(Post)Election Day Round-up

..you're correct... (4.00 / 2)

VAs dem candidate was a well prepared as ours was last year.  

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by: IndyJeff @ Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 12:35:58 PM CST

It didn't help... (4.00 / 1)

...that he ran as a ConservaDem either.  

"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority."  --Benjamin Franklin

Yes, even Democratic authority.

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by: Daily Activist @ Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 13:31:53 PM CST

[ Parent ]

It didn't hurt him either (4.00 / 1)

what hurt was the lackluster campaign he ran that lacked a coherent message or anything resembling focus.  

Otherwise I must have missed Jim Webb's hippie phase.

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by: Hank Scorpio @ Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 20:24:47 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The Republicans turned out the same... (0.00 / 0)

...percentage of their voters as the did in the 2008 election.  Democrats did not.  This is a base problem.  Part of Deeds "lackluster campaign" is that he ran away from progressive issues.  The base had no reason to support him financially, volunteer for him or, ultimately, vote for him.  

Webb, though I am not as big a fan of as some, ran at least partially on ending the Iraq war which is certainly a progressive issue.  And, last I heard, Webb supports a public option.  Deed's did not.  

# NOT PROGRESSIVE ON CLIMATE: By the end of his campaign, Deeds was running ads attacking Obama's clean energy agenda, saying Obama's "cap and trade bill" would "hurt the people of Virginia." Other ads carried the same message: "Creigh Deeds says no to any new energy taxes from Washington." Instead of disputing his Republican opponent's false attacks on climate legislation, Deeds amplified them. Deeds chose to run away from his past record on environment and climate issues.  [...]

# NOT PROGRESSIVE ON HEALTH CARE: During the final gubernatorial debate, Deeds stressed that health reform must "reduce costs so more people can afford insurance" and "increase coverage," but argued that creating the option of a public health care plan "isn't required." "I don't think the public option is necessary in any plan...I would certainly consider opting out if that were available to Virginia," he said. [...]

# NOT PROGRESSIVE ON LABOR ISSUES: "When I'm governor, you won't just have a friend in Richmond - you'll have a partner," Deeds told union supporters in October, 2008. However, despite support from SEIU and the Teamsters, Deeds then proceeded to campaign on an anti-labor platform. He opposed the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) - which would have created a fairer path toward unionization for workers - saying it would "put us at a competitive disadvantage" and reasserting the false right-wing claim that EFCA would eliminate the secret ballot in union elections.  [...]

# NOT PROGRESSIVE ON IMMIGRATION REFORM: More than one in ten Virginians are immigrants. The Immigration Policy Center also points out that Latinos comprised 2.0% (or 74,000) of Virginia voters in the 2008 elections - enough to make a difference in a tight race. Creigh Deeds might regret repeatedly voting in favor of legislation that would hurt a large and growing part of his constituency.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/...

What have the exit polls told us thus far? One fifth of voters were under the age of 30 last year. This year? Just 10% of the electorate. Nearly a third of the Virginia electorate were minority voters last year. This year? 20%.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo...

"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority."  --Benjamin Franklin

Yes, even Democratic authority.

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by: Daily Activist @ Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 22:32:22 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Nobody (0.00 / 0)

will ever think of Jim Webb as a progressive, even when he agrees with them.  The same can be said of Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, and Chuck Robb; notice a trend?  Even Wilder is known as a staunch advocate of the death penalty.  

Of course Think Progress and Daily Kos are going to blame his loss on not being progressive enough; when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.  No matter the outcome of that race the only lens they were going to see it through was how progressive he was.

Which leads to the assertion that the base didn't turnout because he wasn't progressive enough.  First, I think the above list would show that you can win in Virgina without meeting your, or anyone else's, progressive litmus test.  The base turned out just fine for Kaine, who was trailing for most of 2005.  Second, people base their votes on things other then the label a candidate uses; the reality is there are thousands of Hoosiers who voted Obama/Daniels, I doubt they worried about the political schizophrenia that represented.  20% of the voters in Virgina yesterday who voted for the Republican had voted for Obama last year; I doubt they saw McDonnell as the "true" progressive in the race.  Finally, McDonnell was a candidate who had won statewide office before, and the truth is ran a well organized campaign; as opposed to Deeds who seems to have hired most of Jill's team.

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by: Hank Scorpio @ Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 23:06:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I didn't say Webb was a progressive... (0.00 / 0)

...but he has supported progressive causes, thus giving the base reason to support his campaign.  Here's another example of a progressive issue Webb supports:

   

America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace. Its irregularities and inequities cut against the notion that we are a society founded on fundamental fairness. Our failure to address this problem has caused the nation's prisons to burst their seams with massive overcrowding, even as our neighborhoods have become more dangerous. We are wasting billions of dollars and diminishing millions of lives.

   We need to fix the system. Doing so will require a major nationwide recalculation of who goes to prison and for how long and of how we address the long-term consequences of incarceration.

http://webb.senate.gov/email/c...

First, I think the above list would show that you can win in Virgina without meeting your, or anyone else's, progressive litmus test.

How does it show you can win without running on progressive issues?  Deeds lost.  He tried to run to the middle, tried to be Republican lite and he lost - BIG.  

I don't expect any candidate to agree with me on every issue.  Heck, I could get excited about a candidate who strongly supports one of the four issues I quoted from Think Progress.  The point was that on just about every issue of importance to the base of the Democratic party, Deeds ran away from it.  

