Top Stories Tuesday 12 Nov
Daily Kos thinks of California as the Democrats’ Fortress of Solitude,
several people disagree in the comments:
The Democrats took the governorship despite having one of the most ethically challenged governors in the nation. They also took every single statewide office and the state’s new congressional district. Democrats dominate the state’s Congressional delegation 33-20, have both Senators, and control the state legislature by wide margins.
And how did they do it? Not by coddling President Bush or running to the right. But by pushing a solid progressive agenda.
Nathan Newman considers the implications
of the campaign strategy used to save bilingual education in Colorado:
Instead of merely playing defense with appeals to the good faith of anglo voters, the No side stooped to hitting their fears.
This is a tough story for progressives to ponder, where even I as an arch-pragmatist don’t like all the implications.
But the core strategic insight is more positively that many of the bad policies targetted at the poor and people of color also potentially disrupt the lives of the white majority in most states. And when you want to win and have limited resources in a campaign, targetting the fears of that white majority may be more effective than appealing to their better nature, at least when it comes to the simplicity of message allowed in advertising wars.