My view is that elections are virtual lynchings of unpopular bogey men created by demagogues and pundits out of their political opponents. People do not vote for challangers but against demonized incumbents - their vote for the oppostion is a symbolic act of witch burning - which are acts of irrational violence against personifications of evil that ignorant people belive is responsible for bad things in thier lives.
Wojtek
On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 9:40 AM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> [from Mike Allen's Daily Update]
>
> THE BLOGS, by Michael Falcone:
>
> --DEMOCRATS HAVE A 'BASE PROBLEM' -- DailyKos's Markos Moulitsas Zuniga:
> 'This is what Democrats better take from tonight: 1. If you abandon
> Democratic principles in a bid for unnecessary 'bipartisanship,' you will
> lose votes. 2. If you water down reform in favor of Blue Dogs and their
> corporate benefactors, you will lose votes. 3. If you forget why you were
> elected -- health care, financial services, energy policy and immigration
> reform -- you will lose votes. Tonight proved conclusively that we're not
> going to turn out just because you have a (D) next to your name, or because
> Obama tells us to. We'll turn out if we feel it's worth our time and effort
> to vote, and we'll work hard to make sure others turn out if you inspire us
> with bold and decisive action.'
>
> --IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CENTER -- The New Republic's John B. Judis: 'If the
> results of New York's 23rd are placed alongside those of New Jersey and
> Virginia, there is a clear lesson for the Republicans. In New Jersey and
> Virginia, the gubernatorial candidates ran to the center. ... And as a
> result, they got the swing vote of independents and moderates. In New
> York-23, a diehard conservative backed by rightwing groups repudiated the
> center and lost to a neophyte Democratic candidate who probably could not
> have beaten Scozzafava in a one-to-one contest. Democrats have reason to
> worry about candidates like McDonnell--particularly if the unemployment rate
> continues in 2010 to undermine Obama's standing among voters. That is the
> message that the Virginia election sends. But Democrats don't have to worry
> about a party dominated by Armey, Beck, Palin, and Hoffman. That is the
> message of New York's 23rd.'
>
> --'IN NY-23, CONSERVATIVES WIN' -- RedState's Erick Erickson: 'Whaaaa. . .
> ?' you say. There are two big victories at work in New York's 23rd
> Congressional District. First, the GOP now must recognize it will either
> lose without conservatives or will win with conservatives. In 2008, many
> conservatives sat home instead of voting for John McCain. Now, in NY-23,
> conservatives rallied and destroyed the Republican candidate the
> establishment chose. ... Secondly, and just as importantly, there has all of
> a sudden been a huge movement among some activists to go the third party
> route. We see in NY-23 that this is not possible as third parties are not
> viable. Third parties lack funding and ability for a host of reasons.
> Conservatives are going to have to work from within the GOP. The GOP had
> better pay attention.'
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