Re: [xmca] election day

[Carol Macdonald <carolmacdon@gmail.com>]

Helena,
Like Andy, I am fascinated on the issues that are affected.  It's great to
hear all that good news.
Carol


On 9 November 2012 02:13, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:

> Thanks for that Helena. The coverage in Australia has been 99% focussed on
> the Presidential issue. Most people would be unaware of there even being
> other matters being voted on. It is really good to hear so much positive
> news. There is hope for the world yet!
>
> andy
>
>
> Helena Worthen wrote:
>
>> Andy, et al -
>>
>> Here is a good summary of what happened overall. Biggest news for us in
>> California is passage of Prop 30, "The Millionaire's Tax."   -- Helena
>> Worthen
>>
>> Rack `Em Up - Progressive Victories from Coast to Coast
>>
>> By Think Progress War Room
>>
>> November 7, 2012
>> Center for American Progress Action Fund
>>
>> http://thinkprogress.org/**election/issue/<http://thinkprogress.org/election/issue/>
>>
>> Progressive Victories from Coast to Coast
>>
>> While re-electing President Obama is obviously very good news
>> for progressives, so much more happened to bring progressive
>> change to communities across America. These victories are
>> further evidence of an emerging progressive majority in this
>> country that will help take us forward as we all fight for
>> change in ways large and small.
>>
>> Here's the rundown of some of last night's winners and losers.
>>
>> WINNERS
>>
>>     * The Facts: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan tried to run a
>>     post-truth campaign that was fact free, deceptive, and
>>     insulting to voters. They paid a heavy price for their
>>     false claims about the auto industry in Ohio. Nationally,
>>     voters affirmed that facts and a candidate's policy
>>     positions do matter.
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/**11/01/opinion/mitt-romney-**
>> versus-the-automakers<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/opinion/mitt-romney-versus-the-automakers>
>> .html
>>
>>     * The Middle Class: Voters supported a president who will
>>     make the investments in the middle class that we need to
>>     create jobs now and grow the economy over the long-term.
>>     President Obama will redouble his efforts to create an
>>     economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
>>
>>     * Equality: For the first time in history, voters embraced
>>     marriage equality at the ballot box - and not just once.
>>     In Maryland, Maine, and Washington state, voters approved
>>     marriage equality referenda. In Minnesota, an effort to
>>     ban same sex marriage was defeated. Wisconsin Rep. Tammy
>>     Baldwin is also the first openly gay person elected to the
>>     Senate; the person who won the House seat she vacated is
>>     also openly gay. Nationally, voters rejected the most
>>     anti-immigrant presidential ticket in history. In
>>     Maryland, voters approved a state-level version of the
>>     DREAM Act.
>>
>>     * Women: In addition to defeating a ticket that threatened
>>     women's health and economic security, a record number of
>>     women were voted into office. The Senate will have a
>>     record 20 women and the House will have at least 77, also
>>     a record.
>> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/**2012/11/07/women-in-politics-**
>> break-records-20<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/women-in-politics-break-records-20>
>> 12-election_n_2088954.html
>>
>>     * Pot: Voters in Washington state and Colorado both
>>     legalized the recreational use of marijuana, though it
>>     remains a federal crime.
>> http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-**250_162-57546495/justice-**
>> department-drug-laws-r<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57546495/justice-department-drug-laws-r>
>> emain-unchanged-following-**passage-of-marijuana-ballot-**initiatives/
>>
>>     * New Hampshire: The state elected progressive champions
>>     Anne Kuster and Carol Shea Porter to the House and will be
>>     the first state to send an all-female House and Senate
>>     delegation to Washington. Democrats also seized control of
>>     the New Hampshire House back from the Tea Party extremists
>>     who seized control of it in 2010.
>>
>>     * Maine: Democrats wrested control of both the Maine House
>>     and Senate back from extreme right-wing Republicans who
>>     spent the past two years pursuing attacks on voting and
>>     unions, among other things.
>>
>>     * Minnesota: Democrats won back control of both the
>>     Minnesota House and Senate. Republicans forced a
>>     government shutdown last year because they refused to
>>     raise taxes on the wealthy to close a budget gap, even
>>     though Minnesota's wealthy pay a lower tax rate than
>>     everyone else in the state. The new majorities should be
>>     able to work with Gov. Mark Dayton (D) to create a more
>>     progressive budget.
