Winning Progressive

For this weekend’s reading list, we have articles on strategy for liberals, government subsidies to corporations, how John McCain never really was an independent maverick, the steps needed to improve service sector jobs, and how Bush v. Gore played a role in stopping the GOP’s voter suppression efforts in 2012.

A Strategic Plan for Liberals – a collection of essays from leading liberals about how we can build more political power and move the country to the left over the coming years and decades.

As Companies Seek Tax Deals, Governments Pay High Price - an in-depth investigative report by the New York Times about the approximately $80 billion per year that state and local governments spend in corporate subsidies in a desperate attempt to lure businesses away from other communities. The article includes an interesting interactive map of the subsidies, and a video report about the costly subsidies battle between Kansas and Missouri over businesses located in the Kansas City area.

The Man Who Never Was – as Senator John McCain (R-AZ) continues his outlandish battle against Susan Rice, this 2010 article reminds us that it is questionable whether the independent maverick that many people view McCain as ever really existed.

Economic Recovery and Social Investment - a report detailing various steps that need to be taken to transform the service sector of our economy into one that provides good jobs.

The 2012 Voting Wars, Judicial Backstops, and the Resurrection of Bush v. Gore – a law review article on the legal battles regarding the GOP’s voter suppression efforts and how the Supreme Court’s infamous Bush v. Gore decision was relied on by courts to find such efforts unconstitutional.

(By Joanne Boyer, cross-posted at Wisdom Voices)

It’s taken me a few days to just drink in the beauty of what happened here in Minnesota on Election Day 2012.  Lost in all the (legitimate) whoops and hollers of joy that resonated nation-wide, we here in Minnesota did something amazing.

Not only did we turn back a constitutional amendment on defining marriage as between one man and one woman, we romped and stomped on the “voter ID” amendment that was put on our ballot by a Republican legislator who is the Minnesota chairperson of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).  That measure is nothing short of a victory of, by and for the people.  Never have I seen such hard work by a group called Our Vote/Our Future.  Minnesotans could never repay the debt of gratitude that is owed them.

This “voter ID” constitutional amendment started out at an 80 percent approval rating when it was first “introduced.”  Down the homestretch, this fabulous organization worked its collective butt off – hundreds of thousands of phone calls, door knocking, organizing and never, ever giving up hope that this horrible amendment could be defeated.

By the weekend before the election, the favorable rating for the “voter ID” amendment had dropped from 80 percent approval to 46 percent approval and it failed when Minnesotans went out and voted it down.

And as great as the work of one organization was, the individual work of former Republican Governor Arne Carlson cannot go unrecognized.  He was relentless in his efforts to educate Minnesotans about what this voter suppression was all about.  He traversed the state and gave unselfishly of his time and energy.

The individual and group efforts reminded me of something Sister Simone Campbell (Nuns on the Bus) said during an interview with us earlier this summer.

“I had a meeting with Paul Ryan, and he said the only reason he talks about individual responsibility and not about community is because the ‘other side’ talks about community,” Sister Simone said.  “But you see, I can talk about individual responsibility. We have an individual responsibility to build up community.  We are in relationship with everyone else. That’s how it works.”

Boy, did we prove that here in Minnesota.

They think we’re stupid!

The declaration that Republican resistance to immigration reform alienated Latino voters merely scratches the surface of the reason the Republicans lost the election.

The delegitimizing and criminalizing narratives about President Obama and Latino “immigrants” reflected not only a politic of contempt, denunciation, and fear-mongering, but furthered the idea of some whites that no one has a right to live within these borders but them…”this is our country”… “let’s take our country back”.

Republicans wagered that they could indeed “take the country back” with “white only” votes and could therefore afford to marginalize and demonize every minority in the country.  It was calculated and deliberate….a southern strategy on steroids meant to inflame the passions of whites, alienate people of color and divide the country along racial lines.

It didn’t matter to Republicans that the insults and disregard they show the African-American president translates to all people of color.  But people of color throughout the nation were witnessing their  insults and wondering, if they choose to be openly and deliberately disrespectful to the man who holds the highest office in the world, what do they think of me?  If they will fight so fiercely to see that the president fails, how much success do they want for me?  If they believe the leader of the free world is a lazy “retard”, what do they think of my efforts?  If they are willing to sabotage the country in order to see him fail, what roadblocks will they erect for me?

Still others blame Republican losses on the dismissal of women’s issues and the “distraction” from the economy.  No doubt it was an element of their defeat, as well.  As they enacted laws to restrict and govern the reproductive rights of women, it became clear, their aims had little to do with “the sanctity of life”.

In fact, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) cited the real reason Republicans are against contraceptives,

“….Preventing babies from being born is not medicine….. that’s not constructive to our culture and our civilization. If we let our birth rate get down below replacement rate we’re a dying civilization.”

Republicans lost because they indulged in fear-mongering, believing America is so racially divided they could stoke those divisions  and “win back America” by dividing it even further.  They tried to disenfranchise minorities and poor whites with voter ID laws, gerrymandering, purging and every dirty trick they could devise. They’ve tried these tactics before.  Apparently, they forgot there have always been whites who locked arms with minorities to fight for the rights of “all” people.

