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Here is an absolutely perfect description of what the electorate voted for in Nov. 2010! Read it all, I am only presenting a taste:
The 2010 midterm elections were a mandate for the new GOP sorta-but-not-really majority in Washington. The American voter has clearly demanded:
1. Social Security reform that guarantees my current level of benefits, alters someone else's, and cuts everyone's Social Security taxes to boot.
2. A world-class national infrastructure that can be built and maintained without tax dollars.
3. A balanced budget that doesn't sacrifice any of the government programs - especially the sacred military-industrial complex and the various old age benefits - that we like.
4. Clean air without pollution controls, clean water with a neutered and underfunded EPA, and businesses that do socially responsible things without any regulation whatsoever.
5. Consumer goods at Made in China prices that create high-paying jobs in America.
(Great observations! - promoted by Jennifer Daler)
I respect the need to vent about what went wrong on November 2. I definitely welcome a constructive discussion on how we can start laying the groundwork for a progressive victory in 2012. But I think we need a reality check regarding what can actually be achieved by strategic voter mobilization in a partisan wave election. As Donald Green and Alan Gerber point out in Get Out The Vote
"Using the most effective get-out-the-vote strategy will not guarantee victory. All the other factors that shape the electoral fortunes of a candidate - persona, platform, party, and campaign management - are relevant as well. A spectacularly successful GOTV campaign might lift an overmatched candidate from 28 to 38 percent or a competitive candidate from 48 to 58 percent. Often, winning elections is only possible when voter mobilization strategies are combined with messages that persuade voters to vote in a particular way."
In other words, when the mood of the national electorate favors the opposition party - as was abundantly clear going into this election cycle - executing a flawless field campaign can narrow a strong candidate's loss margin to a few points but it won't necessarily deliver a win.
The issue of choice is rising to the top of the 2010 political debate as tea party conservatives test the limits of Granite State voters' broad support for keeping abortion safe and legal. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is taking action to amplify the voices of New Hampshire's pro-choice community in the critical weeks leading up to November's election - and they need your help.
If you believe that women's health and women's lives matter, it's time to speak up. PPNNE's 2010 Put a Bow On It! campaign makes it easy to take a stand against anti-choice fanatics who want to turn back the clock on women's rights. Send a message that efforts to criminalize abortion and limit women's power to prevent unintended pregnancies are out of touch with the attitudes of mainstream voters - and out of step with New Hampshire values.
Members of the pro-choice, pro-Planned Parenthood community are invited to submit a brief statement (200 characters or less) about why you support every woman's right to reproductive autonomy. Your personal messages will be attached to big, shockingly pink bows; the bows will join a powerful public display at a PPNNE health center that's been targeted for an escalation of anti-choice protest activity. Your shout-out of support will be seen by patients, health center staff, and members of the local community.
Ready to Put a Bow On It? Use this handy web form to submit your personal message. (You have an option to post your message anonymously, or include your name and town.) You can also sign up to receive more information about PPNNE's NH political action program (sign up is not required to participate in the Put a Bow On It! action).
Questions? Contact Judy Stadtman at judy.stadtman (at) gmail.com.
So if you're like me, you have been wondering just exactly what all this "tea party" stuff is about. There's going to be some sort of protest, that we know; but beyond that the whole thing seems a little...vague.
Alternatively, it's possible that you were unaware that "tea party" has recently become a word reborn in conservative political circles.
Well, whether you knew it or not, April 15th was indeed a day of protest, with citizens gathering for what were reported to be a series of grassroots events across the nation that was intended to invoke the spirit of the Boston Tea Party.
In an effort to find out exactly what is motivating these folks, and to find out what they are trying to accomplish, I took my handy recorder and captured a conversation with a "tea bag" protester.
We will review that conversation, and we will follow it up with a few thoughts about how this group of voters might impact electoral politics going forward.