>> http://www.minnpost.com/**politics-policy/2011/03/study-**
>> finds-minnesotas-tax-<http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2011/03/study-finds-minnesotas-tax->
>> system-still-regressive
>>
>>     Minnesotans also rejected a constitutional amendment that
>>     would have instituted Voter ID in the state. It had been
>>     expected to pass.
>> http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/**index.php/Minnesota_Voter_**
>> Identification_Amendm<http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Minnesota_Voter_Identification_Amendm>
>> ent,_Amendment_2_(2012)
>>
>>     * Michigan: The state's voters repealed an "Emergency
>>     Manager" law that allowed the governor to seize control of
>>     cities from their democratically-elected representatives
>>     and put an unelected emergency manager with sweeping
>>     powers in complete control. The law is most often applied
>>     to communities with high minority populations.
>> http://www.freep.com/article/**20121107/NEWS06/121107011/**
>> Snyder-Voter-confusi<http://www.freep.com/article/20121107/NEWS06/121107011/Snyder-Voter-confusi>
>> on-helped-defeat-emergency-**manager-law
>>     Voters also rejected a measure that would've crippled the
>>     state legislature by requiring a 2/3 majority to raise
>>     taxes.
>> http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/**index.php/Michigan_Taxation_**
>> Amendment,_Proposal<http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Michigan_Taxation_Amendment,_Proposal>
>> _5_(2012)
>>
>>     * Iowa: Democrats maintained control of the Iowa State
>>     Senate, meaning they can continue to stop attacks on
>>     marriage equality, women's health, and unions from the the
>>     Republican-controlled House and Gov. Terry Branstad (R).
>>     Iowans also rejected the latest effort by anti-gay
>>     Christian conservatives to remove a justice from the Iowa
>>     Supreme Court merely because he had joined the court's
>>     unanimous decision in favor of marriage equality. Three
>>     other justices were successfully removed in 2010.
>> http://www.desmoinesregister.**com/article/20121106/NEWS09/**
>> 311070016/Voters-r<http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20121106/NEWS09/311070016/Voters-r>
>> etain-Justice-David-Wiggins
>>
>>     * Colorado: Democrats seized control of the Colorado State
>>     House and will install the first openly gay Speaker of the
>>     House. The current Republican Speaker blocked
>>     consideration of a civil unions bill even though it had
>>     the votes to pass.
>>
>>     * California: Progressive change happened in a big way in
>>     one of the nation's most progressive states. Yesterday,
>>     voters:
>>
>>         * Approved a tax increase on households making over
>>         $250,000 in order to fund education and help reduce
>>         the state's perpetual budget deficit.
>> http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/**index.php/California_**
>> Proposition_30,_Sales_and_<http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_30,_Sales_and_>
>> Income_Tax_Increase_(2012)
>>
>>         * Reformed the state's corporate tax code in order to
>>         create billions in new revenue for clean energy.
>> http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/**index.php/California_**
>> Proposition_39,_Income_Tax<http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_39,_Income_Tax>
>> _Increase_for_Multistate_**Businesses_(2012)
>>
>>         * Modified the state's "Three Strikes" law so that
>>         most non-violent or non-serious third offenses don't
>>         automatically result in a life sentence. A similar
>>         initiative failed by almost six points in 2004, while
>>         yesterday's initiative passed by more than 35 points.
>> http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/**index.php/California_**
>> Proposition_36,_Changes_in<http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_36,_Changes_in>
>> _the_%22Three_Strikes%22_Law_(**2012)
>>
>>         * Rejected a right-wing effort to severely limit the
>>         political activities of labor unions. Just days before
>>         the election,
>> http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/**index.php/California_**
>> Proposition_32,_the_%22Pay<http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_32,_the_%22Pay>
>> check_Protection%22_**Initiative_(2012)
>>
>>         the initiative's backers revealed that they broke the
>>         law by laundering $11 MILLION in contributions through
>>         out-of-state groups linked to the Koch Brothers.
