s mentioned, the Rude Pundit convinced the Rude Brother to vote for the Democrat, Mary Landrieu, in the Louisiana Senate race. The Rude Brother has long been Republican, but he is also for raising taxes on the wealthy, doesn’t care about gay marriage, thinks abortion should be safe and legal, and agrees that humans contribute to climate change, among other beliefs. By just about any measure of politics, the Rude Brother is moderate-left, a Democrat. When the conversation ended, RB had said he would vote for Landrieu. Cut to Election Day morning. The Rude Pundit received a text from RB: “And, in the end, the kid couldn’t pull the trigger for Mary.” A little later, he got another message: “It felt dirty voting for Landrieu.” RB went with Bill Cassidy, the Republican, who believes the opposite of everything RB believes in. In fact, Bill Cassidy will try to take health insurance away from our Rude Sister and her family. RB had said he has no problems with Obamacare. Well, he does now.
There you have election 2014. A voter goes into the booth believing the world should be a certain way and then pushes the buttons for the candidates who will do everything they can to stop the world from being that way.
The bottom line is this: People like Democratic ideas. They don’t like Democrats. That’s all. You can blame many things: useless consultants, failure to defend Obama’s policies, failure by Obama to demonstrate how he has done good things for the vast majority of Americans, shitty DNC leadership, the Republicans ginning up fear in the last couple of weeks, failure to inspire young people and non-whites to get to the polls, on and on. But the Rude Pundit just gets back to what the Rude Brother said, that “it felt dirty” to vote for a Democrat. How do you overcome that?
Love the “it felt dirty” response. I have a similar feeling about republican candidates, despite the fact there are some I like and some positions I agree with. Voting republican wouldn’t feel dirty, it would feel unethical and morally reprehensible.
it would feel unethical and morally reprehensible
Which shows your conscience-o-meter is still in good working condition, as it is, in fact, immoral to be a Republican nowadays.
That is not a conscience-o-meter. That is a cricket. Jiminy H. Cricket, to be precise.
Cordova numbers:
Begich 375 Walker/Mallott 393
Sullivan 276 Parnell/Sullivan 258
Dunbar 462 Pot Ballot 2 Yea 445 Nay 250 Min Wage Ballot 3 Yea 576 Nay 128
Young 220
Ballot Measure 4-Pebble Mine and ilk Yea 490 Nay 190
Love it that Cordova supported the one they knew best the most. Southeast is now a big blue pocket in a red state. Supported Begich and Dunbar!!!