In Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, two Democrats won positions on the county commission, giving the blue party control for the first time in 140 years. It was just one more highlight of an impressive night for the left. Maine restored election-day registration; Ohio overturned Gov. Kasich’s anti-collective bargaining bill; Mississippi rejected an extreme anti-choice ballot initiative; the author of the Arizona anti-immigration bill was recalled; Democrats swept offices in Connecticut; a Democratic governor won reelection in Kentucky; the Democrats held control of the Senate in Iowa; and they successfully recalled a Republican state representative in Michigan.
New Jersey saw some excellent results, too, with Morris County Republicans expressing “great dismay” at the poll results, and Brick Township throwing the Republicans out.
Gov. Chris Christie’s pull didn’t reach down to the local level in Brick Township, where the GOP incumbents — who featured Christie’s endorsement of them on their campaign fliers — were swept out of office.
Much of the race had centered on opposition to the policies of Mayor Stephen Acropolis, a Republican.
The election flips control of the township council to Democrats, who had no seats on the seven-member panel last year.
The only black mark was in Virginia where Republicans made gains in the House of Delegates and may have won functional control of the Senate.
What happened in your local area?
VA is a black mark because that represented a tremendous failure of the party in VA. The party shot themselves in the foot big time, and will be set back there at least 10 years.
Do you see how you seized on the one piece of bad news there?
Just like this morning’s Washington Post. From the placement of stories (VA GOP gains in upper right of A1, Ohio & everything good for the Democrats on the inside).
In fairness, the VA elections are a local story for the Post.
Do you know what happened in VA? Did you know that the Democrats in VA, in redistricting, gave up hope of control of the House of Delegates(state version of the US House) for what seemed like control of the state Senate? And do you know what happened last night? Democrats in VA lost control of the State Senate!! Talk about incompetent!! You can call me Negative Nancy all you want, I am just giving you straight talk. If you can’t see that it while it was a good night for Democrats, it wasn’t great, I don’t know what to tell you.
Do YOU know that other things happened in the United States yesterday, that are of equal or greater significance?
Perhaps you didn’t hear about them, over your cries of DOOM DOOM DOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!
“Straight talk,” Mr. McCain, isn’t carefully selected to only highlight those developments that advance a preexisting narrative one works day in and day out to push.
Well, I’m a pretty happy Ohioan, as the majority of votes against Issue Two reversed Kasich’s noxious bill halting collective bargaining. There was no way they could dress up that nasty piece of business, and the voters saw through their attempts to make it look good.
We seated a couple of good guys for local positions and laughed in the face of one candidate who should never have put a toe in the water of politics. It’s all good, for now.
Lowell’s Cambodian community finally flexed its muscles, electing Vesna Nuon to the City Council.
Interesting that Ohio soundly rejected issue 2 – a victory for labor – but also soundly approved issue 3 – the anti-Obama health care mandate measure.
I suggest that this is yet another data point that the biggest problem with Obama’s team has been on communication/messaging. 2 years after the fact people still don’t get what the health care law is about, and so are overly influenced by the non-stop anti- sentiment from the right. But the Democratic grass roots did a great job getting the word out about issue 2, easily trumping the right wing fear tactics on that issue.
For all the talk about what a great campaign team Obama/Axelrod et al were in 2008, they’ve really, really sucked while in office. Maybe it was relatively easy for them to win in 2008 given the heavily anti-GOP lean that year plus the fact that they could talk in generalities as non-incumbent campaigners. Certainly being able to talk in generalities allowed them to gain support from people on both sides of many issues.
But “talking in generalities” doesn’t explain it all. Why was it that the “tax cut for 95% of Americans” was well heard in 2008 but forgotten by 75% of America – although it was a key part of the stimulus act – by November, 2010?
I don’t know the answer, but I’m both encouraged that given good messaging people will vote Democrat, and discouraged that Obama’s team continues to fail miserably in communicating to America what the hell it is they are actually doing. And no, please don’t give me links to his speeches and say that he is communicating. Communication is measured by whether people hear and internalize the message – they aren’t doing that – so it’s a communication failure, period.