Tim Kaine on Health Care Reform:

Tim Kaine as Governor on Health Care Reform:

Health Reform Commission
Created by Governor Kaine in July 2006, the Health Reform Commission is charged with improving access to competent, affordable healthcare for all Virginians. More specifically, the commission works to identify and implement national best practices at the state level with an emphasis on access, quality, and safety of care; the commission will also address long-term care and affordability.

http://www.governor.virginia.g...

Senator Warner on Health Care Reform:

On several occasions, Warner argued that if you like Medicare, then you like nationalized health care.

Senator Warner of Abortion:

...abortion should be "safe, legal, and rare,"

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2...

Chuck Robb hasn't been in office since 2000.  Bit hard to find quotes on issues of current import, but here are a few:

   *  Voted NO on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000)
   * Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
   * Voted NO on disallowing overseas military abortions. (May 1999)

# Voted YES on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
# Voted YES on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women. (Mar 1998)
# Voted NO on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)
# Voted NO on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
# Voted YES on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)
# Voted NO on Amendment to prohibit flag burning. (Dec 1995)
# Voted NO on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)

# Voted YES on including prescription drugs under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
# Voted NO on limiting self-employment health deduction. (Jul 1999)

# Voted YES on allowing more foreign workers into the U.S. for farm work. (Jul 1998)
# Voted YES on visas for skilled workers. (May 1998)

Voted NO on killing an increase in the minimum wage. (Nov 1999)

http://www.ontheissues.org/sen...

To me, you seem to be arguing that issues don't matter, only organization does.  I don't disagree that Deeds had a poorly organized campaign.  My difference with you is that his stance on the issues played a role in that.

"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority."  --Benjamin Franklin

Yes, even Democratic authority.

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by: Daily Activist @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 10:56:26 AM CST

[ Parent ]

20% (0.00 / 0)

20% of McDonnell voters voted for Obama last year.  They didn't stay home, they didn't vote for a write in; they chose a guy who in no way can be called "progressive".  That a big lump of voters who didn't give a whit about who was progressive; and they probably didn't care last year either.  Deeds lost because he couldn't sell what he had to offer, be that socialist, progressive, moderate, or conservative; the voters of Virginia weren't buying.  His running to the left wasn't going to fix that; and in a state where successful Democrats are viewed as moderate (health care reform isn't owned by progressives) it would have likely been counter productive.  But what really mattered is whatever he is, he was incapable of interesting the people of Virginia in it.

Successful Democrats, strike that, successful politicians win more on their ability to sell their vision then on the specific category their vision falls under.  Mitch Daniels' vision is a wretched repugnant elitism that has only made Indiana better for his friends, at the cost of poor Hoosiers; but he can sell the hell out of it, Jill was right about a lot of things, and couldn't give it away.  Deeds could have been your idea of a perfect ideological candidate and I guarantee you he would have gotten beaten like a narc at a biker rally because he couldn't sell it.

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by: Hank Scorpio @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 22:32:26 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Independents (4.00 / 1)

20% of McDonnell voters voted for Obama last year.  They didn't stay home, they didn't vote for a write in; they chose a guy who in no way can be called "progressive".

Those 20% are likely swing voters/independents, not base Democrats.  Some of those may have been uninspired by Deeds lack of campaign skills.  Some may have simply decided that, given a choice between Republican-lite and real Republican, they might as well vote for the real deal.

Deeds lost by 17 points.  I'm not guaranteeing he would have won had he promoted progressive causes, but I would bet on the idea that the race would have been much closer.  

"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority."  --Benjamin Franklin

Yes, even Democratic authority.

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by: Daily Activist @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 22:46:12 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Something else I found... (4.00 / 1)

...exit polls show that the electorate which turned out in Virginia supported McCain in last year's election 51-43

"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority."  --Benjamin Franklin

Yes, even Democratic authority.

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by: Daily Activist @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 22:56:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Something else I found... (4.00 / 1)

Sorry about the double (triple?) post.  I hit the preview button instead of quote and then his the post button without thinking.  

...exit polls show that the electorate which turned out in Virginia supported McCain in last year's election 51-43...

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com...

So, it is clear that voters who voted for Obama last year, just didn't show up this year.  Maybe because Deeds ran away from the progressive issues Obama ran on.

"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority."  --Benjamin Franklin

Yes, even Democratic authority.

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by: Daily Activist @ Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 23:00:31 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Maine was heartbreaking to me. (4.00 / 1)

I stayed up until the race was called and then I went to sleep and had dreams about it.  Woke up depressed.  Don't like the world much today.

"It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority."  --Benjamin Franklin

Yes, even Democratic authority.

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by: Daily Activist @ Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 13:35:32 PM CST

NY-23 (4.00 / 1)

I don't think the governor's races mean much except as a reflection on the individuals involved.

Owens' victory in NY-23 is different.  There, the Radical Right tossed victory in Owens' lap.  From what I read, Owens was not that great of a campaigner, but with the teabaggers determined to purge the Republican Party of anyone with a different mind-set, they handed a district to the Demos that had been Republican for 120 years.  

Lesson, and a big one, one I keep having to remind myself of... it is not the left or the right which wins elections in most places, it is the center.  Republicans ceded the center in NY-23 and lost.  

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by: FishersDemo @ Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 13:50:53 PM CST

A lesson to be learned (4.00 / 3)

I hope the Dem organization both  nationally and in the states realizes that we cannot run subpar candidates who are ethically challenged and still win.  Many Dems voted with their feet and stayed home.  We must give our voters candidates and reasons to come to the polls.

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by: Howard C. @ Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 20:25:49 PM CST