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Still, the purity test does provide a convenient check list. You too can be accepted as a Republican if you promise to hate gays, poor people, immigrants, and the environment (which, come to think of it, has been the Republican standard for decades). Out of pure bullet-point envy, I propose that Democrats must also have their own list. Ten litmus tests which every potential Democratic candidate should be able to ace before they ever hope to put (D) after their names. In fact, I'll go so far as to be more pure than the Republicans. If you can't pass every one of these tests, don't bother to sign on.
(1) We support the rights extended to Americans extended under the Constitution. All the rights. For all Americans.
(2) We support thoughtful, pragmatic solutions that protect American lives, American standards, and American pocketbooks. This includes finding solutions that don't require bombing anyone.
(3) We support an America that has diversity in race, thought, background, and religion not out of some hazy idealism, but because it is our nation's greatest strength.
(4) We oppose torture in any form, in any place, at any time, for any reason.
(5) We support American business, and recognize that an unregulated market is an unfair market, an unstable market, and a market doomed to failure.
(6) We support American workers, and know that when workers are allowed to organize they make their jobs, their companies, and their nation stronger.
(7) We believe that the reputation of our nation is valuable and must be zealously guarded against those who place expediency ahead of law.
(8) We believe in spreading democracy and human rights to the rest of the world by vigorously upholding those ideals here at home.
(9) We believe that access to our government is not for sale. Not in the courthouse, not in the White House, and not in the legislature.
(10) We believe that the health of our planet is not a zero-sum game, not a game of "you go first," and not a game.
Not a particularly detailed set of positions, I know. But then it's not supposed to be. Unlike the GOP, we aren't short of ideas, and unlike Newt, we don't have to dream up a batch of legislation with cute names. We already have real legislation out there that meet these goals. Bills like the Employee Free Choice Act, the Clean Water Protection Act, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the Affordable Health Care for America Act and many others.
It's not a perfect list, but I'd say that's a pretty darn good one. In the way they meant them, I was 0 for 10 on the Republican list (some are too vague to say for sure). This one I'm 10 for 10 in agreement with.
Most kids go through a few years when they are really selfish. For example, you can easily excuse a first grader if they say you should raise their allowance by getting rid of all allowance for their siblings.
The thing is, most people outgrow that by the time they are an adult.
Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is showing new levels of hypocrisy and double-talking. She's taking credit for the very projects she voted against.
This is the kind of politician that gives even politicians a bad name. She's not only jumping in front of a parade, but doing it at the very last moment before it reaches the viewing stand.
Barack Obama All
Favorable 64 percent
Unfavorable 32 percent
No opinion 4 percent
Let's take a look at how the public views Congressional Democrats All
Favorable 42 percent
Unfavorable 51 percent
No opinion 7 percent
Not good. But then again it is still higher than Congress's approval ratings when Republicans controlled Congress.
How does the public view
Congressional Republicans?
All
Favorable 12 percent Unfavorable 74 percent
No opinion 14 percent.
Whoa! Just 12 percent approve of the Party of No. The other day a Republican site said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi should resign because of her low approval ratings. She's at 33 percent approval, by the way, which is nearly triple the favorability rating of the entire Republican caucus in Congress. So by the Republican bloggers' reasoning, shouldn't the entire Republican caucus resign immediately?
But surely Republicans agree with the Congressional Republicans, right? They're solid behind them, right?
Uh, no.
Here's the breakout on
Republicans on Congressional Republicans Favorable 43 percent
Unfavorable 32 percent
No opinion 25 percent
Clearly Congressional Republicans aren't even appealing to a majority of Republicans.
But how does the public view the
Republican Party?
All
Favorable 22 percent
Unfavorable 73 percent No opinion 5 percent
Men
Favorable 30 percent
Unfavorable 64 percent
No opinion 6 percent
Women
Favorable 14 percent
Unfavorable 82 percent No opinion 4 percent
Democrats view of Republicans
Favorable 4 percent
Unfavorable 95 percent
No opinion 1 percent
Republicans on Republicans
Favorable 67 percent
Unfavorable 25 percent
No opinion 8 percent
8 out of 10 of independents view the Republican Party in an unfavorable light. Even 1 in 4 Republicans in the ever shrinking Republican base view the GOP in an unfavorable way.
