In what should come as no surprise (again) to any fence sitting or left leaning person in the US, Conservatives won big (again) in off-year elections because of poor voter turnout (again) especially among Democrat supporters (again). It seems we’re too addicted to the sh!t show produced by the GOP and right wing extremists in this country to actually get up off our sofas and do something (again). This is not unlike our fascination with “Reality” TV. Except unlike “reality” TV, these election results will continue us on the path toward becoming the ultimate laughing stock in the civilized world. (No, I do not think we’re there… yet).
Kentucky has a new Republican governor-elect, Matt Bevin, who has promised to continue futile, costly, and wasteful efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and ‘defend’ Kim Davis. If there’s one thing Republicans love to do (other than wasting money, making shit facts up, being unnecessarily invasive in our personal lives, hating women, hating science, and hating, it’s beating dead horses, usually ones that have been dead for (42) years. OH! And one of his “top” priorities is turning Kentucky into a “Right” to Work state. Huzzah!
Mississippi’s Governor Phil Bryant won reelection and the state’s House increased its Republican majority by 6 seats, to 73 total. I know, you were hoping along with me that MS would become the new bastion of liberalism. Maybe next time.
Ohio shot down marijuana legalization by a 2-1 margin. Good thing too. We don’t want to go legalizing anything that has the potential to impair our judgement if we consume it.
Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance failed:
In the months that followed, those who opposed the law — including a group of pastors who brought the legal action and prompted the referendum, as well as one All-Star Houston Astros baseball player, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) and others — insisted in commercials, on television and in newspaper stories that allowing transgender women (individuals born male who identify as women) would leave women and girls suddenly vulnerable to attacks by crafty and now legally enabled sexual predators.
They told Houston voters that male sexual predators disguised as women (or as one ad put it, “troubled men”) would find it easy to waltz right into a women’s restroom to target victims. They said Houston voters who supported “freedom” and “safety” simply had to vote against HERO.
This picture from the Houston Chronicle really epitomizes not only the opposition to the anti-discrimination law but, I feel, the Republican party in general: Old, white, male, and bigoted.
San Francisco’s sheriff was ousted.
Virginia’s State Senate remains red.
It’s not all bad news though:
Maine voters passed additional campaign finance reforms that strengthen an already existing transparency in election funding law. (Maine’s political candidates are able to opt-in to the clean campaign system, garnering them public funds for their races and barring them from raising private donations.) It adds new levels of transparency, reporting, creates harsher penalties for violating the law. It puts new, higher caps on the amounts to be allocated:
Under the new formula, gubernatorial candidates will be able to receive a maximum of $3.2 million, Senate candidates $65,000 and House candidates, $16,500.
However, the law does not specify the source of the public campaign funds. Even with that caveat, Delaware might find a system like that useful. The country might find it useful, too.
New Jersey increased its Democrat majority in the state assembly in a slap to Chris Christie’s face.
Salt Lake City elected Utah’s first openly gay mayor and the city’s second female chief executive.
And what I think is the most interesting result from yesterday:
Jefferson County, Colorado recalled 3 “conservative” big-business and charter school loving school board members. Not even Americans for Koch Prosperity could save these three.
Williams, Witt and Newkirk sought to inject competition and business principles into the management of Colorado’s second-largest school district. They passed a merit-pay system for teachers that uses a controversial evaluation system; they equalized funding for public charter schools, so charters receive the same amount as traditional schools; and they pledged to create more school choice for families.
Activists behind the recall effort alleged that the three board members violated open-meeting laws, spent lavishly on legal expenses and hired a new superintendent at a salary significantly higher than his more experienced predecessor. They also said the conservative majority was to blame for higher-than-usual teacher turnover.
That sounds…familiar.
Of note, all 5 seats on the board were up for election. The other two were vacated by the incumbents.