Personally, I had a good day. Minnesota had no Senate race, and all the state-wide candidates I voted for won (pending outcome of the governorship). I helped the winners in most of the local races, only missing out on one of the Special School District choices (out of 2) and Soil and Water Commissioner District 2. For the latter, I mainly went withNaomi Kritzer's analysis, though I did check up on them on my own. I voted for the Charter Amendment, which passed.
more under the fold
Yes, I'm pissed at the racist nutjobs who can't add and subtract, and the conservative news media that just let them lie and get away with it. And yes, I'm pissed at another strong Democratic series of legislative victories with yet another wimpy campaign where they didn't push how good they did.
But having lived through the Bush administration, which was a horrible combination of incompetence, pride in incompetence, pure evil, pride in being pure evil and corruption on a scale unmatched since the Reagan days, the 2010 results are merely disgusting.
Nationally, I made 2 predictions, 1 1/2 of which came true. My major prediction was that the Democratic Party would wind up with greater majorities in the House and Senate than the Republicans had after the 2002 election. I was more than right about the Senate (51 in 2003; 52 in 2011 with two pending races of which the Dem candidate is likely to win in WA), and dead wrong about the House.
However, my secondary prediction about the House races was dead on: Most (a bit under half) of the Democrats who lost were Blue Dog conservative Dems. As I said in 1994, when voters have a choice between Republicans and Republicans, they'll vote for the Republican.
More importantly, that makes the Progressive caucus the largest bloc of Democrats in the House. What you saw Republicans do in the last two years is what the Democrats will have to do in the next. For all the victory shouting by the racist nutjobs, the goppie margin in 2011 will be less than the Dem margin in 2009 (239/256). Not good news for the country, as we'll see asinine, tax-payer-dollar-wasting investigation after investigation.
But the precedent set by George W. will be used by Obama: Executive Orders and signing statements. The radicals will whine, but, as Jon Stewart says, "Don't they know we have videotape?"
Speaking of Jon Stewart: Count me as one of the people who hoped that the Rally To Restore Sanity would be a rah rah GOTV effort. Instead, it was a clunky but occasionally brilliant post-partisan piece of comedy and reflection. Much like Obama's attempt at a post-partisan style, I admire the attempt more than the results. What would have happened if Stewart were a bit more rah rah? Impossible to say.
I hope Democrats have learned their lesson: the radical right will never compromise, and they will never allow reality to get in the way of their corporate-driven agenda. The Democratic Party needs to come out swinging, armed with the facts and righteous indignation. Somehow, I don't think they will, but I'm ever the optimist.
I hope Republicans have learned their lesson: Association with racist nutjobs helps win elections but consigns you to hell. Somehow, I don't think they will, but I'm ever the optimist.
The Democratic Party took a very long time to kick out its racist nutjobs, but has held the moral high ground ever since Nixon's "Southern Strategy" and Reagan's catering to the moral relativist "Social Conservatives" who have done nothing but expand the federal government, drastically increase the Federal Debt, make the government more intrusive into your personal life, deny global warming and other facts in front of their eyes, and in general bear false witness at every turn.
Well, enough for now. Time to catch up on The Daily Show episodes missed while watching divers other things. (Watched Forbidden Planet on Tuesday, until the polls in MN closed...)
Originally published in Impressions, my LiveJournal, and has been slightly edited for DKos.