For all the talk about what a great campaign team Obama/Axelrod et al were in 2008, they’ve really, really sucked while in office.
They’ve actually been governing while in office. As opposed to running a permanent campaign. I recall that we didn’t like that practice very much when the Bush White House did it.
Maybe it was relatively easy for them to win in 2008 given the heavily anti-GOP lean that year plus the fact that they could talk in generalities as non-incumbent campaigners. Certainly being able to talk in generalities allowed them to gain support from people on both sides of many issues.
That doesn’t explain beating Hillary Clinton, one of the most incredible political achievements in decades.
Communication is measured by whether people hear and internalize the message
You don’t think people have internalized the White House’s message about the jobs bill and the Republicans’ obstruction? Okay.
You don’t think people have internalized the White House’s message about the jobs bill and the Republicans’ obstruction? Okay.
Because the President has been out selling that!!!!! And about the permanent campaign thing. Given the Citizens United decision, that has now become the reality if you want to get anything done. It means adapting to reality!! When did the President sell the stimulus/tax cuts? He didn’t. Not like he is doing now.
Because the President has been out selling that!!!!!
Thank you for backing up my point about the White House’s skill at communications. They went into campaign mode around Labor Day, and they’ve been very effective at communicating their message.
Given the Citizens United decision, that has now become the reality if you want to get anything done.
There is literally no one who actually researches politics who thinks that messaging in the middle of Congressional and Presidential terms “gets anything done.” Messaging works in influencing elections; it isn’t going to make Senators flip their votes. Please don’t lecture other people about reality, when you are speaking from your gut.
Frank Luntz (the messaging guru for the GOP) has a saying: it’s not what the politician says; it’s what the voters hear.
By that measure the Obama administration has except for a few shining moments.
What has benefited Obama is that what voters are experiencing versus what they hear from Republicans has cost Republicans their credibility. You can’t campaign on protecting Medicare and out of the shoot try to destroy collective bargaining in historically active union states. Most of those public employees have spouses who are either public employees or private employees. The number of people affected by Kasich’s action was much larger than the count of public union members.
I didn’t understand this. Is there a word missing? Maybe “failed”? Maybe “succeeded”?
They’ve actually been governing while in office. As opposed to running a permanent campaign. I recall that we didn’t like that practice very much when the Bush White House did it.
You know, I didn’t say “campaigning”. I said “communicating”.
Do you equate “communicating” with “campaigning”? Understandable mistake, I suppose. However, whether we are talking governing, leadership, or management, the single most important topic is communication. Not just my opinion – that’s basically a universal tenant.
Obama’s team has done a poor job of communicating on pretty much everything. What was in health care reform? Most people still don’t know. What was the stimulus about? How many people are aware that half of it was tax cuts – or that cash-for-clunkers was a tiny piece? Very few – in fact, far too many non-wingnuts bought into the wingnut theme that the stimulus was mostly cash for undeserving brothas of Obama’s in the ghetto.
Yes, Obama’s team has done better on the fight on the jobs bill for the past two months. And yes, that probably is because they have started the campaign. But Obama (and the Democrats in general) have to learn that communication is key to their success for all 4 years – not just the last year.
And I’d LOVE to see them fighting the fight on more than just a DOA jobs bill. Forget about the campaign symbolism – we could use some real communication on protecting abortion rights, on countering the “the 2008 crash was all Barney Frank’s fault for forcing banks to make home loans to lazy niggers and spics”, on the push for austerity, on fighting for worker’s rights to organize, etc.
And no, please don’t give me links to his speeches and say that he is communicating. Communication is measured by whether people hear and internalize the message – they aren’t doing that – so it’s a communication failure, period.
It doesn’t help when you hire a guy as CoS who then goes on TV and shoots your message in the foot, or was already shooting your message in the foot before he was even hired.
Everything I marked on my ballot won. Now, don’t get into choices.
It’s been interesting watching the Republican reaction to last night. As usual, they just seem to think that their messaging was a bit off and the public wasn’t rejecting the underlying policies. One wonders if they will moderate at all going in 2012 (yeah, right) or double down. Electorally, I hope and expect the latter.