Maybe the public dislikes both parties?
No. At least have the country has a favorable view of the Democratic Party All
Favorable 50
Unfavorable 43
No opinion 7
Men
Favorable 45
Unfavorable 48
No opinion 7
Women
Favorable 55
Unfavorable 38
No opinion 7
Democrats on Democrats
Favorable 85
Unfavorable 12
No opinion 3
Republicans on Democrats
Favorable 4
Unfavorable 94
No opinion 2
Independents
Favorable 48
Unfavorable 40
No opinion 12
What about healthcare? Surely the public doesn't trust President Obama and the Democrats on healthcare? We keep hearing from Republicans on television that the public doesn't so it must be true, right? No, the public actually trusts Obama on healthcare by a wide margin.
At 58%, Obama fares better than congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle; however, the Democratic leaders in Congress have more credibility on healthcare reform than do the Republican leaders: 42% vs. 34%.
Even when the demographics of the state work to the national GOP's benefit in presidential elections, the Republicans have made no inroads in decades in appealing to West Virginians on issues close to home.
It's barely three months into the Obama administration. Obama and the Democratic majorities in Congress have been hard at work for the American people.
Here's an impressive list (rec'd via email from the state party):
Accomplishments by the Obama Administration & Democratic Congress
1. Lilly Ledbetter Act - equal pay for equal work regardless of gender
2. Children's Health Insurance Coverage (CHIP) - expanded to cover another 4 million kids, including another 19,400 in WV
3. Economic Recovery Act (Stimulus) - ($1.6 billion in direct aid to WV, not counting tax relief)
a. Tax Relief
i. Tax Relief for Working People - $400 per person - 95% of Americans eligible 700,000 WV families will share in $300million/year
ii. Expanding Earned Income Tax Credit
iii. Expanding Child Tax Credit
iv. Expanding the HOPE College Tax Credit to $2,500/year per student - will help 27,000 students in WV
v. 1st time homeowners get an $8,000 tax break
b. Infrastructure Investment
i. Roads and bridges - $210 million for WV
ii. School construction - $156 million for WV
iii. Airport upgrades - $9 million for WV
iv. Clean Water/Sewer Upgrades - $61 million for WV
v. Railways & mass transit - $18.7 million for WV
vi. Electrical grid updates
vii. Low income housing - $232 million for WV
viii. Energy efficiency upgrades for homes - $84 million for WV
ix. Alternative energy - wind/solar, etc
x. Clean coal technology - $3.4 billion for research
xi. High speed internet
xii. Environmental cleanup of old gas stations - $1.6 million for WV
c. Extend unemployment & training aid to those who have lost their jobs
d. Law enforcement support - $13.1 million for police in WV
e. Seniors - $680k for in-home care for WV seniors
f. Education - $72 million for WV
g. Health insurance
i. Expand Medicaid/Medicare coverage - $70.5 million for WV
ii. Extend COBRA, and offer financial assistance, to those who lost their jobs
iii. Community Health Centers - $6.6 million for WV upgrades
4. Stem Cell Research - Obama lifted ban on gov't support for existing stem cells to be researched
5. Wilderness Protection - 37,000 acres in WV added to Dolly Sods, Cranberry, Otter Creek, etc.
Of course, these are just some of the highlights. Also the state of WV has a very informative website about Economic Recovery Act (Stimulus) here.
Young Democrats held convention - New Officers Elected
The West Virginia Young Democrats gathered at Wheeling Jesuit University this weekend for their annual state convention. Justin Williams, a WVU graduate from Buckhannon, was unanimously elected as their new President.
In addition to Williams, the following Young Democrats were elected to office: Noah Barnes of Monongalia County, Vice President; Matt Sowards of Cabell County, Secretary; Scott Elson of Wood County, Treasurer; Allison Speaker of Jefferson County, National Committeewoman; and Daniel Tompkins of Kanawha County, National Committeeman.
Outgoing President Rod Snyder is running for the national Young Democrats Executive Vice President position. Congratulations to all of the Young Democrats new officers and good luck to Rod.
He reviews each congressional district where Obama did worse than either Kerry or Gore. There's only one in W.Va.
