Boxer Becomes Third Biggest Vote Getter

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON -- Little noticed in this month's election was that the nation's third biggest vote getter, behind only President Bush and John Kerry, was Sen. Barbara Boxer, a fiery California Democrat who proudly wears her liberalism on her sleeve.

In a campaign year when the GOP picked off most of its Democratic targets, Boxer sailed to a third Senate term Nov. 2 with 6.4 million votes, 200,000 more than Kerry got in the state. Ralph Nader's total for the country: 407,000 votes.

Boxer crushed former California Secretary of State Bill Jones by 20 percentage points and scored a bigger share of the electorate than Democrat Dianne Feinstein, the state's senior and more popular senator, got in her last election.

This from a San Francisco Bay Area liberal who's made a habit of exasperating the GOP, whether taking on the Pentagon over a $7,600 coffee pot -- a fight she waged as a junior congresswoman two decades ago -- or leading opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"She's certainly one of the most liberal senators in the country, and one that Republicans love to hate," said Ken DeBow, a political scientist at California State University, Sacramento. "And they can't come close to touching her."

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-unbeaten-boxer,0,6673655.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[Sandpiper]

1. Please Ahnuld, run against Boxer

I can't wait to see you get your ass kicked by a girl.

[Maat]

2. I love Barbara - she stands by her progressive principles -

with pride and honor.

I'm proud to say that this Southern California enthusiastically voted for her.

I've seen her speak into the record, with hardly anyone paying attention. I pay attention, because her words are words of wisdom.

She stands by reproductive rights, and she stands by her LGBT supporters, and their supporters. She isn't trying to 'bridge the gap,' and become Rethuglican Lite, like some others (who shall go nameless to protect the guilty).

[StClone]

3. As do Many

Hear what her supports say:

http://boxer2004.org/iyow.htm

[catzies]

4. This Southern Californian stands with you and supports Sen. Boxer!

Great post. :hi:

[UCLA Dem]

14. roger that! go barbara go!!

[Barkley]

21. True: But you'd NEVER see TWO Jewish- Women- Democratic -Sen. in Ohio

or any place else for that matter.

I won't even try to defend "DiFi"!

[mitchtv]

33. that's "Liberal " principles

if you please. She won , with the Liberal label, no weasel words please.

[da_chimperor]

23. Hell yeah! I'd love to watch ze gropenator's concession speech.

:evilgrin:

[Yavin4]

5. Gee, A Democrat That's Proud To Be A Liberal

and wins convincingly. Will wonders ever cease?

Folks, this is what I've been saying. You gotta offer the people a real choice. "Third Way" politics don't work. They just don't. The American people respect politicians that stand up for what they believe in and are not afraid to tell the people how they stand.

That's why we're losing. Too many Democratic leaders are too afraid to stand up for something.

[WCGreen]

6. Run for Gov in 06 and kick Arnold in his Schwantzineger

[Sandpiper]

7. I'd rather she stay where she is

With all the weenies we have in the Senate these days, we need someone with a spine.

[WCGreen]

15. She would get to appoint her succesor....

[Piperay]

19. Me too

I think Senator is more important and has more prestige. Only an idiot like Pete Wilson would give up a Senator seat to be Governor and that was because it was to be his steppingstone to the WhiteHouse, heh. :silly:

[Barkley]

24. I'd Like to see the "other Barbara" run against Arnold in '06

"Let us not become the evil we deplore...Violence begets violence, and we don't want that to happen. That kills people,"" Rep. Barbara Lee said on the House floorin explaining why she was the "1" in the 420-1 vote against a resolution giving President Bush authority to use necessary force against terrorism.

And we are becoming that very evil today.

I say/heard her at a anti war rally in SF in the fall of 2002; she was awsome.

The ONLY democrat to address 80,000 people and we all gave her the loudest applause/ cheer.

I am still energized by her courage.

She stood up againt Bush and she'll do against Arnold.

The weak Democratic Party needs Boxer in the Senate; she should
be chair. of something DNC, DLC or whatever!

[thebeaglehaslanded]

8. It's too bad we can't clone Sen. Boxer to have two of her

representing California, and replace the Repub-lite Feinstein.

