Blog for our Future: Mandate Watch – Bellwether Races/Initiatives To Watch Below The Presidential Contest

Blog for our Future

Mandate Watch – Bellwether Races/Initiatives To Watch Below The Presidential Contest

So how will we know the shape, size and depth of whatever mandate comes out of this, the most ideologically polarized election since 1980? Top-line numbers from the presidential contest are only going to give us a snapshot of what really happened. We’re going to have to look at specific bellweather races and ballot initiatives to really know what happened at a structural level. Here are the bellweathers I’ll be watching, beyond the state-by-state results in the presidential race:

COLORADO

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– Amendment 46: Sponsored by the infamous Ward Connerly, this disgusting initiative aims to stoke the old Angry White Man backlash against minorities and women with a measure to essentially ban affirmative action and equal opportunity programs. The latest Denver Post poll suggests this is going to be a close one – if progressives defeat it, they will show that even here in the heart of the Mountain West, we can defeat race/gender-based wedge politics.

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GEORGIA, NORTH CAROLINA & MISSISSIPPI

– African American Turnout: Will African American turnout be significantly higher in these southern states in 2008, and will that increased turnout be enough to swing both contested presidential and key down-ballot races blue? If yes, it will dent political scientist Tom Schaller’s theory that progressive efforts to compete in the South are futile.

 

Racism Review: Hoping for a Bradley Effect?

Racism Review

Hoping for a Bradley Effect?

 

Like so many others at this point, I’m suffering from election fatigue. Despite promising poll numbers, many argue that McCain shouldn’t be counted out .

After wondering why the heck McCain was continuing to campaign in places like Iowa and Pennsylvania, states in which Obama leads on average by double-digits (see this), there seems to be only one explanation: that the McCain campaign is hoping for the Bradley Effect, along with the Wilder Effect.

The former refers to whites lying to pollsters about supporting the black candidate while actually voting for someone else (i.e., the white candidate), while the latter refers to the remaining undecideds to break overwhelmingly for the white candidate. (Thus, it is more accurately called the “white racism effect.”)

In both RCP averages in those states, Obama’s raw score is above 52 percent, meaning that the Wilder Effect alone would be insufficient for McCain to win in those states. So why spend time campaigning there with such little time left before Election Day? Part of the explanation could be that they have nothing left at this point, but why ignore Colorado at this juncture? Turns out that they may be banking on the older white populations of Iowa and Pennsylvania (along with others like Florida and Ohio), while giving up on Colorado (the youngest state in the union). 

 

Colorado Independent: Political rallies get ugly but Colorado spared as Election Day nears

Colorado Independent

Political rallies get ugly but Colorado spared as Election Day nears

The acrimony on the presidential campaign trail has reached new lows in distortions, misinformation and irresponsible racially and religiously coded attacks by pundits, campaign staffers, surrogates and the candidates themselves.

 

 

That divisiveness has spilled over into campaign rallies over the last several weeks, provoking long-simmering class, gender and racial tensions expressed as everything from full-throated criticisms and angry outbursts to subtle pretext questioning the nominees’ patriotism, mental stability and public demands for candidates’ medical records.

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The most egregious examples from the McCain camp range from campaign co-chair ex-Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating using racially loaded terms to describe Obama; Rep. Michele Bachmann calling for McCarthy-esque investigations of Obama, his wife, Michelle, and other members of Congress for alleged anti-American beliefs; to yahoos across the nation whipped into a frenzy shouting “nigger,” “terrorist” and “kill him” at recent rallies headlined by GOP vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. 

 

Though less obvious in their tactics, Obama and his surrogates have steathily insinuated doubts about McCain’s age and mental health by invoking the terms “erratic,” “reckless” and “risky” when describing their opponent.

Hip Hop Republican: Muslim Republican-Muhammad Ali Hasan

Hip Hop Republican

Muslim Republican-Muhammad Ali Hasan

Muhammad Ali Hasan is a young Muslim Republican candidate running for State Representative in rural Colorado. In this pod vc2 producers the Lockerpartners join Ali at the county republican convention on the campaign trail to see how his Muslim identity affects his political strategy and civic aspirations.

video

Pink Flamingo: It Is Time To Call Evil What It Is (and) Deal With It

Pink Flamingo

It Is Time To Call Evil What It Is (and) Deal With It

in De

Today in Denver Barack Obama shook the trees and out fell 

insanely nutty individuals. Little Green Footballshas a photo of a Guillotine (H/T Looking At the Left) that showed up at the the Obama Rally.  I don’t know about you, but Obama’s little followers are now out of control.  The problem is he is so irresponsible and reprehensible himself that he will not call them down or tell them to behave.  This chilling reminder of one of the worst moments in modern history should be enough deter anyone from voting for The One.  LGF then links toLooking at the Left for more chilling photos of Obama’s supporters – FYI – Where’s all that GOP hate??

