Several elections around the country were held yesterday, and the news was pretty awful for the GOP in two races in particular, signaling trouble ahead for Republicans in 2024. In the heart of GOP territory—in Jacksonville, Florida—the Democratic mayoral candidate, Donna Deegan, defeated the Republican contender by four points—even though he had outspent her four to one.
Although certainly not a major metropolis by any stretch, Lincoln, NE, Capitol of deeply red Nebraska, re-elected its Democrat mayor a few weeks ago. Her opponent ran a divisive campaign, touting the current MAGA line, and lost. Lincoln has always been a bit more left leaning because the University is there, but still a nice little blue dot in a sea of red.
Independent voters (thinkers from all persuasions/ parties) are core to protecting democracy. Before Trump, I would vote for who I believed was the best candidate, regardless of party. Now, I only vote Democratic. It was very weird, in fact, to check the "party line" box on my ballot after 35 years of voting "best person."
More good news I live in a small, very conservative city south of Portland - Canby OR. There was an election yesterday for 3 positions on the school board; 2 were incumbents and one new. All 3 of these people ran together as one block. I called them the Unholy Trinity as they are the book banners and are trying to force their brand of Christianity on the rest of us. Well, preliminary election results are in (not the final ones) but it appears that all 3 got crushed. Even in a small conservative community such as this the people stood up and said "NO". I can't stop smiling. The 3 who won these positions are still conservative (compared to me) but much more moderate, inclusive and open minded.
With all the draconian laws being passed recently in FL, I was wondering if the moderate’s and fair minded Republicans in the state were finally going to say “enough is enough.”
A ray of hope. Especially from Florida. Thank you to the citizens of Jacksonville and Colorado Springs.
As Jay said, those that have understandably been demoralized by the christofascists taking over their states, please take this as the hopeful sign it is. Vote Blue. Every. Single. Time. The rest of the country thanks you.
One thing about this that pisses me off is the lackluster turnout by Democrats in FL. I don't care how uninspired or disheartened they feel. This time in our history is an all hands on deck moment. Time to get off their asses and vote. Seriously, it's not that hard. Instead of them bitching on social media, they need to do that one small thing, at least. We lucked out down there, but we cannot count on that to get us through 24 unscathed. We must run the table in every state. Democrats who don't vote should just switch to the Republican party because that's who they're helping.
Ah, tipping points- you love to see it. The sadistically superimposed facies of the GOP are slipping...
I went through my teenaged and post-college years in Colorado Springs- back then (when dinosaurs walked the earth) we saw the genesis of Poke Us In The Fanny, and the rise of some militias, but that was also balanced by a thriving artist community and progressive-minded folks. We watched it morph further into a bastion of extremism. So thrilled with the result of the mayoral contest!
Colorado Springs is my home town. I had to move because the growth there, and in the state at large, is astronomical and the cost of living is one of the highest in the country. The chokehold the GOP has had on this city has been awful despite being surrounded by Blue Denver and, even closer, quirky Manitou Springs. So tight...that to this DAY, recreational marijuana has not been approved for within the city limits...losing 10's of millions in additional tax revenue for the city. This made absolutely no sense to me. It's a GREAT DAY!!
One further truth that you cannot count on being right about everything (see below) that you done THOUGHT you was right about! I merely DROVE through Colorado Springs once. Outside of the charming, old city, I saw so many identical-looking houses. Piles of look-a-likes. I think they are called "subdivisions." I thought: These must be very dehumanized persons and the worst place I could ever think of living! Now I feel like: Well, maybe I was wrong about it? As Chuck Berry pointed out, you never can tell. Many military residents, as I recall (?). "And in traditionally conservative Colorado Springs, Colorado, a political newcomer and immigrant from West Africa, Yemi Mobolade, who ran as an unaffiliated candidate, trounced the GOP challenger to become that city’s new mayor elect."
The Springs and El Paso County have always been redder than red, until a few years ago. This was the home base of Bill Armstrong, who knocked off Sen. Floyd Haskell in 1978 (I still have my People for Haskell campaign button) and helped cement GOP control of the legislature until the early 2000's. Growing up and being a member of the Colorado Democratic Party executive committee, we passed on many elections as we knew we couldn't win down there. Currently, the GOP in the city and county are mired in a civil war, with traditional conservatives fighting for control with the MAGAts (the latter now controls the county party).
The Dems have made inroads in El Paso County, with 3 of 9 state representatives and 1 of 5 state senators being Dems, and 3 of those 4 being POC. This was unheard of 25 years ago.
The Springs also has become a dumping ground for has-been rethuglican statewide candidates. The outgoing mayor, John Suthers, was AG, but couldn't ween himself off the public trough and ran for Mayor. The GOP candidate this year was Wayne Williams, the former secretary of state who lost reelection in 2018. His wife is a county Commissioner. People are waking up all over Colorado. While I don't see El Paso County turning blue, it will become a lighter shade of red in the near future.
Although certainly not a major metropolis by any stretch, Lincoln, NE, Capitol of deeply red Nebraska, re-elected its Democrat mayor a few weeks ago. Her opponent ran a divisive campaign, touting the current MAGA line, and lost. Lincoln has always been a bit more left leaning because the University is there, but still a nice little blue dot in a sea of red.
