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November 8, 2006
Well I'm back.
Now that the local elections are over, I can get back into the swing of blogging. I'd love to tell you something about the state of things locally, but honestly there are too many absentee ballots out there to make any definitive comments about things. So any statement about such things would be purely speculative.
I will make the following comment, the Democratic party in District 31 is in serious trouble. With a two to one advantage in absentee ballots for the Republicans, my gut tells me that we've likely lost more than we had before. While I won't concede anything until the last vote is counted, its speaks volumes that in such a positive national climate for Democrats, that there seemed to be no capitalization of that climate for local Democrats. This disconnection is because of a lack of serious voter outreach and the lack of a real campaign structure.
I think one of the important activities I will be spending my next 4 years working on is fixing a lot of these systemic problem. I ran on a platform of change and I think we've gotten the proof that the change I've been suggesting is required. Unfortunately sometimes you have realize that to save the patient you have to cut loose diseased and damaged parts of the body, even if you think you need them to keep the patient alive. I'm sure that this will sound harsh and cruel to the old guard, but this election removes all doubt that the old ways are a complete and utter failure.
The statewide races on the other hand are outside the margins of the absentee vote count. Ehrlich seems to be holding out hope that he's going to win upwards of 80% of the absentee ballot vote, and that's before one of the most Democratic Counties in the state has posted it's returns. While theoretically possible, the reality is that the absentee ballot registrations suggest that he's desperately holding onto a pipe dream of victory. It's baffling that a guy the spent 4 years doing nothing but shilling for the corrupt corporate interests and attempting to undermine the future of the state, thought that the voters were somehow unaware of this fact. I know Republicans are strong believers in the Big Lie theory, but Americans are just not that stupid folks. If your only legislative success that you build your campaign around are because the legislature overrode your vetoes, that's not really a record you can hang your hat on dude. 20 million bucks can buy you the best spin on the planet, but it doesn't make people any dumber.
I'm reserving judgement on the Senate race until I see the Prince George's County returns. To win Steele would have to get 103% of the absentee ballots cast in his favor as things stand now. So for it to be in the realm of possibility, Steele would have to sweep Prince George's County. I'm not holding my breath on that happening, but that's what it would take. The other problem for the Republicans is that absentee ballots at the statewide level are split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans. Which harms both Ehrlich and Steele's chances of getting a victory from the absentee ballots.
That's where we stand this morning in Maryland. Except for locally, I think it appears that we've done a great job on the ground of GOTV. I'm proud of my part to make all that happen. Over the last few weeks I've been going seemingly non-stop to campaign events, canvassing, phone banking and fundraisers. I'm ready to spend a few days relaxing and shaking off the last month worth of effort.
The reality for me is that I now have to get to my real job, which is planning for 2008 and Democratic victory for our Presidential Candidate. The GOP's voter suppression plans need to have counteractions planned, the 2010 Legislative elections need to start being planned. Candidates need to be picked and groomed for success. A lot of work is left to be done, hopefully I will be able to turn over to my successor a DCC with a better plan than was turned over to me.
Posted by Jamison at November 8, 2006 6:23 AM
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Comments
Jamison. Good talking with you last night. Did I call the race or what?
Posted by: Jimmy at November 9, 2006 4:05 AM
You definitely called quite a few races on Election night! I'm curious to see how right you are about the local races. How long are they thinking it's going to take to count the absentee ballots?
Posted by: Jamison at November 9, 2006 9:31 AM