Check out the other photos from Looking at the Left and they will give you chills and cause for “panic”. This is evil – pure evil.  If Barack Obama is not required to denounce it, then we need to make sure voters see what is going on – not that it will make any difference – hope and change – alright.

 

Minnesota Independent: Video: Denver McCain supporters call Obama monkey, “Muslim Communist”

Minnesota Independent: Video

Denver McCain supporters call Obama monkey, “Muslim Communist”

On their way into an Oct. 24 John McCain rally in Denver, supporters of Barack Obama were met with epithets by angry Republicans who called the Democrat a “Muslim Communist,” a “stupid bum,” “a piece of crap” and a monkey. “God may not be on my side but Satan is on your side,” one man shouted cryptically, while a woman said, “He’s got a rag on his head.” The 4,000-person rally at the Stock Show pavilion was countered by two record-breaking rallies for Obama in Colorado Sunday, which drew a collective 150,000 people.

Colorado Independent: Colorado coaches speak out against Amendment 46

Colorado Independent

Colorado coaches speak out against Amendment 46

Three Division I basketball coaches in Colorado publicly opposed Amendment 46 on Wednesday, saying that the so-called Colorado Civil Rights Initiative would diminish diversity at their institutions.

University of Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik, Colorado State University coach Tim Miles and University of Northern Colorado coach Tad Boyle decried the measure, which will banish public affirmative action programs across the state.

 

“Rather than eliminate opportunities for minority students attacked by this initiative, we should figure out strategies to improve college opportunities for all low-income kids,” said Bzdelik in a press release. “We don’t want to see our university weakened by Amendment 46. Diversity makes CU strong — we need more of it, not less.”

Amendment 46 and a similar measure in Nebraska are being promoted by Ward Connerly, a California businessman who wants to dismantle affirmative action nationwide. The initiative has also been denounced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the Black Coaches and Administrators.

Booker Rising: VIDEO: Ward Connerly On Race

Booker Rising

VIDEO: Ward Connerly On Race

The founder of the American Civil Rights Institute and libertarian Republican discusses his battle to end affirmative action in Colorado and Nebraska

Colorado Independent: Anti-illegal-immigrant crusader hires illegal immigrant

Colorado Independent

Anti-illegal-immigrant crusader hires illegal immigrant

Jeffco Commissioner Kevin McCasky wants the government to crack down on illegal immigration. At a candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters on Oct. 7, McCasky said, “Making an excuse that the federal government can’t or won’t do anything about the situation is unacceptable to me. Therefore it’s time to take matters into our own hands.” And by take matters into his own hands I guess McCasky meant, “I’m going to hire a few to pass out my campaign literature,” because that’s exactly what happened just a few days before.

Both the Rocky Mountain News and the Columbine Courier confirmed that at least one of the people hired by McCasky to pass out literature on Saturday, Oct. 4, couldn’t legally work in this country. Both papers spoke with the illegal campaign staffer’s son, Manuel, who lives in Los Angeles and who, unlike the staffer, speaks enough English to confirm his father’s immigration status.

Now I think it’s important to clarify the issue at hand here is not the hiring of undocumented workers, it’s the blatant hypocrisy on display by a rabidly anti-illegal-immigration public official. It’s like Rev. Ted Haggard’s homosexual relationship, where the headline doesn’t come from the act so much as the hypocritical vitriol. Just don’t tell the public you’ll crack down on “illegals” with your own bare hands and and then go out and hire some.

Colorado Independent: Hickenlooper says ‘no’ to Amendment 46

Colorado Independent

Hickenlooper says ‘no’ to Amendment 46

Today at 2 p.m., Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will speak out against the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative, a ballot measure that will destroy public affirmative action programs statewide.

 

Hickenlooper will speak on the front steps of the City and County Building in Denver.

Late last month, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter also slammed the measure during a press conference, calling it a “California import.” The initiative has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from Ward Connerly, a California businessman who is attempting to ban affirmative action state by state.

While similar projects in other states failed this year, both Colorado and Nebraska electors will vote on whether they’d like to cut preferential treatment programs for women and minorities