West Virginia
WV-03 Rahall (D): Kerry 46%, Obama 42%
West Virginia generally sees pretty good Democratic performance, at the federal and statewide levels, but not this year. That shouldn't change too much, and the state should still favor Democrats at most levels (if not the top level).
Here's a weird quirk: the West Virginia district which most strongly supported Obama is held by a Republican, Shelley Moore Capito. Obama got 44% in WV-02, Capito's district.
The entire diary is worth a read. Here is his summary:
So, every district in the country in which Kerry outperformed Gore Obama is in either McCain's home state, Kerry's home state, Appalachia, the South, or NY-09.
[snip]
As for the South and Appalachia, not all Democrats are doomed in these areas (though some are trending away from the party) and not all parts of these states were hostile to Obama (who won Florida, and surged in Texas).
Two of the reasons most often cited for Obama slippage are racism and general demographic shifts away from the Democratic Party. Four years of a reasonably successful Obama administration should do quite a bit to counter some of the former, so hopefully the numbers in 2012 should give us an indicator of where, and to what extent, the latter was a factor.
Familiarity is another strong factor in Appalachia--an inherent fear of change and discomfort with anything new. Some district visits by a successful Pres. Obama will go a long way toward boosting his re-election numbers.
Whiskey Fire has an excellent post today (via atrios) on why we can't let up on the right even though they're down because even when they're out of power they can undermine good policies and politicians.
I do not believe that there is any such thing as a "conservative intellectual," never mind one who is "thoughtful" or "sane." I contend that "conservatism" in its 21st century incarnation is nothing more or less than a particularly ill-conceived social formation based upon pernicious doxa. Or to be blunt, it is stupid identity politics.
snip
It seems to me that there is a powerful, but foolish, desire on the part of certain liberals, especially academic liberals, to want to engage in a nice, friendly, open debate with "conservatives." This is an error. You will always lose a game you do not realize you are playing.
The most ridiculous thing anyone seriously interested in politics will ever try to do is to "debate" an opponent. You're much better off trying to win. Try to fight for things like, say, a responsible environmental policy, or equal rights for homosexuals, or no more stupid wars that get a lot of people killed. Win one of these points, and I'll cheer you on, even if you had to stomp your opponent to do it. Go figure!
I've heard from people I really respect who think we should try to "debate" the issues with conservatives and even make this site a meeting place for Democrats and Republicans to discuss issues. But as we've seen over the past eight years, there's no point in having an honest discussion with them because there's no honesty on the Republican side. Republicans can claim to be for small government and then balloon the federal government to the largest size ever and claim they are fiscally conservatives while running up record deficits and that they are opposed to socialism while a Republican president is nationalizing giant insurance companies and banks. Honest Republicans and conservatives gave up a while ago on the GOP.
10:55PM Another bittersweet night for me, just like two years ago. The two races I care the most about are lost in a night where the big picture is a huge victory for Dems.
I need a break. No more updates for at least the next 20 minutes. I think I'll head upstairs to the Tennant suite. Meanwhile, savor Obama hitting 270 here in a few moments.
10:52PM MetroNews calls it for Shelley. @#%$^@
We love you Anne. Thank you for giving it such a good try.
10:42PM It's looking bleak for Barth. Most of Berkeley reports, increases Capito's margin. At this rate Capito is going to match or increase her 2006 margin.
10:30PM AG race: McGraw pulling away in the vote count even as the percentages are staying close.
It doesn't look good for Barth, her only path to victory is to hold even in Berkeley County and hit the jackpot in the remaining precincts in Kanawha County.
10:14PM AG race tightening. With 51% in, it is 50% / 50%. Walker is sneaking up on Ketchum, too.
9:59PM WV-02 results
Precincts Reporting:
169 of 591 29%
VOTES %
R SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO 49,263 54%
D ANNE BARTH 42,122 46%
Shelley Moore Capito leading by 7,141 votes
9:55PM On the path to pick up a couple of state Senate seats, the state house will likely remain unchanged.
9:47PM With 17% in, the casino vote is heading for an easy victory in Greenbrier county.
9:44PM It's still tight but we're looking good for the Supreme Court and AG races.
9:34PM A bit of a lull here. Natalie Tennant taking the stage to speak. Meanwhile, we're waiting for a significant number of W.Va. precincts to come in and also waiting for Obama to hit the magic 270 in called states.
