DAVID BRUCE COLLINS: AUTHOR, ACTIVIST, UBERISTA
  • Index
  • Blog
  • Biography
  • Writing
    • Novels in Print
    • Eastern Daylight (1997) >
      • Eastern Daylight: April
      • Eastern Daylight: May
      • Eastern Daylight: June
      • Eastern Daylight: July
      • Eastern Daylight: August
      • Eastern Daylight: September
      • Eastern Daylight: October
    • Bite-Size Hungarian
    • Latin for the End of the World
  • Politics
    • Life As a Green
    • Ten Key Values of GPUS (English)
    • Issues for 2020
  • Web Links

DBC Sez...

Green Thoughts on Alabama Special Election

14/12/2017

 

Is now an appropriate time to mention that write-ins probably cost Roy Moore the election?

Because you can't support voters having alternate choices only some of the time. pic.twitter.com/5qXTtTjpKW

— Green Party US □ (@GreenPartyUS) December 13, 2017
This is one of those posts that doesn't lend itself to coherent paragraphs or reduction to a single main idea. It's more of an Unordered List post, because I have such multi-faceted thoughts and feelings about what happened Tuesday in the state of Ala-fuckin'-bama. I'm referring, as you might guess, to the special election that Alabama held to fill the US Senate seat left vacant after the appointment of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions to the top spot in the Department of Justice (he typed while strenuously suppressing gales of laughter at seeing the words "Sessions" and "Justice" in the same sentence).

No, wait. Before giving you the bullets, I guess there is a two-part main point I'd like to make, which the bullets kind of undergird:
  1. This election demonstrates why the United States as a nation needs third parties—or, at the very least, reforms to our political and media structures to make independent candidacies more viable.
  2. This election hammered home for me how, in a two-dominant-party system such as ours, voting for a candidate based on that candidate's chances of winning perpetuates the duopoly.
And now, the post-Moore-tem brain-dump:
  • First off, Oh. My. Gawd.
  • Yes, I'm glad that Doug Jones (the guy who won conviction of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombers, not the legendary relief pitcher for the Astros) won this race.
  • I'm especially happy for some friends of mine who made phone calls or even traveled to Alabama to help with the Jones campaign.
  • I'm also happy to see People Power at work, overcoming Roy Moore and all the odiousness that he embodies, by reminding the voters of Alabama that democracy isn't something you have, but something you do.
  • I hope that this result will generate the momentum that will keep Alabama's African American population engaged in the process, aware that they have the numbers and the passion to overcome (and eventually overturn) the state's wretched record on civil and voting rights.
  • Even before the extraordinary well-timed accusations of sexual impropriety were leveled at Moore, his odiousness was well known, and a majority of Republican primary voters were OK with all of his -isms and -phobic traits. But then, primary voters, especially of the Republican ilk, tend toward ideological rigor and intense party loyalty.
Exit polling data from CNN.com, for the Alabama special senatorial election, 12 December 2017.
Exit polling data from CNN.com, for the Alabama special senatorial election, 12 December 2017.
  • The graphic that your liberal-to-progressive Facebook friends keep posting, showing exit poll numbers broken down by race and sex? Da-amn. It's no exaggeration to say that there are two Alabamas, and you know which two I mean. No disrespect intended to the 28% of white voters who punched their ticket for Jones, but almost all the rest voted for a bigoted ass-clown who may also be an ephebophile.
  • Using that word ephebophile is not going to win me any friends among people (including Green comrades) who insisted on calling Moore a pedophile, a term with much more trigger power. The jury is out on whether ephebophilia is a form of pedophilia, i.e., a pathology.
  • The following observation in no way excuses Moore or the excesses of the 1970s: Regarding what he has admitted to, pursuing and initiating sexual contact with 16-year-olds when he was a 30-something prosecuting attorney, as icky as we may consider it in the more enlightened 2010s, was considered normal male behavior in the 1970s, particularly in a state where 16 has long been the age of consent.
  • I feel the need to bathe now, inside and out.
  • Now let's address the (at least!) 22,780 Alabamians who cast write-in votes, or just under 1.7% of the vote. That is an unusually high percentage, to say the least. And yes, there were more of them than the as-yet-unofficial margin of victory for Jones.
  • As you may have seen, there were seven official write-in candidates. Seven. The wiki entry notes that only one was a Republican, but I think I saw two with (R) next to their names on Politico. One of the seven is a Libertarian, and four ran as independents.
  • The write-ins served as a safety vote for Republicans who could not in good conscience vote for Moore. (Now you can suppress that laughter, because despite appearances, Republicans with consciences do exist. A helluva lot of conscientious Republicans voted for Luther Strange in the special primary.) Did those votes make a difference? Did they make the difference? I'm inclined to say yep.
  • So any Democrat who celebrates the write-in/third-party vote making the difference in the outcome, or who even admits that it's a good thing for Democrats, is now invited to stop whining forever about Greens and other progressives stealing votes from the Democratic nominee.
  • I personally won't fault Democrats caught in a moment of cognitive dissonance on this topic for deflecting it shifting the focus to the awesome contribution of black women in this election. Give them bonus points for insisting that their party not only recognize that contribution, but (1) stop taking the African American vote for granted, (2) stop abandoning Democrats trapped in the Deep Red South, and (3) start pushing policies that benefit the poor and people of color (e.g., Medicare for All, $15 minimum wage, ending mass incarceration). (EDIT: I will admit that this paragraph was influenced by a tweet from Sen. Kamala Harris, but I reckon that my suggestions for recompense go further than hers. She said nothing about Medicare for All, for example.)
  • Speaking of Politico, why does this bozo think that Jones's supporting Obamacare would "make [Bernie] Sanders proud"? Sanders is more of a single-payer guy. Also, just as Sanders de-emphasized foreign policy in his campaign, the article contains nary a word on Jones's foreign affairs positions. He has positioned himself as a moderate who will 
  • All the noise from people and groups demanding that Jones be sworn in and seated before the Senate votes on the Trump Tax Scam (as in some email I've received) are asking a bit too much. Although the margin of victory is fairly comfortable, the various counties in Alabama likely will not complete certification of the vote until the 22nd. Senator pro tempore Strange will be able to cast that vote.
  • Yes, a Democrat winning a Senate seat in Alabama for the first time since 1992 is a historic achievement. If Jones intends to keep that seat, or to pass it along to another Democrat, the whole crew will need to campaign its collective ass off in 2020. Also, of course, the African American turnout numbers will need to be repeated or improved.
  • Moore most likely would not have lasted past 2020 either. If elected to the Senate, he would have made Alabama even more of an international embarrassment than it already is (and yes, I'm quite aware of my own state's worldwide reputation). He would have been largely ineffective, and what little he could accomplish would motivate the state's Democrats to kick his ass out at the next opportunity.
  • As Caitlin Johnstone repeatedly reminds us, the more appalling Republican nominees get, the more entitled Democrats feel to nominate Wall Street puppets and then bully Progressives into supporting those puppets because at least they're not those Wall Street puppets in the red neckties. This, in my view, is only slightly less objectionable than the Republicans who put party over principle and vote for the racist sexist homophobic Islamophobic accused ephebophile who pines for the good ol' days of chattel slavery.

