Last night, Ohioans soundly turned back an assault on worker's rights, defeating Issue 2 with 61% of the vote, and repealing the anti-labor SB 5. And they did it with a broad coalition, which points to a total reversal of the voting bloc that brought Governor John Kasich to power in 2010. It could have long-lasting implications for 2012 and beyond.
Guy Molyneux of Hart Research did polling last night for the AFL-CIO on Issue 2. And he released some eye-popping numbers on a conference call. Independents favored No on 2 by a 57-43 margin. This group voted for John Kasich in 2010, according to exit polls, by a 59-41 margin, a reversal of 32 points. And the numbers were even starker among working-class white voters. They went No on 2 with 61% of the vote, the same share as the overall electorate. In 2010, that group voted 57-43 for Kasich, a 36-point difference. White working class voters only give Kasich a 41% approval rating. Overall, 66% of Ohioans favor collective bargaining.
That is a sea change in electoral politics in the course of just one year. Labor took over 90% of Democrats and 30% of Republicans in their broad coalition, along with 57% of independents.
This should be a object lesson for local Democrats who have been rejecting their base in Colorado.
Ohio should be a very clear reminder of that very recent history for elected Democrats who have gotten elected on base Democratic principles - yet forgotten them once sworn in to office.
First, he didn't come out of the starting block with a compromise pleasing to the entrenched extremist Republican minority obstructing a tax increase (unlike a certain President we know) (ref. John Hickenlooper). He made a definite proposal and he stuck to it. When the Tea Party gurus tried to change the subject and make unions the issue, not taxes, Brown refused to fall for the Shock Capitalist feignt and stuck by the unions. He didn't flinch or apologize for his support of higher taxes, even suggesting - mirabile dictu - that the GOP's zombielike anti-tax dogma showed their bad faith and lack of concern for Californians (ref. Bennet and Udall). They squealed like stuck pigs with lipstick on (don't apologize Obama) and looked foolish.
What else could the supremely intelligent Brown teach our timid Senators?
Second, Brown talked directly to the people of California, not just the obstreperous and incoherent Republican commandants. Again, unlike a certain President. Over and over again, he took his message to YouTube (you got to love that), as well as highschool gyms and union halls. For a septuagenarian he made a certain young president look like a geezer. Again the GOP squealed, and most people here saw the Republicans for what they are: ideological bullies who act like South Park's Cartman when somebody stands up to them.
There are more lessons for local (D)'s that can be learned from Jerry Brown. Sure, Mike Rosen would make fun of them and him, but is there an issue that he wouldn't -- no matter the source?
No, and that's the primary lesson our Senators, our Governor, and our unemployed Representatives can learn from a successful Democratic Leader.
Hick got a pass on his pro-corporate, anti-citizen stance the first time out. What does he say about the latest extraction methods of his former associates as they further degrade the environment in the search of that last ounce of fossil fuels sitting under Colorado's landscape?
Botton line: he took to the insider DC game like a duck to water and was lucky enough to run against a schizophrenic Republican Tea Party to actually win a full-term as one of our state's most prominent civil servants.
The new Congress has now been at work for two months, and that distressing dynamic is now in play in Washington (do we reallllllly deserve what we vote for?), which leads me to this question:
ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper hosts a very special roundtable discussion with exclusive appearances by Governor Jan Brewer, R-Ariz., Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., Gov. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Gov. Nikki Haley, R-SC, to discuss the federal and state budget crises and constituent responses to the shortages.
Bless his soul, Deval Patrick is a true Democrat. But I'm guessing Hick will be hard to distinguish between the Tea Party/Republican governors in the discussion:
I'm sure he won't talk TABOR, it's destructive legacy and how even an economic boom won't be able to fix the damage it has done to our state budget or the fact that businesses keep pushing for more tax breaks.
Those things are obvious. What I am afraid of is Hick will be another in a long line of Colorado Democratic Leaders (I almost put "Democrat" cuz I'm so tired of their wimpiness) that would be ashamed to run as Republicans yet can't find the principle to stand up for truly democratic - and Democratic! values - even as those who live and represent those values knock on the door and stare them in the face.
So the latest talking point about Governor Hickenlooper's horrible budget proposal is that "he got the conversation going" and "even he knows TABOR is bad". Almost every other caller to Mario's show on the subject contains those points, yet none of those callers have picked up on the obvious point that Mario keeps making: the Governor has shown no leadership on the issue, is doing no heavy lifting and has done few of the things he could unilaterally do to help the situation.
The biggest problem in this is that Hick won't even address the virulence of TABOR, when "everyone" knows it's a problem. Well, everyone knows this but the Governor.
But guess what? Even Colorado businesses, whom Hick is trying to tepidly placate, know it's a problem:
Colorado Business and Community Leaders View TABOR as Deeply Flawed
A wide range of Coloradans -- business leaders, higher education officials, children's advocates, legislators of both parties, and Former Governor Bill Owens (R), among others -- recognize that TABOR has limited the state's ability to fund critical services:
"Coloradans were told in 1992 . . . that [TABOR] guaranteed them a right to vote on any and all tax increases. . . . What the public didn't realize was that it would contain the strictest tax and spending limitation of any state in the country, and long-term would hobble us economically." -- Tom Clark, Executive Vice President, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
I can't find the link now, but Colorado businesses went so far as to write a letter in opposition to TABOR to a state that was considering its passage. (I think it was Maine.)
