I dunno — maybe I was, as usual, naive. A year into the Obama era, and the regressives still demand our attention.
VIRGINIA
My home and the state that’s been home to some of the most egregious of the conservative lot over the years, brought back a Republican governor after a decade. The GOP won back all the statewide offices with promises that they’d fix the roads without raising taxes — short memories, there. That’s what the previous arch conservative Gilmore said. How were those roads at the end of his term? Worse, but you don’t remember that anymore, do you?
And the new attorney general is a reactionary right winger who says that it should be legal to deny jobs, housing, and basic human rights to gay people.
Perhaps the funniest line I’ve heard yet is this gem from former congressman Tom Davis: “The state has moved back toward the center.” WOW.
MAINE
Religious zealots everywhere are thanking their bizarrely anti-love, vengeful god this morning after having once again taken away rights from a minority group for which they harbor an irrational hatred. The law allowing same-sex marriage equality in Maine was struck down by a referendum. So, is Maine skewing to the right? Wait a minute: what’s this? Maine voters approved medical marijuana. You heard right. A bunch of voters went to the polls and said, “Let people use illegal drugs? Sure! Let them queers get married even though its none of my business? Hell no!” It’s like California all over again, where the electorate voted to increase the rights of animals but curtail them for a select group of humans.
WASHINGTON
It’s close, but as I write this the results in Washington show a win for domestic partnerships – a referendum there is being held to uphold a law giving same-sex partners the same rights as marriage. The old “we just don’t want them using the word marriage” nonsense.
But they aren’t the “same” rights — they’re separate but equal.
NEW JERSEY
Ugh.
NEW YORK
I love this story. The 23rd district in New York has been represented by a Republican since the Grant presidency. The Republicans put up a very moderate candidate, who was progressive on many issues like same-sex marriage. The Republican base — which, of course, is the lunatic right fringe now thanks to decades of cultivation by the GOP leadership — revolted. They wanted a candidate who was a looney as they were, and brought in the likes of Sarah Palin and Dick Armey (two of the greatest minds on the Right) to help them. The end result? The Republican candidate dropped out of the race, the ultra conservative cackled in glee, and then the Democrat won. That’s one more Dem in Congress, doofuses.
THE UPSHOT
Two governors switched from blue to red. Same-sex “marriage” is too much for some freaks, but “domestic partnership” is mainstream enough. And the net result for Congress: the Dems picked up a seat thanks to the continuing implosion of the Republican party. They created a monster base to quickly grab power in the 80s and 90s, and now that same base is demanding monster candidates, pulling the party ever farther to the right and insanity.