>> http://www.thenation.com/blog/**171055/could-attorney-general-**
>> kamala-harris-t<http://www.thenation.com/blog/171055/could-attorney-general-kamala-harris-t>
>> urn-tide-dark-money
>>
>>         * Gave Democrats a supermajority in both the
>>         California Assembly and Senate, meaning Democrats can
>>         finally overcome the 2/3 vote requirement needed to
>>         raise taxes and make California governable and
>>         solvent. Republicans have consistently blocked tax
>>         increases, forcing governors to put any tax increase
>>         before voters.
>> http://www.sfgate.com/**politics/article/Democrats-**
>> get-supermajority-in-Legis<http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Democrats-get-supermajority-in-Legis>
>> lature-4015861.php
>>
>> LOSERS
>>
>>     * Tea Party Extremists: Voters tossed out some of the most
>>     extreme voices in the U.S. House, including Joe Walsh,
>>     Allen West, and Chip Cravaack. Michele Bachmann very
>>     narrowly avoided defeat in her heavily-Republican
>>     district.
>>
>>     * GOP Candidates Who Made Offensive Comments About Rape:
>>     From Todd Akin to Richard Mourdock to Linda McMahon, all
>>     of the Republican candidates who made outrageous comments
>>     about rape in recent weeks lost.
>> http://thinkprogress.org/**health/2012/11/07/1155211/**
>> rape-gaffes-lose-electio<http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/07/1155211/rape-gaffes-lose-electio>
>> ns/
>>
>>     * Grover Norquist: Signing the Washington lobbyist's
>>     infamous pledge to never raise taxes became an anchor for
>>     many candidates.
>> http://thinkprogress.org/**economy/2012/11/07/1159241/**
>> grover-norquist-pledge-<http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/11/07/1159241/grover-norquist-pledge->
>> albatross-vulnerable-**candidates/
>>
>>     * GOP Donors: They donated billions, much of it to Super
>>     PACs and secret money groups, in order to defeat President
>>     Obama and Democratic Senate candidates. Polluter-backed
>>     groups alone dumped $270 MILLION in TV ads during just the
>>     final 8 weeks of the election. It didn't work.
>> http://www.**americanprogressaction.org/**issues/green/news/2012/11/07/**
>> 44116/bi<http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/green/news/2012/11/07/44116/bi>
>> g-polluters-big-ad-spending-**in-the-2012-elections/
>>
>>     * Our Voting System: Voters across the country faced
>>     almost unprecedented obstacles to casting a ballot.
>>     Conservatives did nearly anything possible - legal and
>>     otherwise - to keep people, particularly young people and
>>     minorities, from voting. Early voting was curtailed,
>>     onerous photo ID requirements were put in place, voter
>>     registration was made more difficult, technical changes
>>     meant to disqualify more ballots were implemented, dirty
>>     tricks were employed, and the list goes on. The net result
>>     was that tens of millions of Americans faced long lines
>>     and other hurdles when attempting to exercise one of their
>>     most basic rights. Millions more who might otherwise have
>>     voted didn't vote at all.
>>
>>     * Ending Medicare, Slashing Taxes on the Wealthy: By
>>     selecting Rep. Paul Ryan (R) as his running mate, Mitt
>>     Romney put the GOP plan to end Medicare as we know it in
>>     order to slash taxes on the wealthy front and center on
>>     the ballot. Voters rejected these plans and the GOP should
>>     drop them once and for all.
>>
>>     * The Residents of Michigan's 11th Congressional District:
>>     They elected a man who actually believes he is Santa Claus
>>     to represent them in Congress.
>> http://thinkprogress.org/**election/2012/10/15/1017371/**
>> michigan-congressional<http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/10/15/1017371/michigan-congressional>
>> -candidate-thinks-he-is-santa-**claus/
>>
>> THINKPROGRESS - Center for American Progress Action Fund
>> 1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor | Washington, DC 20005
>> http://thinkprogress.org <http://thinkprogress.org/>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> On 11/7/12 5:44 PM, "Andy Blunden" <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> Yes, in Australia we get blanket coverage of the US *Presidential*
>>> Elections. Day in and day out we are lectured on the subtleties of the
>>> Electoral College system, the practice of eliminating voters from the
>>> register, the negative advertisements, etc., but there is precious
>>> little coverage of the myriad of other posts being filled and
>>> plebiscites being decided. We heard about the two advocates of God's
>>> work losing their seats, and a couple of notable new Congress-people
>>> (the first openly gay woman elected to Congress I believe?) but
>>> absolutely nothing of the issues which affect Americans such as you
>>> mention.