Republicans lost because of their misguided views about science and climate change; because of their desire to withhold medical access to  millions of Americans.  They lost because they mock and demonize homosexuals.  They lost because they ran up the debt and  then refused to help fix it.  They lost because they laid off workers across the country, then spent four years yelling about the unemployment rate.  They lost because they protect the right of corporations to ship jobs overseas and dock their American-made profits there, as well.  They lost because they lie to the American people.  They lost because they think the electorate is stupid and they insult our intelligence.  They lost because the electorate is not for sale.

They lost because there really is such a thing as divine retribution.  How many votes were lost to illegitimate purging, registrations that were destroyed, thrown away, altered or unrecorded?  How many voters were rejected for lack of picture identification when none was required, or because voters names were left off the rolls?  How many votes were lost because people couldn’t wait in 8 hour lines because they had to report to work, pick a child up from school or the sitter?  How many votes were lost because of malfunctioning or broken equipment?  How many provisional and absentee ballots did they throw away or simply fail to count?   And the still lost!

There is no doubt in my mind President Obama won reelection by a vote tally that far exceeded 3 million.  They know it too.  They cheated so much, I can’t help but wonder, if in Minnesota where the electorate voted for a Democratic government and chose to reelect President Obama, loud-mouth, mendacious Michele Bachmann really won.

The only thing more amazing than the Republican miscalculation about “white power”, is their idea that they can now win back votes by merely flip-flopping overnight on the views they have espoused for the last five years.  But that alone will not heal the damage they have done, nor will supporting legislation they have disparaged for so long.  It will not change the minds of millions who were dishonored by their tactics.  This isn’t just a case of what they say or do…it is about what they believe.

For this weekend’s reading list we have articles on the impacts of voter suppression efforts, election victories for working families, Romney’s failed GOTV effort, how tax cuts provide little boost to economic growth, and George McGovern’s grassroots Presidential campaign in 1972.

A Victory Over Suppression - an essay on how last Tuesday’s election results demonstrated that the GOP’s voter suppression efforts failed to achieve their goal of stealing the election, but still hindered many people from exercising their right to vote.

What Election 2012 Means for America’s Working Families – a report from the AFSCME union detailing the significant victories that working families achieved at the federal, state, and local levels in the 2012 elections.

The Unmitigated Disaster Known as Project ORCA – a conservative blogger provides an insider account of the colossal failure that was the Romney campaign’s GOTV effort.

Multiple CRS Reports Show That Ending Tax Cuts for the Rich Will Not Harm Economic Growth - an overview of a series of studies from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service finding that reduced marginal tax rates and capital gains tax cuts have little correlation to economic growth, and that tax cuts are the least efficient policies for maintaining economic recovery.

McGovern ’72: An Oral History – insiders reflect on the grassroots Presidential campaign of George McGovern in 1972.

For this weekend’s reading, we have the New Yorker’s endorsement of President Obama, interviews with our President, the threat GOP obstructionism poses to our democracy, and a profile of the man behind their voter suppression efforts

The Choice – The New Yorker magazine’s comprehensive and compelling endorsement of re-electing President Obama.

Obama and the Road Ahead: The Rolling Stone Interview – a wide-ranging interview of President Obama about his thoughts on the campaign, what he would do with a second term, Multiple Choice Mitt’s constantly changing views, and how Ayn Rand’s writings are not emblematic of “what’s best in America.”

Dear Republican Friends – A great explanation of why anyone who cares about our democracy should use their vote to reject the GOP’s cynical obstructionism of the past 4 years.

President Obama Releases Transcript of Register Interview – the transcript of President Obama’s initially off the record interview with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register.

Who Created the Voter-Fraud Myth? – a profile of Hans von Spakovsky, who has been a front line leader of conservative efforts to suppress voter turnout in Democratic areas.

For this weekend’s reading list we have articles on the Obama vs. Romney Supreme Court, True the Vote, rebuilding the middle class, guns and reducing crime in big cities, and dealing with climate change.

An Obama Supreme Court Versus a Romney High Court – a report evaluating the potential impacts of November’s Presidential election on the future of the Supreme Court and the critical economic and social issues that the Court will likely face over the next years and decades.

A Reading Guide to True the Vote - an overview and collection of articles about True the Vote, the right-wing, tea party aligned organization that is promising to have 1 million poll watchers interfering with people’s right to vote this November.

10 Ways to Rebuild the Middle Class For Hardworking Americans – a report on raising the minimum wage, protecting union rights, stopping wage theft, making workplaces family friendly, and other steps that are key to restoring the middle class in the US.

Our Romance With Guns – a review of three books discussing our nation’s obsessions with guns and and the strategies that cities have taken to reduce gun violence.

In a Climate-Crazed World, How Can We Plan for the Future? – an essay about the challenges of taking action today to address future problems, such as climate change, that have uncertain ramifications, timing, etc.