Reflections on Elections
So the 2010 election is now history, but what have we learned from it?(1)
1. The "Bitch" loses big
In the 10th Assembly District (north side of Milwaukee) Iesha Griffin, who failed to have the words "Not the White Man's Bitch" printed under her name on the ballot, received only 973 votes versus 11,137 for Democratic nominee Elizabeth Coggs. Had the federal court ordered the state to include the phrase (as I incorrectly predicted), I doubt that the outcome would have been different. I would prefer a state representative who is not a bitch at all, but then I don't live in the 10th district.
The lesson: If you run as an independent, don't even think of including "bitch" in your five-word statement of principles. I won't.
2. Straight Vote Folly
About a million Wisconsin voters wanted David King to replace incumbent Douglas LaFollette as Secretary of State, and they almost got their wish. King , a north side Milwaukee preacher, went bankrupt in 2003 and subsequently failed to pay a $10,000 judgment for utility bills at his church. He is also facing a suit by a woman who claims the GOP nominee got her drunk and impregnated her. And those are just his good points.
Wisconsin allows voters to cast a single "straight-vote" for all nominees of a particular party, and I contend that David King was a big beneficiary of the huge Republican straight vote Nov. 2. If this option were eliminated, voters could still vote for every candidate nominated by their party, but they would have to think about each vote. And what could be better than that?
3. Endorsements Were Useless
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the only newspaper of statewide circulation, endorsed Scott Walker for Governor and Russ Feingold for senator. But Walker got about the same number of votes (just over a million) as fellow Republican Ron Johnson, who was running against the paper's endorsed candidate. Had the endorsements swayed any signficant number of voters, Walker would have out-polled Johnson.
Verdict: The endorsements meant nothing.
4. New County Executive
When Scott Walker resigns his present post to become Governor, Lee Holloway will be his interim successor, until a new County Executive is selected April 5. I predict that County Clerk Joe Czarnezki will win that election. Remember that this is where you saw it first.
5. 2012
Senator-Elect Rand Paul of Kentucky will be a serious contender for the 2012 Republican nomination for president, with support of the Tea Party. He combines the Paul family libertarian brand with youth and a statewide base.
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(1) All election results from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 3, 2010
1. The "Bitch" loses big
In the 10th Assembly District (north side of Milwaukee) Iesha Griffin, who failed to have the words "Not the White Man's Bitch" printed under her name on the ballot, received only 973 votes versus 11,137 for Democratic nominee Elizabeth Coggs. Had the federal court ordered the state to include the phrase (as I incorrectly predicted), I doubt that the outcome would have been different. I would prefer a state representative who is not a bitch at all, but then I don't live in the 10th district.
The lesson: If you run as an independent, don't even think of including "bitch" in your five-word statement of principles. I won't.
2. Straight Vote Folly
About a million Wisconsin voters wanted David King to replace incumbent Douglas LaFollette as Secretary of State, and they almost got their wish. King , a north side Milwaukee preacher, went bankrupt in 2003 and subsequently failed to pay a $10,000 judgment for utility bills at his church. He is also facing a suit by a woman who claims the GOP nominee got her drunk and impregnated her. And those are just his good points.
Wisconsin allows voters to cast a single "straight-vote" for all nominees of a particular party, and I contend that David King was a big beneficiary of the huge Republican straight vote Nov. 2. If this option were eliminated, voters could still vote for every candidate nominated by their party, but they would have to think about each vote. And what could be better than that?
3. Endorsements Were Useless
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the only newspaper of statewide circulation, endorsed Scott Walker for Governor and Russ Feingold for senator. But Walker got about the same number of votes (just over a million) as fellow Republican Ron Johnson, who was running against the paper's endorsed candidate. Had the endorsements swayed any signficant number of voters, Walker would have out-polled Johnson.
Verdict: The endorsements meant nothing.
4. New County Executive
When Scott Walker resigns his present post to become Governor, Lee Holloway will be his interim successor, until a new County Executive is selected April 5. I predict that County Clerk Joe Czarnezki will win that election. Remember that this is where you saw it first.
5. 2012
Senator-Elect Rand Paul of Kentucky will be a serious contender for the 2012 Republican nomination for president, with support of the Tea Party. He combines the Paul family libertarian brand with youth and a statewide base.
------------------------------------------------------------
(1) All election results from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 3, 2010
Labels: 2010 Election
posted by Gerald S Glazer at 8:58 AM
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