>>>
>>> Andy
>>>
>>> mike cole wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Peg is one of those who put the rest of her life on hold and walked the
>>>> walk in the "battleground" states, Andy. California was not in play
>>>> nationally. But locally, the University and education system in general
>>>> was
>>>> saved a terrible blood bath by a slim margin vote on a state-wide
>>>> initiative, so you can be sure there is relief all around.
>>>>
>>>> But yes, the popular vote is split and the problems have not been
>>>> solved.
>>>>
>>>> mike
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 8:02 AM, Peg Griffin <peg.griffin@att.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I keep learning that we have a country that's full of people worth the
>>>>> work that we all keep trying to do over and over again until we
>>>>> finally get
>>>>> it a little closer to right!
>>>>>
>>>>> Let's internationally join virtual hands of of "arguers," workers,
>>>>> canvassers, phone bankers, celebrators so we can pick each other up and
>>>>> figure out  "forward."  Remember, we've only been at it for a couple of
>>>>> hundred years in our country -- we can use the help!
>>>>> Peg
>>>>>
>>>>> --- On Wed, 11/7/12, Leif Strandberg <leifstrandberg.ab@telia.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> From: Leif Strandberg <leifstrandberg.ab@telia.com>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [xmca] election day
>>>>> To: ablunden@mira.net, "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <
>>>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
>>>>> Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2012, 2:52 AM
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Congratulations to the people of UNITED States of America
>>>>>
>>>>> and... FORWARD
>>>>>
>>>>> Leif
>>>>> Sweden
>>>>> 7 nov 2012 kl. 05.54 skrev Andy Blunden:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> You did a fantastic job getting those votes out Mike.
>>>>>> Andy
>>>>>>
>>>>>> mike cole wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> For those of you in the US but busy during work hours.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> A major need on election day is for volunteers to go around to check
>>>>>>> on
>>>>>>> people who have not voted by about 4pm, knock on doors, take them to
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> polls if
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> necessary. The Cole family is planning to do this and it occurred to
>>>>>>> me
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> that perhaps some of you would want to contact your local campaign
>>>>> office
>>>>> which will be very glad to hear from you. The outcome, methinks,
>>>>> matters to
>>>>> my children and grandchildren.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> mike
>>>>>>> ______________________________**____________
>>>>>>> _____
>>>>>>> xmca mailing list
>>>>>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>>>>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/**listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------**------------------------------**
>>>>> ------------
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> *Andy Blunden*
>>>>>> Home Page: http://home.mira.net/~andy/
>>>>>> Book: http://www.brill.nl/concepts
>>>>>> http://ucsd.academia.edu/**AndyBlunden<http://ucsd.academia.edu/AndyBlunden>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ______________________________**____________
>>>>>> _____
>>>>>> xmca mailing list
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> ______________________________**____________
>>>>> _____
>>>>> xmca mailing list
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>>>>> ______________________________**____________
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> ______________________________**____________
>>>> _____
>>>> xmca mailing list
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> --
>>> ------------------------------**------------------------------**
>>> ------------
>>> *Andy Blunden*
>>> Home Page: http://home.mira.net/~andy/
>>> Book: http://www.brill.nl/concepts
>>> http://ucsd.academia.edu/**AndyBlunden<http://ucsd.academia.edu/AndyBlunden>
>>>
>>> ______________________________**____________
>>> _____
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>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> ------------------------------**------------------------------**
> ------------
> *Andy Blunden*
> Home Page: http://home.mira.net/~andy/
> Book: http://www.brill.nl/concepts
> http://ucsd.academia.edu/**AndyBlunden<http://ucsd.academia.edu/AndyBlunden>
>
> ______________________________**____________
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-- 
 Sessional Teacher: Wits School of Languages
Honorary Research Fellow: Department of Linguistics, Unisa
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