9:27PM A few minutes ago, I provided a critical assist to make sure Natalie Tennant made it to the MetroNews table in time for a live on air interview... we're all about helping out in the little ways. :-)
9:26PM Big boos as CNN calls West Virginia for McCain.
9:24PM Anne Barth race a mixed bag. She's down with 10% of the vote in, but she's ahead in the critical Kanawha County.
9:12PM We finally got our act together. Carnacki will add national tallies in the comments. I'll keep the W.Va. updates here in the diary itself.
Obama 29,212 51%
McCain 27,499 48%
5% of precincts reporting
8:54PM In state house races, Dems are all looking good and there are no Republican surprises.
8:54PM Interesting facts in the exit poll. Voters making under $50,000 went for Obama 54 to 44. So that group did vote their pocketbooks. Those making more than $50,000 went McCain 62 to 37. Race was an important factor for 15 percent of the voters - 67 percent of those voted for McCain and 35 percent of those voted for Obama. Carnacki
8:52PM Joe giving his speech. Repeating his pitch to give healthcare to all workers. Now giving his pitch about using coal "the right way." He skipped the part of his recent stump speeches about "wind, solar, biofuel, and conservation."
8:40PM This is a kick-a$$ introduction video for Joe Manchin. Whoever put this together, great choice of music, great choice of pictures, great job. You know, I don't agree with many a thing the Gov. has done, but he really does have "the touch.'
CNN exit poll shows Obama did best here with 18-29 crowd (O 48, M 51) followed by 65 and older (O 46, M 51). Carnacki
8:25PM I hear this is a record crowd for the Charleson Democratic Party victory dinner. Looks like 400-500 people in attendance.
What are ya'll seeing in other races around the country, any early surprises?
8:22PM J-Rock leaves the stage. He's talking more about global warming than ever before. That's a helpful side-effect of the coal brouh-ha-ha this week. It's going to be a big challenge to get an honest discussion of energy issues in this state this upcoming year.
8:13PM Early voting from Kanawha County shows Anne Barth in the lead over SMC. That's a good sign. AB needs to win Kanawha County to pull off a win.
"I had no clue. I was just jumping back and forth,'' Burkhammer said when pressed to explain why he didn't choose Sen. Barack Obama.
"The other one's good, too,'' he said, meaning Obama. "I just think McCain's a little more qualified.''
snip
First-time voter Zecola Hall, 27, of Clarksburg, was undecided when she entered a VFW post to vote. She left after punching in a straight Democratic ticket.
"I really think we need change,'' she said. "I believe John McCain is Bush's flunky, to be totally honest.''
Anne Bolyard, 35, of Fairmont, said Obama represents her core values -- "that our country needs to heal, that we need to come together, that there are people who are disadvantaged and marginalized. And I don't believe that should occur anymore.''
8:02PM J-Rock takes the stage.
7:57PM It's not worth its own diary, but it's worth noting that our unopposed Treasurer John Perdue and unopposed Auditor Glen Gainer have shaken off all write-in opponents and secured re-election.
7:54PM Nick Casey just took the stage. He's still passing out the Kool-aid, predicting an Obama win in the state (in stark contrast to the CNN exit polls for the state). They're showing a Jay Rockefeller video now.
7:45PM Now that I've finished scooping Metronews, I'm going to returning to using this liveblogging thread for the rest of the evening.
The sales rep for MetroNews sitting next to me excitedly told me they were about to call the race for Manchin... I told him I'd already called it long ago. :-)
6:00PM I'm all set at the Marriott... look for pictures soon. Just before I left, I ran into a team of Obama Campaign for Change workers leaving for one last canvass!
Greer concedes AG race early?? In another fascinating tidbit, ReliableSourceWV reports seeing the Greer campaign pulling out of the Marriott about an hour ago. Maybe they expect to lose this evening, or fear a small crowd, and are looking to consolidate rallies with Capito or another Republican candidate?
4:30PM Larry Messina provides an analysis of early voting in W.V. His format buries the really good news. Looking at 15 of the most populous counties in the state, Republicans are down around 9% in the percentage of early voters in 2008 compared to 2004 and Democrats are up 9%!
That's yet another sign of a huge enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans in the state.