Independent voters (thinkers from all persuasions/ parties) are core to protecting democracy. Before Trump, I would vote for who I believed was the best candidate, regardless of party. Now, I only vote Democratic. It was very weird, in fact, to check the "party line" box on my ballot after 35 years of voting "best person."
More good news I live in a small, very conservative city south of Portland - Canby OR. There was an election yesterday for 3 positions on the school board; 2 were incumbents and one new. All 3 of these people ran together as one block. I called them the Unholy Trinity as they are the book banners and are trying to force their brand of Christianity on the rest of us. Well, preliminary election results are in (not the final ones) but it appears that all 3 got crushed. Even in a small conservative community such as this the people stood up and said "NO". I can't stop smiling. The 3 who won these positions are still conservative (compared to me) but much more moderate, inclusive and open minded.
And wins in PA!
With all the draconian laws being passed recently in FL, I was wondering if the moderate’s and fair minded Republicans in the state were finally going to say “enough is enough.”
A ray of hope. Especially from Florida. Thank you to the citizens of Jacksonville and Colorado Springs.
As Jay said, those that have understandably been demoralized by the christofascists taking over their states, please take this as the hopeful sign it is. Vote Blue. Every. Single. Time. The rest of the country thanks you.
Tester and Brown both have really high approval ratings in their states. Assuming we hold their seats, replace Sinema with Gallego, and maybe unseat Cruz, we hold our majority. Mike Lux published a really hopeful memo about this last week--it's very, very worth the read. https://www.mikeluxmedia.com/single-post/memo-democrats-could-win-a-trifecta-in-2024?utm_campaign=7f8eefc0-4d64-41b3-809a-37bab8c02dea&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=db578fb8-fde0-4033-9d8f-c102e69b05fb
One thing about this that pisses me off is the lackluster turnout by Democrats in FL. I don't care how uninspired or disheartened they feel. This time in our history is an all hands on deck moment. Time to get off their asses and vote. Seriously, it's not that hard. Instead of them bitching on social media, they need to do that one small thing, at least. We lucked out down there, but we cannot count on that to get us through 24 unscathed. We must run the table in every state. Democrats who don't vote should just switch to the Republican party because that's who they're helping.
Good !
& I will smile again when Trump is a registered sex offender in Palm Beach County
Cheers to this news! And here’s hoping the extremists “extreme” themselves out of office before they can pass laws to embed themselves there forever.
Ah, tipping points- you love to see it. The sadistically superimposed facies of the GOP are slipping...
I went through my teenaged and post-college years in Colorado Springs- back then (when dinosaurs walked the earth) we saw the genesis of Poke Us In The Fanny, and the rise of some militias, but that was also balanced by a thriving artist community and progressive-minded folks. We watched it morph further into a bastion of extremism. So thrilled with the result of the mayoral contest!
Colorado Springs is my home town. I had to move because the growth there, and in the state at large, is astronomical and the cost of living is one of the highest in the country. The chokehold the GOP has had on this city has been awful despite being surrounded by Blue Denver and, even closer, quirky Manitou Springs. So tight...that to this DAY, recreational marijuana has not been approved for within the city limits...losing 10's of millions in additional tax revenue for the city. This made absolutely no sense to me. It's a GREAT DAY!!
What's to not love in this post??? Great news all around and raising my hopes for a positive Joe Biden/Dem 2024!
One further truth that you cannot count on being right about everything (see below) that you done THOUGHT you was right about! I merely DROVE through Colorado Springs once. Outside of the charming, old city, I saw so many identical-looking houses. Piles of look-a-likes. I think they are called "subdivisions." I thought: These must be very dehumanized persons and the worst place I could ever think of living! Now I feel like: Well, maybe I was wrong about it? As Chuck Berry pointed out, you never can tell. Many military residents, as I recall (?). "And in traditionally conservative Colorado Springs, Colorado, a political newcomer and immigrant from West Africa, Yemi Mobolade, who ran as an unaffiliated candidate, trounced the GOP challenger to become that city’s new mayor elect."
Good news expertly summarized Jay. There is reason to hope!
The Springs and El Paso County have always been redder than red, until a few years ago. This was the home base of Bill Armstrong, who knocked off Sen. Floyd Haskell in 1978 (I still have my People for Haskell campaign button) and helped cement GOP control of the legislature until the early 2000's. Growing up and being a member of the Colorado Democratic Party executive committee, we passed on many elections as we knew we couldn't win down there. Currently, the GOP in the city and county are mired in a civil war, with traditional conservatives fighting for control with the MAGAts (the latter now controls the county party).
The Dems have made inroads in El Paso County, with 3 of 9 state representatives and 1 of 5 state senators being Dems, and 3 of those 4 being POC. This was unheard of 25 years ago.
The Springs also has become a dumping ground for has-been rethuglican statewide candidates. The outgoing mayor, John Suthers, was AG, but couldn't ween himself off the public trough and ran for Mayor. The GOP candidate this year was Wayne Williams, the former secretary of state who lost reelection in 2018. His wife is a county Commissioner. People are waking up all over Colorado. While I don't see El Paso County turning blue, it will become a lighter shade of red in the near future.