[yorgatron]

9. see? you CAN be liberal and get elected!

you don't HAVE to keep going to the right,there's still lots and lots of voters that appreciate the real deal.

[cally]

10. I've heard of folks who voted for Bush and Boxer!

The first time I heard this, I started laughing. Look at those numbers above, Boxer got more votes than Kerry. I still can't figure it out. :shrug:

[catzies]

29. Me too. It's exactly what happened in my county.

I have no idea. :shrug: or :tinfoilhat: ?

[cally]

31. The one story I learned was a neighbor of a

political activist. She couldn't convince the neighbor to vote for Kerry. The neighbor liked Boxer so she voted for her and voted for Bush. The husband of this voter couldn't explain it. I don't get it but I don't think many of us could. Boxer gets women's votes.

[Democat]

11. If only she would have moved to the right she might have won!

Wait, she did win - without moving to the right! :)

[peterh]

12. I put Boxer to the left of Kerry….yet…

Here in the state of California, Boxer got 202,541 more votes than Kerry got and third parties only got 82,956 votes. Assuming that those 82,956 that voted for a third party for President also voted for Boxer….could it be that 119,585 voted for both Boxer and the twit? What were they fucking smoking….:freak:

[Piperay]

18. People here in CA are

notorious ticket splitters. :wtf: :shrug:

[hansolsen]

13. And Boxer voted against IWR

Let the record show that Daschle voted for IWR and lost, while Pelosi voted against IWR ans won. I know California is slightly more liberal than SD, but then again, why did we select our minority leader in the Senate from a deep red state. Daschle had no choice -- he had to vote for IWR, and the rest is history.

[Democat]

16. Why do we continue to select our leaders from red states?

What about Reid?

[Piperay]

17. My Senator

and I am so PROUD of her! :toast: I have met her and she is just as nice as can be too, liberal and a winner...a TERRIFIC combination! :thumbsup:

[Barkley]

20. Boxer was one of the 1rst to say that the energy companies were scamming

California during the power shortages of 2001-02.

"Boxer goes after energy chief
Senator demands state get $8.9 billion in electricity refund"
SFGate.com June 17th, 2004

(snip)

"In the name of the millions of Americans who were harmed by these scam artists, I call on you to instruct Chairman Pat Wood to cease and desist his opposition to California's claims, which have unfortunately been stymied in court due to (the commission's) failure to assist my state," Boxer, a Democrat, wrote to Bush.

(snip)

"We have now seen proof that is irrefutable that we were essentially robbed," Boxer said at a Capitol Hill press conference. "This is the worst scandal for consumers that I've seen in my lifetime."

[sr_pacifica]

22. She's great

Other than John Kerry this year, she is the only other candidate I have ever actively campaigned for.

[BayCityProgressive]

25. Boxer and

Feingold were both re-elected by wide margins. They are both great senators and it proves you can be a liberal and win. In fact they won by larger margins than most of the DLC candidates. From now on I may only vote for liberal Democrats and Greens.

[umtalal]

28. LOVE FIENGOLD. Met him in person and he is the real thing.

[burrowowl]

26. Maybe if the rest of the Dem

Party got liberal like Barbara Boxer they would get more votes!
She is one gutsy woman!

[johnnyrocket]

30. You got a point! The mealy mouth Dems need to drop it

and get some backbone and some teeth.

[umtalal]

27. Boxer is more popular than Fieny. Fien. keeps making MAJOR mistakes.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1003961

[maryallen]

32. How did Boxer get 200,000 more votes than Kerry?

I know:
A lot of CA Repubs love Boxer ...

[lwin]

34. Just my 2 cents...

Don't get me wrong...I like Boxer. But it was really no surprise at all. First, she's an incumbent, and one who is pretty responsive to her constituents. Second, she is seen as part of the "team", with Diane Feinstein. Third, Bill Jones is a right-wing whacko who ran virtually no campaign. I don't remember seeing him out campaigning at all. Both BB and DiFi are seen by the Republicans as unbeatable. Everyone they run against them are seen as token sacrificial lambs.

Bottom line: people are going to vote for the person (Boxer) that they know, versus the MIA whacko.