KNOW THIS: Election 2009: Results and Implications
November 4, 2009
As of Friday, October 30, Rasmussen Reports had reported a three-point lead for Republican New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie over incumbent Democrat John Corzine. Those numbers had remained relatively steady through two weeks of polling, and turned out to predict the outcome of the race: Christie was elected yesterday by 49% over Corzine’s 45%.
In Virginia, the spread was significantly wider with a similar result: Republican Robert McDonnell won the election with 59% of the vote while 41% voted for Democrat R. Creigh Deeds. Results of the last Rasmussen Report poll on this race, published October 28, gave McDonnell a 13-point lead.
Meanwhile in New York State’s 23rd District Congressional race, Democrat Bill Owens won by approximately 50% to Conservative party contender Doug Hoffman’s 45%.
These results and what they say or don’t say about the Obama administration, the Democratic Party, and the Republican Party’s campaign strategies will be discussed in print, on-line, and on the air for many days to come. President Obama campaigned recently for the Democrats who lost in New Jersey and Virginia and did not appear locally for the Democrat who won in upstate New York. Some see this as a strong indicator that the current administration is headed in the wrong direction on various fronts.
In our opinion, all these election results hold great potential for long-term good IF President Obama heeds the advice of the interviewees in this Bill Moyers video and opts now to:
—“change generals” by replacing the economic old-guard in his inner circle,
—hire 1,000 FBI agents to investigate mortgage and SEC fraud, and
—work diligently to truly change the “architecture” of Wall Street that has literally robbed innocent citizens of our country in order to line the pockets of those responsible for the economic crisis we continue to face.
Now is clearly the time for Obama to effect the change that he promised last year and that was mandated by the American people when they elected him. If he heeds this election’s wake-up call, he stands a solid chance of salvaging not only his presidency, but our country’s financial security.
Large numbers of voters in these three races were unaffiliated with either of the major parties. In the state of New Jersey alone, where Democrats number 1.7 million and Republicans number 1.06 million, 2.3 million voters registered as unaffiliated. This may be why incumbent governor and former Goldman Sachs CEO John Corzine—who wanted to raise taxes on New Jersey citizens to help pay his former Wall Street employer for expired bonds—lost.
The question is: Will this trend continue in 2010? Can Main Street indeed triumph over Wall Street? Here in Colorado, we’ll continue to focus on the race for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Michael Bennet, an appointed senator with huge cash reserves and significant White House support. While Bennet is the candidate of Wall Street, former Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives Andrew Romanoff—who will face Bennet in a primary for the Democratic party nomination—is the candidate of Main Street.
Despite the promise of 2008, we must continue to Imagine a Great Election because our elected officials lack either the intent or the will to keep their promises to the people who put them in office. But Main Street has spoken in 2009—and the 2010 election year has officially begun.
—Sherry Seiber
KNOW THIS: The State of State Politics: Anatomy of a Campaign: New York’s 23rd District
November 2, 2009
The impact of party pressures led to a last-minute decision by a Republican candidate in upstate New York to drop out of a special election for an open seat in the U.S. Congress—and throw her support behind the Democratic contender in the race.
A Republican criticized within her own party for holding questionable views on certain social issues, Dede Scozzafava had been endorsed by powerful Republican leaders such as party national chairman Michael Steele and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. But even those endorsements failed to save her campaign.
The remaining candidates in the race are Democrat Bill Owens and Conservative Doug Hoffman. Hoffman has received local and national Republican attention from those troubled by Scossafava’s support of gay rights and abortion rights. According to a poll published today by the Siena Research Institute of Siena College, Hoffman’s lead over Owens has widened to five percentage points, with the number of undecided voters in the district doubling since Scossafava’s weekend announcement.
While President Barack Obama attended a fundraiser for candidate Bill Owens last month, Vice President Joe Biden is attending a rally in support of Owens today.
|
|