I live in a city that has historically leaned conservative. Everyone lost their minds after COVID and our school board was overrun by candidates who were anti-mask, anti-hybrid, and anti-teacher. Their supporters have been very vocal about it since.
There were 5 seats open on our board last night. Five conservative candidates and four liberal candidates ran for those spots. All *four* liberal candidates one the least conservative of the five remaining candidates won seats. I was shocked. I honestly didn't think it would happen.
Not only did liberal candidates sweep the school board in our community - but in two neighboring communities as well.
I don't want to read to much into it, but it did give me hope.
I remember when Rick Santorum ran for President in 2012. I was looking at Iowa's Secretary of State polling results website and saw that my suburb voted for him in the primary by a WIDE margin. It was alarming.
A lot of the decisions made around here are based on "lowering taxes" even while people are screaming for help. As long as those in power say they lower taxes, that means they're doing a good job for their base.
The irony is, the economic prosperity we have here has brought a lot of people to the community that won't fall for that - or so I hope.
My neighbor library got its mileage passed - 3rd time was the charm after being national news last year due it being unfairly targeted by the anti-LGBTQ+ crowd.
I'm feeling hopeful because the "pRoTeCt ThE kIdS" crowd was pretty quiet and there's been a steady push back against the Ottawa Impact arch MAGA folks who took over local government last year as they keep overstepping. But if I've learned anything, it's "Don't get happy" and I'm committed to doing the work in 2024.
News media is propaganda. This ‘early polling’ is all scare tactics meant to defeat people from turning out since they won’t see the point. Fortunately, most millennials and gen z don’t watch or listen to traditional news sources. And I’m glad, so glad for it.
From what I have been able to find it also seems that the Moms of Liberty candidates got their asses handed to them last night on school boards. I didn't vote for Gabe in the primary, I wanted Sandra Cano to win, but happily voted for him in the general election.
I also don't know anyone who voted for Biden in 2020 who would sit out 2024, but I know a lot of self-proclaimed "progressives" who voted for Obama in 2004 and 2008 who sat out 2016 AND THEN SAT OUT 2020 EVEN AFTER FOUR YEARS OF TRUMP because they didn't get their unicorn candidate.
I have found with every single one of them, without exception, that when you actually press them on their beliefs, they're not actually all that progressive. I realize that "all the folks like this that I know personally" is still a pretty small sample size, so YMMV greatly. But my experience is that they've all been far more concerned about being on the winning side than about actually getting progressive policies implemented.
Not a satisfactory one. It was always some variation on "MY PRINCIPLES!" usually to the tune of "if we keep compromising on centrist candidates, we'll never have a truly progressive candidate/maybe we need to burn it all down so we can build up from the ashes". ALWAYS people with a lot of privilege who would survive the burning-it-all-down just fine.
Please, I’m begging everyone to tune out the polls, which we KNOW have been wrong and will continue to be wrong due mainly to two factors : MAGAs think it’s funny to lie to pollsters, and the vast number of people who don’t answer unknown phone numbers (plus those who do trend older, whiter & more conservative).
I worked on a statewide race last cycle and we drove ourselves crazy trying to reckon with the mismatch between energy/support in the field (high) and the candidate’s polling numbers (low). Turns out conservative PACs were paying for & flooding the zone with bullshit polls & media was eagerly playing along for the clicks. Guys, their brand is thoroughly and completely toxic to all but a small, LOUD minority. Continue to vote & work on behalf of progressive candidates if possible but don’t drive yourself insane about 2024 & above all, keep the faith!
Locally, Dems cleaned up. *All*, not some, *ALL* of the Moms for liberty candidate got their asses kicked. (although they still posted numbers far too high for any anti-fascists' liking)
I would have preferred newer Democrats winning, but the old guard are ok. But hey, the *imp-tastic incoherent January 6th insurrectionist for mayor, Christian Von Arx, finished with 2.34% of the vote at the very bottom of the results.
This is all well and good for Dems, but The Most Important Election of My Lifetime involved my local school board. The candidate I voted for wasn't my first choice. In fact, she was my absolute last choice. But I voted for her enthusiastically. Why?
Because if she won the school board seat, she would be forced to resign from my neighborhood's HOA, of which she is also a member. She is effectively every insane HOA leader stereotype rolled into one. Sending threatening notes about the height of grass, where trash cans are placed, what cars park in driveways, etc. Just a galactic PITA in every possible way. So the entire neighborhood went out and tried to make her the school board's problem. Alas, she finished last.
FWIW, this person isn't a book-banning Republican. In fact, she's a Democrat (which is probably why she finished last in my Central PA school district) and would have prevented a lot of insane stuff from happening. So it wasn't a totally selfish vote. But still...
Seeing good news about the Nazi Moms failing in school board elections, too. God bless!
I live in a city that has historically leaned conservative. Everyone lost their minds after COVID and our school board was overrun by candidates who were anti-mask, anti-hybrid, and anti-teacher. Their supporters have been very vocal about it since.
There were 5 seats open on our board last night. Five conservative candidates and four liberal candidates ran for those spots. All *four* liberal candidates one the least conservative of the five remaining candidates won seats. I was shocked. I honestly didn't think it would happen.
Not only did liberal candidates sweep the school board in our community - but in two neighboring communities as well.
I don't want to read to much into it, but it did give me hope.
I'm really goddamn impressed - your suburb's politics has been whack-a-doodle nuts for a long while, even before COVID.
Not wrong.
