The votes are in (Nov 2023)

[Unagi]

Abortion rights enshrined in State Constitution, in Ohio
Kentucky governor wins
Virginia state senate stays Dem.

All big Democratic wins so far.

[Smoove_B]

Also, legal recreational marijuana in OHIO. I'm still never visiting the state, but I am pleasantly surprised both of their big measures passed.

[Octavious]

If I'm reading the tea leaves right it looks like the Dems will have the house and senate in Virginia. Ouch

https://www.washingtonpost.com/election ... /#va-house

[malchior]

Per usual Santorum is wretched. How dare young people vote!

[Octavious]

Pure democracies are not a way to run a country? Awesome dude. Awesome.

[malchior]

Pure democracies are not a way to run a country? Awesome dude. Awesome.

I think he means it in the classical sense but it makes for a bad soundbite.

[El Guapo]

If I'm reading the tea leaves right it looks like the Dems will have the house and senate in Virginia. Ouch

https://www.washingtonpost.com/election ... /#va-house

Yeah, looks promising from what I'm seeing.

Also looks like the Republican governor of Mississippi is going to win reelection, but it's Mississippi, so can't be too upset about that I suppose.

[Octavious]

I'm still trying to figure out how there's a dem gov. in Kentucky AND he won a second term pretty easily. Aside from the most important position that could kill us all they aren't doing so hot.

[El Guapo]

Pure democracies are not a way to run a country? Awesome dude. Awesome.

I think he means it in the classical sense but it makes for a bad soundbite.

Oh, looking at the clip it seems to be in the context of the Ohio abortion referendum. If I understand this right (it's a 24 second clip, so not a lot of context) he's criticizing legislation by referendum. Which especially for Santorum is pretty sane.

[El Guapo]

I'm still trying to figure out how there's a dem gov. in Kentucky AND he won a second term pretty easily. Aside from the most important position that could kill us all they aren't doing so hot.

Governor is the most common government position where Democrats can win in red states and Republicans can win in blue states. Part of it (drawing in part from the Massachusetts experience) is that the dominant party frequently dominates the legislature, so voters periodically pick the other party for governor to check the legislature.

There is a Republican governor of Vermont, for example.

[Octavious]

My town had more people bitching on FB than actually showing up to vote. 19% voted. County wide it was 30%.

[Scoop20906]

If I'm reading the tea leaves right it looks like the Dems will have the house and senate in Virginia. Ouch

https://www.washingtonpost.com/election ... /#va-house

Youngkin is a sandy haired turd fraudster. When I run into the MAGA Boomers out here in Michigan and they find out I moved here from VA they loved throwing him in my face and talk about how "he had some good ideas". Whatever... I've had to blow off at least two home repair contractors because they couldn't keep in their pants after he won and not run their mouths about politics while trying to take my money. MAGAsters have two mode: Smug in your face (I'm allowed to say my dumb shit out loud now) or victimhood.

Glad VA is recognizing the danger Youngkin is.

[Octavious]

I'll be in VA on Thursday. I'll run around and high five everyone in Williamsburg.

[El Guapo]

Haha, suck it Youngkin.

[Octavious]

This made my day.

[Kraken]

The general vibe seems to be that despite the albatross of Biden's unpopularity, Democratic policies and positions are pretty popular. Or at least more popular than MAGA extremism. Also, abortion is still very much front and center in voters' priorities.

My preferred candidate is our mayor now, so Yay for that. She defeated the incumbent by 500 votes out of 9,000 cast.

[em2nought]

Stupid republicans, if democrats want to abort little future democrats let them do it.

[El Guapo]

Stupid republicans, if democrats want to abort little future democrats let them do it.

ah, useful commentary like always.

[Blackhawk]

Also, abortion is still very much front and center in voters' priorities.

Wouldn't it be ironic if RvW ended up being the final nail in the MAGA coffin?

[malchior]

I think we're past the point where losing a few elections is going to change the behavior of the GOP base. We'll see if they respect the losses or try to route around them.

[Jaymann]

I think we're past the point where losing a few elections is going to change the behavior of the GOP base. We'll see if they respect the losses or try to route around them.

The MAGAt's never lose, doncha know?

[Kasey Chang]

Pennsylvania Supreme Court open seat won by Democrat Daniel McCaffrey, giving Dems 5-2 advantage.

Philadelphian mayoral race called for Cherelle Parker (D) defeating David Oh (R)

[LordMortis]

Whatever... I've had to blow off at least two home repair contractors because they couldn't ... not run their mouths about politics while trying to take my money. MAGAsters have two mode: Smug in your face (I'm allowed to say my dumb shit out loud now) or victimhood.

This confirms my bias so it must be true, only adding there is always a tone of anger. Sadly, something that's crept in to my world and I've been struggling for a long time to rid myself of.

I've never lived in Bellville nor discussed Virginia politics with natives, but I've spent most of my life in Ypsi, Canton, and Westland, so...

[Zarathud]

I think we're past the point where losing a few elections is going to change the behavior of the GOP base. We'll see if they respect the losses or try to route around them.

The MAGAt's never lose, doncha know?

One can hope they get sick of so much (not) winning.

[YellowKing]

We only had mayor (running unopposed) and three city council seats up for grabs. But all three city council seats were won by Democrats. People are tired of this Handmaid's Tale bullshit.

