Winners and Losers, Initiatives Division
Winners:
Political reform. In California, the big longshot — redistricting reform, which has a near perfect record of losing at the ballot — came in. Prop 11, which strips the legislature of the right to draw state legislative districts (Congressional districts were exempted) — passed. It’s a stunning win (and one your blogger predicted would not happen). This redistricting measure is a modest reform, but the victory suggests that political reform on the ballot may be possible — at least if there isn’t much of a campaign against it. Look for future measures on open primary and perhaps other reforms. And in Colorado, Prop 54 — which had little money and faced a huge, expensive, labor campaign againts it — also appears to have scored a triumph. The measure is a tight ban on "pay to play." If a company or union has a contract with the government, it can’t give money. Labor leaders here in Denver last night say they will challenge it in court.
The initiative process. Voters turned down the greatest in the country to the initiative process, Arizona’s "majority rules" measure, which would have established a near impossible standard for passing an initiative: a majority of all the state’s registered voters (not just the voters who show up on election day). Measure O, a legislative referendum to make it more difficult to qualify an initiative to change the state constitution, also went down.
Waiting to Exhale
I didn’t vote for Barack Obama – or any Democrat for that matter – and I feel no remorse about it. So, in terms of my personal win-loss record, yesterday certainly wasn’t one of my most successful election days.
But, I woke up this morning, after the longest presidential race in U.S. history, and feel a sense of “shock and awe.” President-elect Obama’s triumph last evening appears to have lifted a tremendous weight off everyone’s shoulders. I feel it and I know that my family, neighbors and work colleagues do too. People seem friendlier in Los Angeles this morning…more of a bounce and optimism in everyone’s step and stride. I walked down the street to grab a coffee and was amazed and energized to see strangers wearing Obama buttons, pins or shirts stop, hug and say, “We did it.” This should be what politics and political campaigns are all about.
In other countries, power doesn’t easily change hands. Yesterday, Administrations switched as routinely and non-controversially as showering, filling your car up with gasoline or grabbing a sandwich for lunch. As an aside, I relish the fact that Obama’s victory serves as a giant thumb in the eye to the “Old World,” who make great sport of doubting America and our ability to be both a good and great country.
First Thoughts after the Election
Congratulations President–elect Obama. Good luck. You will need it. Now, time to get to work America.
First thoughts after the election.
Now Republicans know what General Custer felt like at the Little Bighorn. Out-numbered, surrounded and ultimately slaughtered.
Public financing of campaigns is now dead thanks to the Obama Campaign. No Republican will ever agree to it again, and if you hear the Democrats say they want to “tweak” the system, Republicans should say thanks but no thanks. In fact, let’s get rid of all limits. They are an affront to free speech. The influence of big money will never be removed from politics, so why are we kidding ourselves and enriching election lawyers to figure out ways around the laws. Any reform has within it the seeds of its own corruption.
Godspeed, Mr. President-elect; And, Whither California
Barack Obama was not my candidate for president. But, the voters of the United States have spoken and now he will be the president of all the people. The difficulty and reality of governing such a diverse and complex nation will take unique skills and a broad vision. A mix of tradition and progress must be in balance. Here’s wishing that our new president can meet the challenge, and in a traditional sendoff on this difficult journey, I wish you Godspeed, Mr. President-elect.
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Notes on a political scorecard
Surely, Election Night belonged to Barack Obama. Nobody else better understood the mood of the country, which served him well along with an unprecedented amount of campaign cash.
Sen. John McCain’s gracious concession speech brought back memories of the old John McCain, the class act and dedicated public servant who was not too long ago widely respected by Americans across the political spectrum. Why didn’t we see more of the old John McCain the past few weeks?
The other winners of this election include Joe the Plumber, who I expect to land a lucrative talk-show host assignment soon, and Gavin Newsom, who coined the most memorable line of California’s election season and earned increased street cred among the state’s liberals who will select the next Democratic nominee for governor in 2010. Oh yeah, I almost forgot Tina Fey, who can now return to 30 Rock.
Watching the Election Returns with Ghosts
I watched every minute of the election results last night with three people who aren’t here anymore. They were: my uncle Teddy, who pioneered modern election reporting and wrote the Pulitzer-prize winning Making of the President 1960 (and many others, through 1980); my Dad, an American history textbook editor and teacher, with whom I watched every election night from 1956 through 1980, and last, but not least, my Aunt Gladys, older sister of my Dad and Teddy, one of the first female lawyers to be admitted to the Massachusetts bar, a brilliant woman who could not be hired as a lawyer in her prejudiced times (as a woman and a Jew, she had no offers), but went on to head up the Boston Public Library system for decades.
Teddy, Gladys and my Dad were all with me with me watching history being made last night. My love for politics started at age 6 in 1956 when Dad, Gladys and I watched the election returns. I was the only “I Like Ike” supporter in a family of Stevenson fans and I have the autographed photo to prove it – “David, Keep up your interest in politics, Affectionately, Dwight D. Eisenhower,” in the days when Presidents, and not mechanical robo-pens, actually signed.