I'm sure there's more, but that's enough for now.

Comments are closed.

    Blogging Sporadically since 2014

    Here you will find political campaign-related entries, as well as some about my literature, Houston underground arts, peace & justice, urban cycling, soccer, alt-religion, and other topics.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    2018
    Abby Martin
    Abortion Laws
    ACORN
    Affordable Care Act
    Ahmad Hassan
    Air Alliance Houston
    Ajamu Baraka
    Alabama
    Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
    Al Gore
    Amanda Palmer
    Amazon
    Angela Walker
    Angie Schmitt
    ANM 2020
    Annual Meeting
    Approval Voting
    Art Car Parade
    Astroworld
    Ballot Access
    Bernie Sanders
    Beto O'Rourke
    BikeHouston
    Binary Thinking
    Black Agenda Report
    #BlackLivesMatter
    Bloomsday
    B&N
    Book Review
    Borders
    Brains And Eggs
    Breast Cancer
    Brody Mulligan
    Burning Man
    Bylaws
    Caitlin Johnstone
    Caleb Alexander
    Campaign
    Campaign 2018
    Candidates' Forum
    Candidate Workshop
    Captcha
    Catastrophic Theatre
    Cenk Uygur
    Censorship
    Chelsea Manning
    Cheri Honkala
    Chicago
    Choir
    Chris Hedges
    Chris Tomlinson
    Chuck Kuffner
    City Council
    Climate Change
    Climate March
    Climate Strike
    CODEPINK
    Colin Kaepernick
    Convention
    Corporatocracy
    County Clerk
    County Convention
    County Judge
    Cover Design
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Cycling
    Dallas Morning News
    Dan Monahan
    Dario Hunter
    Darryl Cherney
    David Cobb
    David Rovics
    Death By Cop
    Death Penalty
    Debates
    Deep State
    Delilah For Texas
    #DemEnter
    #DemExit
    Demexit
    Democrat Primary
    Depression
    Detroit 2020
    Dichotomism
    Dick Dowling
    Disaffiliation
    District Conventions
    Donald Trump
    #DownticketGreens
    DSA
    Duopoly
    Dwight Boykins
    Early Voting
    Earth Day
    Earthworm
    Eastern Daylight
    Ecological Wisdom
    Economic Justice
    Ed Emmett
    Edie
    Egberto WIllies
    Eleanor Goldfield
    Election 2015
    Election 2016
    Election 2017
    Election 2018
    Election 2019
    Election 2020
    Election 2022
    Electoral College
    Elvis Costello
    Emancipation Park
    Emily Sanchez
    Emily Sanchez
    Endorsements
    Energy
    Environment
    Erika Martinez
    Extinction Rebellion
    Fascism
    Fauxcialism
    Fiction
    Film Review
    For The People Act
    Fourth Turning
    Francesca Fiorentini
    Fremont Solstice Parade
    Full Frontal
    Fundraising
    Gary Johnson
    Gary Stuard
    George Floyd
    George HW Bush
    George Lakoff
    George Reiter
    Georgia
    Gerrymandering
    Glenn Greenwald
    GPTX
    Gray Matters
    Green Convention
    #GreenEnter
    Green Maps
    Green New Deal
    Green Party
    Green Party Houston
    Greenwatch TV
    Gun Violence
    Hallucinogens
    Hal Ridley Jr.
    Harris County
    Harry Hamid
    HAUS
    HAUS Project
    HB 2504
    HCGP
    Higher Education
    Hillary Clinton
    HMS
    Homelessness
    Houston
    Houston Area Progressives
    Houston Astros
    Houston Chronicle
    Houston Dash
    Houston Dynamo
    Houston Fringe Festival
    Houston Press
    Howie Hawkins
    Hurricane Harvey
    Identity Politics
    Immigration
    Instant Runoff Voting
    Insurrection At The Capitol