I remember when Rick Santorum ran for President in 2012. I was looking at Iowa's Secretary of State polling results website and saw that my suburb voted for him in the primary by a WIDE margin. It was alarming.
A lot of the decisions made around here are based on "lowering taxes" even while people are screaming for help. As long as those in power say they lower taxes, that means they're doing a good job for their base.
The irony is, the economic prosperity we have here has brought a lot of people to the community that won't fall for that - or so I hope.
My neighbor library got its mileage passed - 3rd time was the charm after being national news last year due it being unfairly targeted by the anti-LGBTQ+ crowd.
https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-education/west-michigan-library-defunded-over-lgbtq-books-wins-tax-support-3rd-try
I'm feeling hopeful because the "pRoTeCt ThE kIdS" crowd was pretty quiet and there's been a steady push back against the Ottawa Impact arch MAGA folks who took over local government last year as they keep overstepping. But if I've learned anything, it's "Don't get happy" and I'm committed to doing the work in 2024.
Hell yeah, hadn’t heard about this race yet! Ottawa offers a perfect lesson on what happens when these lunatics try to “govern”
News media is propaganda. This ‘early polling’ is all scare tactics meant to defeat people from turning out since they won’t see the point. Fortunately, most millennials and gen z don’t watch or listen to traditional news sources. And I’m glad, so glad for it.
From what I have been able to find it also seems that the Moms of Liberty candidates got their asses handed to them last night on school boards. I didn't vote for Gabe in the primary, I wanted Sandra Cano to win, but happily voted for him in the general election.
I also don't know anyone who voted for Biden in 2020 who would sit out 2024, but I know a lot of self-proclaimed "progressives" who voted for Obama in 2004 and 2008 who sat out 2016 AND THEN SAT OUT 2020 EVEN AFTER FOUR YEARS OF TRUMP because they didn't get their unicorn candidate.
I have found with every single one of them, without exception, that when you actually press them on their beliefs, they're not actually all that progressive. I realize that "all the folks like this that I know personally" is still a pretty small sample size, so YMMV greatly. But my experience is that they've all been far more concerned about being on the winning side than about actually getting progressive policies implemented.
Did they have a ready answer for why they'd rather let Democracy turn into fascism because their unicorn didn't appear?
Not a satisfactory one. It was always some variation on "MY PRINCIPLES!" usually to the tune of "if we keep compromising on centrist candidates, we'll never have a truly progressive candidate/maybe we need to burn it all down so we can build up from the ashes". ALWAYS people with a lot of privilege who would survive the burning-it-all-down just fine.
Are they all Libertarians? Because they sound like Libertarians.
I can tune out most groups but Libertarians are self-centered nails down a false-equivalency chalkboard.
Turns out literal book burning isn't all that popular. Go figure. Neither is telling other people what to do with their own bodies.
Please, I’m begging everyone to tune out the polls, which we KNOW have been wrong and will continue to be wrong due mainly to two factors : MAGAs think it’s funny to lie to pollsters, and the vast number of people who don’t answer unknown phone numbers (plus those who do trend older, whiter & more conservative).
I worked on a statewide race last cycle and we drove ourselves crazy trying to reckon with the mismatch between energy/support in the field (high) and the candidate’s polling numbers (low). Turns out conservative PACs were paying for & flooding the zone with bullshit polls & media was eagerly playing along for the clicks. Guys, their brand is thoroughly and completely toxic to all but a small, LOUD minority. Continue to vote & work on behalf of progressive candidates if possible but don’t drive yourself insane about 2024 & above all, keep the faith!
Don't get complacent, but don't give into the doom narrative.
This is the exact right mindset. There’s no cause for alarm yet, but there very easily could be.
Yusef Salaam won a seat on NYC Council-He was one of the 'Central Park Five' that were exonerated.
Donnie Boy ran a full page ad calling for their execution, and refused to apologize for it.
Oh, man, seriously, googling "Moms for Liberty Lose" is giving me life right now. Nazi moms, fuck off!
Turns out running on literal book burning isn't all the popular. Go figure.
St Paul, MN has an all-woman City Council with the majority being women of color. I count that as a local victory for sure.
Locally, Dems cleaned up. *All*, not some, *ALL* of the Moms for liberty candidate got their asses kicked. (although they still posted numbers far too high for any anti-fascists' liking)
I would have preferred newer Democrats winning, but the old guard are ok. But hey, the *imp-tastic incoherent January 6th insurrectionist for mayor, Christian Von Arx, finished with 2.34% of the vote at the very bottom of the results.
This is all well and good for Dems, but The Most Important Election of My Lifetime involved my local school board. The candidate I voted for wasn't my first choice. In fact, she was my absolute last choice. But I voted for her enthusiastically. Why?
Because if she won the school board seat, she would be forced to resign from my neighborhood's HOA, of which she is also a member. She is effectively every insane HOA leader stereotype rolled into one. Sending threatening notes about the height of grass, where trash cans are placed, what cars park in driveways, etc. Just a galactic PITA in every possible way. So the entire neighborhood went out and tried to make her the school board's problem. Alas, she finished last.
FWIW, this person isn't a book-banning Republican. In fact, she's a Democrat (which is probably why she finished last in my Central PA school district) and would have prevented a lot of insane stuff from happening. So it wasn't a totally selfish vote. But still...
It's almost like democracy still works when voters actually show up and vote for their interests.
#canYouPictureThatGIF
https://y.yarn.co/95bdef80-b315-4789-a3e8-97a416665c59_text.gif