The Tuesday Night Massacre
One of the most expensive political campaigns in Utah history ended in a voucher rout. The massacre occurred statewide, with vouchers losing in all 29 counties.
In a TV interview, voucher campaign principal funder Patrick Byrne said the vote was a statewide IQ test, implying that Utahns were stupid if they didn’t support vouchers. I’d say more stubborn than stupid. Voters made up their minds early, and the consistency of voucher opposition over several months was remarkable given the monumental campaign waged to woo voters.
Among the larger counties, the vote was only close in Utah and Washington. Salt Lake County voters thrashed vouchers 2-1.
Don’t expect the victors to be magnanimous. On the contrary, Democrats and the teachers’ union will take this issue, and the momentum it has created, into the 2008 election. They will go after swing-district Republicans with a vengeance, especially in Salt Lake County. They have an electorate that is educated on this issue, plus they will have a sour national climate for Republicans, giving them their biggest opportunity in a couple of decades to make significant gains in the Legislature.
Republican leaders are going to have to admit to an epic defeat, lick their wounds, do some serious reconnoitering, and gear up for the 2008 battle. It’s going to be a doozy.
Meanwhile, the education problems that vouchers could have helped address still exist. 150,000 new students entering the system. Mediocre education performance by most students, and really bad performance by minority students. A serious funding shortage. And the best chance ever to fundamentally address those challenges lost in a tidal wave of voter opposition.
Hinckley Forum: Election Results
Dan Jones, Kirk L. Jowers, Paul Rolly, and Bryan Schott will discuss the election results this morning at 10:45 in the Hinckley Caucus Room (Room 255, Orson Spencer Hall, University of Utah).
Washington Watch
Hatch Supports Mukasey
Sen. Orrin Hatch joins "a bipartisan majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee in approving the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey to be Attorney General of the United States by a vote of 11-8" (see press release).
Matheson: $$ for Utah
Rep. Jim Matheson secures funding for Utah community health centers (see press release); Matheson secures funding for Utah water projects (press release); Matheson introduces toy safety legislation (press release).
Woodrow Wilson and the Mormons
Wilson’s call for a League of Nations divides Church leadership, some who love it and others vehemently opposed. When Wilson is reelected, thanks in part to Utah’s votes, a disappointed Joseph Fielding Smith writes in his diary, “In my judgment the Latter-day Saints show a wonderful lack of good sense in elections.” (From Mike Winder’s Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church)
Today in Political History
Nov. 7, 1874: The Republican Party is symbolized as an elephant for the first time in a cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast in Harper’s Weekly magazine. (Source: National Journal 2007 political calendar)
Nov. 7, 1916: Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes first woman to be elected to U.S. Congress. (Source: Perspicuity)
Nov. 7, 1962: Richard Nixon fails in a bid to become Governor of California and holds a press conference telling reporters, “You won’t have Nixon to kick around”. (Source: NBC5)
Nov. 7, 1972: President Richard Nixon wins a landslide re-election victory over Sen. George McGovern, carrying 49 states and 520 electoral votes. (National Journal 2007 political calendar)
Wise Words
“You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.”
-- Jeanette Rankin (Source: Brainy Quote)
Campaign Tip
Open Campaign to Bloggers
In today’s communications world, you need a pied piper. A pied piper is someone who your advocates can learn from by example. Don't delay. Get an experienced blogger with a large following to write your main weblog. You don't have time to learn. Enlist as many bloggers as you can, including independent bloggers. Invite them to your events and campaign travels. On the press bus, include people who are gathering information because they're interested in the election, people who are making their minds up, people who will ask challenging questions -- you know -- like reporters. It’s healthy to be open and accessible to independent observers, including reporters and bloggers. Sure, you can have PR people on the press bus, but you can't only have PR people. (Source: Dave Winer)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- Washington Post: Climate change is becoming a risky political issue as each of the Democratic presidential candidates embrace environmental proposals that would "require a wholesale transformation of the nation's economy and society."
-- Boston Globe: Columnist Peter S. Canellos explains why John Edwards' presidential strategy may end up helping Barack Obama.
-- The Atlantic: Columnist Andrew Sullivan explains "why Obama matters."
-- The Hill: House Republicans on Tuesday nearly forced Democratic leaders to vote on a resolution introduced by Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich to impeach Vice President Cheney.
Blog Watch
-- Jesse Harris, in a post titled "To Fellow Voucher Supporters," says: "We lost. You know what makes it worse? We deserved it. We deserve the gloating and victory dancing from the opponents. Why? Because we let PCE run a filthy low-brow campaign and we didn't do anything to stop it. So now what? Let's put this legislation to the side for a while. I know, it's really tempting to touch up the defeated bill and wheel it on out again, but we have some real work to do between now and then. We need to spend the next five years addressing all of the criticisms we faced this year."
-- Rob Miller reports on an encounter between his son Sami and former Pres. Bill Clinton at Sunday's fundraising event at the University of Utah.
Lighter Side
Favorite Headlines
(Source: James Taranto’s Best of the Web on OpinionJournal.com)
The Democratic Primary Heats Up
"Living Donkey Meat Ad Sparks Controversy"--headline, Reuters, Nov. 3
And We Thought It Was Winning Four Games
"Series' Goal Is Advancing Mideast Peace"--headline, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Nov. 5
What Happened to His Legs?
"Man Hit by Semi Walks Away With Broken Arm"--headline, Times (Munster, Ind.), Nov. 6
Look Out Below!
"School Might Drop 'Chrysler' "--headline, Detroit News, Nov. 6 |