[Scoop20906]

Whatever... I've had to blow off at least two home repair contractors because they couldn't ... not run their mouths about politics while trying to take my money. MAGAsters have two mode: Smug in your face (I'm allowed to say my dumb shit out loud now) or victimhood.

This confirms my bias so it must be true, only adding there is always a tone of anger. Sadly, something that's crept in to my world and I've been struggling for a long time to rid myself of.

I've never lived in Bellville nor discussed Virginia politics with natives, but I've spent most of my life in Ypsi, Canton, and Westland, so...

I've always lived around the MAGA types (Florida, Maine, Virgina, and now Michigan) my whole life but only since 2016 have they felt the need to shove their politics into inappropriate situations. I mean, if I invited you into my house to talk about repairing my window and you start "sharing" your politics in a very obvious way (almost like taunting me) then you have really forgotten how civil society should work.

[stessier]

Why do you feel it is taunting? Is there some very clear way they can know your own views? I've lived in MAGA land for a very long time and they just assume everyone believes as they do. In my experience they just expect you agree with them and they don't think they are doing anything more than discussing the weather...except it's politics.

[LordMortis]

Waiting in lines, I hear it way too often, out of nowhere, from complete strangers filling in a void.

[Octavious]

Why do you feel it is taunting? Is there some very clear way they can know your own views? I've lived in MAGA land for a very long time and they just assume everyone believes as they do. In my experience they just expect you agree with them and they don't think they are doing anything more than discussing the weather...except it's politics.

It's very much this. They think that's it common knowledge and don't think anything about flaunting it openly.

[Scoop20906]

Why do you feel it is taunting? Is there some very clear way they can know your own views? I've lived in MAGA land for a very long time and they just assume everyone believes as they do. In my experience they just expect you agree with them and they don't think they are doing anything more than discussing the weather...except it's politics.

I will admit I am incredibly triggers by their casual racism and I do my best to avoid these folks (I was at my local library a month ago and they were literally showing "2000 Mules" in one of the conference rooms to some red hats) but Stess, the tone these guys had wasn't conversational. I am in a mixed relationship so the comments only showed up after they met my wife.

[stessier]

Why do you feel it is taunting? Is there some very clear way they can know your own views? I've lived in MAGA land for a very long time and they just assume everyone believes as they do. In my experience they just expect you agree with them and they don't think they are doing anything more than discussing the weather...except it's politics.

I will admit I am incredibly triggers by their casual racism and I do my best to avoid these folks (I was at my local library a month ago and they were literally showing "2000 Mules" in one of the conference rooms to some red hats) but Stess, the tone these guys had wasn't conversational. I am in a mixed relationship so the comments only showed up after they met my wife.

For the 2000 mules thing, libraries should be free access and we don't have to agree with everything shown in the conference rooms (hard to do, I know). As for the other - ah, well, yeah - that's justifiable Hulk Smash time (figuratively - just thrown them out).

[LordMortis]

I am in a mixed relationship so the comments only showed up after they met my wife.

[hepcat]

Stupid republicans, if democrats want to abort little future democrats let them do it.

ah, useful commentary like always.

I'm still sure in the back of my mind he's a gay, black, Jewish woman from San Francisco trying to drum up anti MAGA sentiment here by just being a massive asshat on OO.

[raydude]

I'll be in VA on Thursday. I'll run around and high five everyone in Williamsburg.

I'm high fiving my wife and myself in Alexandria.

[raydude]

Stupid republicans, if democrats want to abort little future democrats let them do it.

ah, useful commentary like always.

I'm still sure in the back of my mind he's a gay, black, Jewish woman from San Francisco trying to drum up anti MAGA sentiment here by just being a massive asshat on OO.

That's a nice image to have. I still get a little upset by the anti-abortion commentary though because to me it all boils down to one message: "Women are just slutty and couldn't care less about the fetus they are aborting; therefore strong men types need to make sure they don't have a chance to abort".

[hepcat]

The joke is on our gay, black, Jewish female friend though. Republicans are more likely to force their mistresses to get abortions so they don't get outed as the frauds they are when trying to drum up evangelical support...even though most of those evangelicals are doing the same thing.

[em2nought]

The joke is on our gay, black, Jewish female friend though. Republicans are more likely to force their mistresses to get abortions so they don't get outed as the frauds they are when trying to drum up evangelical support...even though most of those evangelicals are doing the same thing.

The joke is on me. Like I said "stupid republicans". I fully support not wanting government involved in whether somebody other than me wants to treat their own creation like a tiny Hamas victim or not. We seem to be on the same side.

[hepcat]

We sure are. I'm glad you agree that you're an asshat, Mary Liebowitz.

[Holman]

Philadelphian mayoral race called for Cherelle Parker (D) defeating David Oh (R)

That race was settled at the Democratic primary. There's no way a Republican wins as Philly Mayor.

Another interesting development in Philly, though:

City Council contains 10 members elected by regions of the city and seven at-large members who run city-wide. Per the city charter, the majority party (Dems) can only put forth five candidates for those seven at-large seats. This has always meant that GOP has two seats on city council, and there has always been a fairly cozy (and often anti-progressive) relationship between the city's Democratic machine and the GOP.

Last night, though, both GOP candidates for the at-large seats lost to candidates from the left/progressive Working Families Party. This is going to change things. (Quite a few ward-level Democratic operatives worked to GOTV for the WFP candidates. I have it from reliable sources that the long-time Democratic leadership is pissed as hell about this.)