    International Affairs
    Inverted Totalitarianism
    Iran
    Ireland
    IRV
    IUniverse
    James Joyce
    Janis RIchards
    Jennifer Mathieu
    Jesse Ventura
    Jill Stein
    Jimmy Dore
    Jonathan Franzen
    Jordan Chariton
    JosH Darr
    Julian Assange
    Juneteenth
    Justice
    Kenneth Kendrick
    Kenneth Mejia
    Kent Mesplay
    Keystone XL
    Key Values
    KPFT
    Krystal Ball
    Laredo
    Last Week Tonight
    Late Stage Capitalism
    Late-Stage Capitalism
    League Of Women Voters
    Lee Camp
    Legal Challenge
    Libertarian Party
    Lina Hidalgo
    Lisa Savage
    Local Democracy
    Mail-In Ballots
    Maine
    Maps Project
    #MarchForOurLives
    March For Science
    March On The Pentagon
    Marc Lamont Hill
    Margaret Flowers
    Marijuana
    Martina Salinas
    Mass Shootings
    Matching Funds
    Mayor
    MD Anderson Cancer Center
    Media
    Medicare For All
    Mental Health
    Metro
    Michael Moore
    Michael Pollan
    MJ Hegar
    Movement For A People's Party
    Mudslinging
    Music
    Naomi Klein
    NationBuilder
    Net Neutrality
    New Orleans
    New Zealand
    Nick Cooper
    NORML
    North Carolina
    Our Revolution
    Outlander
    Outreach
    Overdevelopment
    Pacifica
    Parkland FL
    Partisan Realignment
    Paul Ingmundson
    PDiddie
    Peace
    Pennsylvania
    People's Party Convention
    Platform
    Plutocracy
    PNC
    Police
    Police Brutality
    Politics Done Right
    Polls
    Poor People's Campaign
    Poverty
    Progressivism
    Proofreading
    ProPublica
    Puerto Rico
    Radicalism
    Ranked Choice Voting
    Ray Hill
    Recount 2016
    Remington Alessi
    #Resistance
    Rev. Barber
    Revolution
    Right-wing Terrorism
    Rosa Clemente
    Russiagate
    Samantha Bee
    San Antonio
    SB 2093
    School Shootings
    Scotland
    Scottish National Party
    Scott McLarty
    Sema Hernandez
    Sheila Jackson Lee
    Single Payer
    SKCM Curry
    Smart Growth
    Socialism
    Socialist Alternative
    Spoiler Effect
    Straight Party Voting
    Strauss & Howe
    Sunrise Movement
    Sylvester Turner
    Syria
    Tax Policy
    Ted Cruz
    Texas House
    Texas Leftist
    Texas Legislature
    Texas Progressive
    Texas Public Radio
    Texas Supreme Court
    Texoblogosphere
    Texpatriate
    The Intercept
    The North Star
    Third Parties
    Thom Hartmann
    Traffic
    Transit
    Transportation
    Trans Rights
    Travel
    Treason
    Trump Derangement Syndrome
    Tulsi Gabbard
    Turnout
    Ulysses
    Unitarian Universalism
    Urbanism
    US Senate
    UU
    Valarie Kaur
    Van Cliburn
    Vanessa Edwards Foster
    Vanessa Guillén
    Venezuela
    Vish
    Vision Zero
    War On Drugs
    Website
    Women's March On Pentagon
    World Beyond War
    World Cup
    World Naked Bike Ride
    Zeitgeist Movement
    Zendik

    Archives

    April 2023
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Index
  • Blog
  • Biography
  • Writing
    • Novels in Print
    • Eastern Daylight (1997) >
      • Eastern Daylight: April
      • Eastern Daylight: May
      • Eastern Daylight: June
      • Eastern Daylight: July
      • Eastern Daylight: August
      • Eastern Daylight: September
      • Eastern Daylight: October
    • Bite-Size Hungarian
    • Latin for the End of the World
  • Politics
    • Life As a Green
    • Ten Key Values of GPUS (English)
    • Issues for 2020
  • Web Links