So the Republican formula for victory — Bush plus sleaze — is now a recipe for disaster. In New Jersey, Dancin' Doug Forrester got down in the muck with Karl Rove and ginned up an attack ad campaign based on nasty remarks from Jon Corzine's ex-wife. In Virginia, Jerry Kilgore held a rally with George II and ran equally disgusting ad campaign attacking Tim Kaine's principled opposition to the death penalty. And in each case, voters rejected the Republican sleaze weasels and went for the Democrats.
Daily Kos has some initial thoughts on what's been going on in other state contests. But I think of this as the opening signal for the great eviction and housecleaning that can begin with next year's Congressional races and continue into the presidential campaign. The Republicans have had complete control of government, and during that time of historic opportunity they have run the country into the ground, blighted America's good name around the world, made us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, encouraged domestic religious nutcases to whittle away at the very structure of American society and given their cronies free rein to plunder the public treasury. The time to call them to account for their comprehensive record of failure and corruption is long overdue, but I have the feeling that the momentum is on our side.
I have, believe it or not, voted for Republicans in the past, and I can recognize and respect the intellectual lineage of principled, responsible conservatism. But no more, not for a long while. The mutant form of Republicanism that appeared in the mid-'90s and instantly set about paralyzing the presidency is divorced from any thought of responsible stewardship or the public good. The GOP is due for a long stretch in the wilderness to clean up its act, send the Elmer Gantrys and backwater ayatollahs packing and come up with a conservative philosophy that can be applied to a 21st century technological civilization. Until their fingers have been pried loose from the reins of power and their leadership (that part of it not under indictment or bound for jail) has done that necessary soul-searching, there is no way in hell I can vote Republican in any race above the local or county levels. The party that exploited America's grief after 9/11, that lied us into a ruinous war and was only just barely prevented from trashing Social Security cannot be allowed to keep control.
That you, New Jersey voters, for doing the smart thing tonight. There'll be more to say tomorrow, but at least now we can go to bed with clear minds.
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Originally published in The Opinion Mill.
Article comments
1 - Nancy
Thanks also to the Virginia voters who also rejected the Bush & Sleaze GOP politics of personal demonization for defeating Kilgore, who ran a Rovian smear campaign against Dem Caine & still lost, even after a last-minute appearance on his behalf by Bush himself. Mmmm...maybe Kilgore should have had Dubya stay away? Kudos also to the voters who threw out all of the school board members who had mandated teaching "Intelligent Design" in their local schools. Smart move, folks; religion has no place in public schools, even - or perhaps, especially - if it's masquerading as 'science'.
I do hope this is a precursor to next year's elections. I'm tired of a government of smears, lies, overspending, & blantant pandering to the rich & richer.
2 - Dave Nalle
And don't forget to thank the voters who rejected virtually every reform and anti-corruption measure on the ballot in every state and voted against gay and workers rights pretty much universally. Not fixing corruption or supporting individual rights goes hand in hand with electing democrats, I guess.
Dave
3 - Jon Sobel
Not fixing corruption or supporting individual rights goes hand in hand with electing democrats, I guess.
No, it's another gratuitously partisan snipe that goes hand in hand with any victory for Democrats. People vote against ballot measures because they're in the mood to "throw the bums out" and they figure whatever the "bums" are promoting must be bad. It's simplistic thinking, but has nothing to do with which party happens to be being kicked in the butt.
4 - Lee Richards
Tim Kaine and the very popular current Virginia governor, Mark Warner, are both centrist Democrats who have been able to work effectively with the Republicans who control the VA legislature to solve state fiscal problems (the legacy of Bush buddy, former Gov. Jim Gilmore), invigorate many local economies, and establish more of a sense of cooperation between the parties statewide. Kilgore, another Bush adherent, fought his own party's budget cooperation with the governor, and then ran a vile and disgusting mud-slinging campaign with high-schoolish student government promises and proposals. Many, many Republican voters were noticebly turned-off by his campaign, and Bush probably hurt him more than he helped.
5 - Scott
"Not fixing corruption or supporting individual rights goes hand in hand with electing democrats, I guess"
Never one to miss a beat, eh Dave?
6 - Dave Nalle
Scott, I'm literally in a state of despair over this election. The two governorships are trivial, but the disastrous proposition votes in Texas, Ohio and California suggest that we're doomed for at least another year unless some sort of dynamic new leadership emerges in the GOP. The public has been so thoroughly duped and deceived that I see us heading into a dark, dark time in the next few years.
Dave
7 - david r. mark
I made a similar point yesterday. Good to see I'm not alone in the analysis.
8 - gonzo marx
Mr Nalle sez...
*The public has been so thoroughly duped and deceived that I see us heading into a dark, dark time in the next few years*
many have felt that way since November of 2000
not Fun, is it?
but we can only hope that the GOP implodes so the handful of decent folks among them can step away safely
even more fun from Texas will be the whole DeLay trial...now that's entertainment
Excelsior!
Excelsior!
9 - Scott
The most interesting proposition to me is the one which would put redistricting in the hands of an independent third-party. In California, the Dems didn't want it to pass and in Ohio the GOP was against it. I say it pass it in every state. Some of this gerrymandering is simply ridiculous (do you hear me, Tom Delay?). Aside from that, the referendums are a mixed bag and to be honest I didn't follow which meant what all that carefully since I live in Florida and we had no election this year.
10 - Lee Richards
Dave's #6:
Two governorships are "trivial", but YOUR state of despair is so significant? Do you really stand by such arrogance? If so, may we assume that you will never waste your time in the future commenting on any campaign, election, issue or actions concerning the "trivial" governorship in your state?
11 - gonzo marx
easy fix for gerrymandering...
FEC hires some kids at M.I.T. to design a program that looks at the Census data and a map, state/county/town/street boundry heirarchy
that's it...if x amount of people = 1 congressman then the program cuts up the map according to the census date with the geographical heirarchy stated
done..and you update every Census ( which is Constitutionally mandated for just this purpose)
will we see it in our lifetimes?..only if the Voters rise up and scream about it...then whoever is "out" of "power" will make it a campaign issue
but i've never even heard of anyone besides me come up with the Idea
go figure
Excelsior!
12 - Baronius
Jon, it seems to me that "Bush plus sleaze" is a partisan snipe too.
Dave, if you believe the same things I do (and I think I recall your posts as being conservative), chin up little soldier! VA and NJ are hardly bellweathers, and CA often votes erratically on propositions.
Gonzo, your redistricting plan is fine for a 2-D nation, but as a matter of geometry your MIT mapping project would have infinitely many solutions.