4:15PM Okay, I'm going to go ahead and start a live-blog results thread. Here's my first bit of news for the day.
First off, reports from the field are that all of the Campaign for Change and Democratic County offices are the state are flooded with volunteers. Here at the state HQ, we're packed to the gills with a full house of phone bankers and a steady stream of canvassers coming in and out. There's lots of callers at the Barth HQ, and a sign wave going on in the street in between, too.
Meanwhile, over at the Republican HQ, the silence is deafening. If you dropped a marble on the floor, you'd need earplugs to protect yourself fro the roaring thunder.
I'd meant to continue this daily, but too much other news intervened. Here's the next in the series highlighting our Democratic slate of candidates. This is Secretary of State candidate Natalie Tennant filing for the office with her daughter Delaney by her side. I would guess husband State Sen. Erik Wells took the photo.
Securing the votes in Congress to pass real immigration solutions into law isn’t going to be easy. The next President – no matter who wins – will need to lead his own party first to get it done.
Contact your Congressional representativesnow with the simple message: support Obama's seven principles to fix our economy, not Bush's blank check to bailout billionaires.
Obama has once again shown that he is the leader of today's Democratic Party and in the process may well have just sealed the deal to become our next President.
While Bush and McCain are caught flat-footed with a single dimensional solution--throw lots of money at the crooks who already ripped us off--Obama is showing why Democrats deserve to once again be in charge of the White House and Congress. He's providing a well-reasoned solution to a thorny problem.
Political Radar has the best summary in Obama Picks Up Phone on Economy. Pelosi has come out against the Bush bailout plan and Obama has released a list of 7 principles for a new plan.
o No blank check. If we grant the Treasury broad authority to address the immediate crisis, we must insist on independent accountability and oversight. Given the breach of trust we have seen and the magnitude of the taxpayer money involved, there can be no blank check.
o Rescue requires mutual responsibility. As taxpayers are asked to take extraordinary steps to protect our financial system, it is only appropriate to expect those institutions that benefit to help protect American homeowners and the American economy. We cannot underwrite continued irresponsibility, where CEOs cash in and our regulators look the other way. We cannot abet and reward the unconscionable practices that triggered this crisis. We have to end them.
o Taxpayers should be protected. This should not be a handout to Wall Street. It should be structured in a way that maximizes the ability of taxpayers to recoup their investment. Going forward, we need to make sure that the institutions that benefit from financial insurance also bear the cost of that insurance.
o Help homeowners stay in their homes. This crisis started with homeowners and they bear the brunt of the nearly unprecedented collapse in housing prices. We cannot have a plan for Wall Street banks that does not help homeowners stay in their homes and help distressed communities.
o A global response. As I said on Friday, this is a global financial crisis and it requires a global solution. The United States must lead, but we must also insist that other nations, who have a huge stake in the outcome, join us in helping to secure the financial markets.
o Main Street, not just Wall Street. The American people need to know that we feel as great a sense of urgency about the emergency on Main Street as we do the emergency on Wall Street. That is why I call on Senator McCain, President Bush, Republicans and Democrats to join me in supporting an emergency economic plan for working families - a plan that would help folks cope with rising gas and food prices, save one million jobs through rebuilding our schools and roads, help states and cities avoid painful budget cuts and tax increases, help homeowners stay in their homes, and provide retooling assistance to help ensure that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built in America.
o Build a regulatory structure for the 21st Century. While there is not time in a week to remake our regulatory structure to prevent abuses in the future, we should commit ourselves to the kind of reforms I have been advocating for several years. We need new rules of the road for the 21st Century economy, together with the means and willingness to enforce them.
It's going to be fun watching Republicans twist themselves in pretzels this week complaining about any of these principles. If the election comes down to a referendum between a $700,000,000 blank check to Wall Street and these principles, Obama is the clear winner.
We now have a firm legislative road map and a rallying point for all Congressional Democrats to get behind. The Republicans have set a budget of $700bn, let's see what kind of legislation Democrats can draft with that price tag!
Contact your Congressional representativesnow with the simple message: support Obama's seven principles to fix our economy, not Bush's blank check to bailout billionaires.
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It's barely three months into the Obama administration. Obama and the Democratic majorities in Congress have been hard at work for the American people.