Of course they’ll double down. Then it’ll be like 2006 and 2008, I hope.
When you look at the long game, doubling down hasn’t really hurt them yet. If they lose several elections in a row, then perhaps they’ll reconsider.
Well, doubling down has certainly hurt them in the long game in the future-sense (see, e.g., their standing with Latinos, young people, etc.). In the past they’ve certainly gotten some short-term benefits from veering hard towards the right, primarily in the form of lower tax levels. Maybe welfare reform on some level.
But it’s hard to point to anything real, lasting, permanent that the conservative movement of the past 30 years has achieved. Certainly nothing on the level of the New Deal or the Great Society. Abortion is still legal in this country, albeit more restricted around the margins. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the EPA, NEA all still exist. What has all this extremism gotten them, really, other than a polarized country and a shitty economy? If they’d been a little more moderate, they might have had a real shot at some of their goals over the longer term. It’s probably too late now.
Obviously I’m just talking domestically here. The incalculable damage they’ve caused to thousands lives due to their various foreign policy disasters can never be erased.
I am in Va Beaverdam district
repubs ran unopposed
Had no one to vote for
My results are pending a recount with Edd Houck. I don’t think it’ll be good, but you never know — look at Al Franken (and Al Gore).
I hate my state party, though. They’re beyond useless. I don’t know why they aren’t teaming up with OFA at all. I didn’t get one call from Houck’s office to ask me to volunteer. I think he dropped the ball and expected to skate to re-election like he always does. He usually wins 55-60% of the vote.
And yet I am deemed Negative Nancy for pointing out what you just did.
That’s because comments like this are not all she ever has to say.
He*.
Also, I live here, and Edd Houck has been my state Senator since forever.
Beg pardon.
I must have mixed you up with someone else.
Ed Houck ran again Obama. Ran against ACA. I don’t see how you run against your own team, but he did.
And the state party in VA, I agree, is useless. This was the first time in a very long time that I had no one to vote for. They didn’t even run candidates against the Republicans in Midlothian: Steve Martin was unopposed, School board candidates were unopposed and others. It was a damn shame, and I blame the State Party.
Yep. My local House race? It was between a far-right Republican, and an Austrian/libertarian. I wrote in my name, but if I thought the Austrian had a chance I may have voted for him. He said he wouldn’t cut education or pensions…so that was enough for me.
Indiana was a mixed bag in city elections. The Dems lost the race for Indy mayor, but flipped the city council to their side, so Ballard, the “Accidental Mayor” now has a hostile council to face. Statewide, Dems lost their mayoral majority, formerly 68(D) 48(R) 3(I). The dust hasn’t settled yet, but its looking like the Rs have it at 61(R) 54(D) 2(I).
I’m really proud of the neighbors in Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan, though.
Something else very positive happened in Massachusetts politics yesterday: the state legislature drew a new Congressional map and managed not to utterly and completely fuck it up. Not an independent commission, either – the actual, backslapping club of Tommies and Bobbies and Sals managed to produce a sensible, responsible, neat map that actually increased competitiveness and produce reasonable districts.
I can’t believe it. The last time they did this, the Speaker of the House ended up going to prison.
Prison. Massachusetts is still more advanced than Illinois. Our Speakers only belong in prison. I think we lead the nation in Governors in prison, however.
In Bucks County PA, The rethugs basically swept every race. From County Commishioners, Judges, and even the county coroner.
Ugh!! So what did MontCo(Where Tweety’s brother used to be county commissioner) do that Bucks and Chester Counties can replicate?
My sister (D) won a city council seat in a R-leaning city of suburban Columbus, OH. She won by 11 points!
Congrats and good luck to your sister from this old county level pol;-)
We didn’t have an election yesterday because there was nothing to vote on this time.
But I enjoyed watching the news from other states. Seems the middle and working classes are tired of being pissed on. They’re fired up.
That is pretty big. MontCo just happens to be the old ancestral home for me, and it really has been that Republican. My dad has lunch once a week with a group of people I grew up with. One of whom, a full-blooded GOPer from my high school class, thinks Bruce Castor to be a real crud. “He even cheats at golf,” he says.