So: Everyone "knows" TABOR is bad. Everyone says Hickenlooper "knows" this. And everyone "knows" Hickenlooper just wanted to start a budget conversation by dumping on Colorado's schools and students.
So how come Hick doesn't know what business knows in Colorado: that we need to eliminate TABOR and start fairly* taxing the rich to put our entire house, not just business, in order for the next generation of Coloradans.
Senator Michael Bennet certainly knows how to play the P.R. game.
His first success at this was his blatantly false statement that he was willing to lose his job over the Public Option. Of course, at the time he most likely knew that Barack Obama had taken the Public Option off the table and he would never face such a choice. But he sure did let everyone know about his bold statement. He even fooled little ol' me in that insidious lie.
A few times on this blog I've spoken about assumptions that are passed off to the public in media communications so as to present and propagate values in a way that is unquestioned. Derrick Jensen says all writers are propagandists and the press release regarding John Salazar's appointment is no different.
Here's what I think: I think you'd think like me if you really thought about it.
Theory of the "Undervote": by not voting for the either GOP candidate in the primary, a message should be conveyed to the victorious campaign: If you cannot get more votes than the local offices, you will not be able to get enough votes to beat Hick! Please step aside and allow a candidate to step in who can win in... November, check your ego at the door. Please invite as many of your contacts to "like" this page.
There have been three updates on the wall since the groups creation on July 24th. One update links to this Denver Post piece The Audacity of Tancredo which was not penned by Denver Post writer Chuck Plunkett who is a one of the 39 members so far in the group.
The group was created by Ross Kaminski from Rossputin.
They say all politics is local (well Tip O'Neil said that) so I thought I would take this post to talk about the governors race here is the great state of Colorado. For those of you who don't live in the Centennial State we have a mildly interesting state of affairs. Our Democratic Governor decided this winter that he would not run for a second term. Colorado has term limits so this would have been his final term in any case but the polling did not look good for Gov. Ritter so he decided that he would not contest the election.
In one way this is good thing. He had made several decisions that had alienated him from his base; failing to side with unionized grocery workers; the nearly inexplicable appointment of political novice Michael Bennet to the United States Senate; these kinds of things were going to make for tough sledding in a state where you must carry your base if you have a prayer of living in the Governors Mansion.
(editor's note: I screwed this up, it's not a new site, it's an updated site. Still, let's vote for the non-stigmatized logo, mmkay?)
It's been about four months since he announced so this is a GREAT site: Hickenlooperforcolorado.
There is a contest to choose between the two logos. Click on the image to submit your suggestion. I really, really, really hope you don't pick "Hick for gov". I believe that one should only go on beer coasters under Budweiser. Let's let the Republicans make the racist connotations this time around, okey?
McInnis paid nearly $84,000 for a fundraising event to Arena Communications of Salt Lake City; $33,400 to Notion One, a Denver computer and consulting firm; $30,000 to political consultant Michael Hess; $24,300 to Barbara Card, a political consultant; $20,000 to Shamrock Consulting in Littleton; more than $20,000 to two Virginia consulting firms; and $14,452 to his campaign finance director, Jessica Bogar (editor's note: Jessica should change her last name to Bogart).
Hickenlooper has been a skin-flint by comparison.
His biggest expenses so far were for nearly $90,000 to a Maryland company for mail services and $13,450 to On-Sight Public Affairs in Denver.
"Finally some governor stood up and said 'We are stopping the retreat. No more retreat. Federal government if you are not going to do it, we are going to do it'... because [illegal immigration] has impacts to all the parties involved in the state of Arizona... By the way, if a person has a driver's license or a government I.D., there is a presumption of citizenship. That is not the issue. The issue is that government refuses to acknowledge that illegal means illegal."
Enterprise Zones now have a $250,000.00 cap on their tax credit for the next two years but they'll get it all back. I caught a bit of the debate about it yesterday and Representative BJ Nikkel said "I can't believe we're still fighting for Colorado businesses. This is not something we should be doing." Of course I'm taking that out of context but it's still funny.
John Hickenlooper, Denver's current mayor and candidate for Colorado's 2010 Governor race, is continuing his bid to show Coloradans who can worship the most at the feet of the business community: himself or Con candidate Scott McInnis. Coloradans are looking for a choice, Mayor. If you try to paint yourself as Republican-lite, Coloradans will choose the true Republican.
What has raised my ire today? Another Denver Post article detailing the mayor's words at a Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday. According to the mayor, Colorado is now known as an anti-business state, Ritter sided with "overboard" environmentalists and raising taxes in a recession is "crazy".
At this point, Hick is going to have to work very, very hard to secure my vote this November. I don't want a person with a "D" after their name in the Governor's mansion governing like he wants to be a Con.
