2011 Election reflection

Mississippi: NO

Not a bad night for the good guys
By Will Collette

Electoral politics works in a different dimension of time and space than the rest of reality, so consider yourself duly cautioned that last night's election results may or may not have little bearing on what voters will do in the 2012 main event.

That said, last night's polling around the country was interesting and, for progressives, pretty encouraging.

Except for a scattering of local elections around our region, the 2011 off-year elections were most important in places far from our small town. Places like Mississippi and Ohio, Arizona and Maine. Kentucky and Virginia. Woonsocket.

Ohio: YES!

Linda reported last night that, with some relief, the state of Mississippi rejected a ballot initiative that would have made the moment of fertilization the moment of “personhood.” This measure would not only have banned all abortions, but many common forms of birth control and, ironically, many forms of fertility treatment.

In Ohio,voters overwhelmingly overturned an order by Republican Governor John Kasich that pretty much made it illegal for public employees to unionize.   

In Maine, voters overturned a newly passed state law and voted to retain same-day registration.

In Arizona, voters recalled the controversial Republican state representative who single-handedly bulled that state’s draconian anti-immigration law into passage.

Arizona's Russell Pierce: you're outta here!

The Commonwealth of Kentucky re-elected their Democratic Governor and then elected Democrats to hold every statewide office except Agriculture Commissioner. By contrast, the Commonwealth of Virginia became an even redder state than it was before, if that's possible.

Voters in Iowa voted to keep Democrats in control of the state Senate. 

In our region, I know Charlestown Planning Commissar Ruth Platner had a special interest in the Woonsocket election. She cited an article about an October candidates' forum where two candidates for City Council expressed their anger at the state over resistance to a Woonsocket plan to actually reduce the amount of affordable housing in the city. Incumbent Councilor Stella Brien said she would actually like to blow up some of the city's low-rent housing because there are too many kids there and they have to be educated. 

Three other right-wing candidates in Woonsocket also expressed the view that the way to economic prosperity for the tired old industrial city was to get rid of poor people. Now you can see why Ruth was so excited by this story!

Well, the Woonsocket voters have spoken. Incumbent Stella Brien was voted out of office. That's the good news. The bad news is she was replaced by her father-in-law Albert Brien who is almost as crazy on the subject of poor people as she is. And of the other three candidates who felt poor people should be kicked out of Woonsocket, two of the three won. 

But Ruth, the real bad news for you is that they plan to give Woonsocket poor people vouchers to move to Charlestown. 

Disclaimer: as in investing, when analyzing election results, past performance is no guarantee of future results.