Commentary: Where Do We Go From Here? (defeats in blue state of CA)

[The Straight Story]

Commentary: Where Do We Go From Here?
By RANDY SHAW (11-12-04)

In the wake of Bush’s victory, the question is what to do next. The usual answer—keep pressuring Congress and the president—is problematic, as the Republican leadership appears immune to reason or the popular will. But activists must remain engaged, as the prospects for making a meaningful difference in people’s lives were not erased on Tuesday.

The difference between the 2004 election and prior elections is that the president and Congressional majority have religious-based views that are not subject to facts or popular pressure. Only a handful of Republican senators are in “blue” states, and pressure on these politicians is critical. But activists living outside Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maine and Rhode Island also must remain engaged, and much can be accomplished despite Republican control of the national government.

I was struck on election night by the defeats in the blue state of California of both Prop. 72 and Prop. 66. Both initiatives were central to progressive agendas. Prop. 72 expanded health care and Prop. 66 redirected billions from prisons to education and human services.

Despite their importance, neither initiative was backed by a vigorous grassroots campaign. When Walmart and other corporations threw big money against Prop. 72, there was no ground campaign to overcome it. As a result, an historic opportunity to greatly expand health care was lost without a vigorous fight.

Prop. 66 would have ended the lifetime incarceration of non-violent offenders, thus redirecting billions of dollars from prisons to human needs. The measure was safely ahead for most of the campaign, until opposition from the Governor and despicable hypocrites like Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown—revving up for his attorney general run—brought it down to defeat.

As with Prop. 72, there was little if any grassroots campaign for Prop. 66, so the personal contacts with voters necessary to offset the opposition’s lies was missing. Its backers vow to return to the ballot, and will hopefully fund a statewide field effort in addition to media ads.

For the Bay Area, this was not a great election for progressives. Voters in Berkeley and San Francisco rejected a series of tax hikes necessary to maintain city services, marking the first time in the college town that a tax to fund libraries had been defeated. Progressives were split on the tax increase imposed by Oakland’s Measure Y, which added both police and social services, and the measure passed after different versions failed on two prior ballots.

Rest here:
http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=11-12-04&storyID=20087

[laheina]

1. I don't even know where to start with this.

There are a lot of complex issues here that the author doesn't even touch. Last minute press blitzes, and the Boobengrabber's putting in his 2 cents + a few annoying movie catch lines, the fact that grass roots activists were very busy with the presidential campaigns, and the fact that corporate interests have been using ballot initiatives in our state to bypass the legislature.

Overall, I think that the election results in CA were very positive. We kept Boxer, Pelosi, and Dem control of our legislature. We also passed several very progressive ballot initiatives, such as a 1% tax hike on millionaires to fund mental health projects.

[firebee]

2. From what I can tell....

People are getting greedy and desperate to keep their own money... so much for "All for one, one for all". This country's policy is now every man for himself. Screw the disabled, screw education, screw health care, screw the seniors... We're keeping our money and doing what we want with it. That seems to be the attitude of this country right now... I don't know where they could've got this attitude from.

[laheina]

3. Hmmm

Maybe the conservatives . That has been my chief complaint about them for a long time.