The Myth of the 2006 Elections

[Conan]

As I hear pundits on TV or in the news, they are saying that dems only won because we ran conservative candidates. Not true,

Senate:

Webb - Liberal/Moderate
McCaskill - Liberal
Tester - Liberal (Possibly the most liberal pickup)
Brown - Liberal
Whitehouse - Liberal
Casey - Moderate

House:

Donnelly -Social Conservative *
Ellsworth - Social Conservative *
Hill - Socially Moderate

Yarmuth - Liberal

Braley - Liberal
Loebsack - Liberal

Boyda - Liberal

Walz - Liberal

Mitchell - Liberal
Giffords - Liberal

McNerney - Liberal

Perlmutter - Liberal

Kagen - Liberal

Mahoney - *
Klein - Liberal

Shuler - Social Conservative *

Space - Liberal *

Altmire - Moderate *
Sestak - Liberal
Murphy - Liberal
Carney - Liberal/Moderate

Hall - Liberal
Gillibrand - Liberal*
Arcuri - Liberal

Courtney - Liberal
Murphy - Liberal

Shea-Porter - Liberal
Hodes - Liberal

Lampson - Moderate/Conservative

24 out of 28 are liberals or moderates
4/28 are social conservatives
*need more research

More elections are yet to be decided

Senate:
All are liberal/mod mostly liberal

[gorkay]

They're only saying that on Fox News. Most of the candidates in both parties were more moderate this year.

[Verily]

Boyda is decidedly liberal.

[Conan]

They're only saying that on Fox News. Most of the candidates in both parties were more moderate this year.

They had some pundits, I guess mostly the conservative ones and then they have their anchors repeat it. I have gone over the positions of all of those candidates and the ones that dont have * by their name are what i have next to them. Most are liberal, some moderates, very few conservatives.

Boyda is decidedly liberal.

Nice to know. Can't find any positions that would make me def on that though.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

What matters isn't so much their own personal views, as the views of their constituents.

[Conan]

What matters isn't so much their own personal views, as the views of their constituents.

Their constituents elected them on the positions they took. Therefore those are the views of the constituents.

[TX_1824]

I already said this, but I'll mention it again. I think this vote was more about not voting for Republicans than it was casting a vote for Democrats. Much like what happened in Canada.

[Sam Spade]

What matters isn't so much their own personal views, as the views of their constituents.

Their constituents elected them on the positions they took. Therefore those are the views of the constituents.

Definitely comedy goldmine material here...

[Beet]

What matters isn't so much their own personal views, as the views of their constituents.

Their constituents elected them on the positions they took. Therefore those are the views of the constituents.

Definitely comedy goldmine material here...

Technically, both Al and conan could be right. Electorates may not be as well-defined as some prognosticators would label them.

[Verily]

Boyda is decidedly liberal.

Nice to know. Can't find any positions that would make me def on that though.

Let's put it this way: she ran in Kansas and her website makes no mention of any social issue. That means pro-choice, probably pro-civil unions if not marriage, etc.

[Sam Spade]

What matters isn't so much their own personal views, as the views of their constituents.

Their constituents elected them on the positions they took. Therefore those are the views of the constituents.

Definitely comedy goldmine material here...

Technically, both Al and conan could be right. Electorates may not be as well-defined as some prognosticators would label them.

I'm not really commenting on whether the statement is correct or not from a general standpoint; I am only interested in pointing out the obvious non-sequitur.

[jokerman]

Well, the media seems to often describe social conservatives such as Schuler or Ellsworth as just "conservative." 

And Brown and Tester ran rather populist campaigns, not liberal campaigns overall, for example.  I personally think Tester won in spite of some of his more liberal positions, rather than because of those positions which is what some crazy DailyKos'ers seem to think.

[Conan]

I already said this, but I'll mention it again. I think this vote was more about not voting for Republicans than it was casting a vote for Democrats. Much like what happened in Canada.

That's what happened in 94 too. It's not like Dems were a small minority. The house has been nearly even for over a decade.

[Conan]

Well, the media seems to often describe social conservatives such as Schuler or Ellsworth as just "conservative." 

And Brown and Tester ran rather populist campaigns, not liberal campaigns overall, for example.  I personally think Tester won in spite of some of his more liberal positions, rather than because of those positions which is what some crazy DailyKos'ers seem to think.

Populist positions I stick with liberal positions. Because the politicians who are liberals are populists and vice versa. They are now nearly one in the same.

[Beet]

What matters isn't so much their own personal views, as the views of their constituents.

Their constituents elected them on the positions they took. Therefore those are the views of the constituents.

Definitely comedy goldmine material here...

Technically, both Al and conan could be right. Electorates may not be as well-defined as some prognosticators would label them.

I'm not really commenting on whether the statement is correct or not from a general standpoint; I am only interested in pointing out the obvious non-sequitur.

I think because conan was assuming that Al was implying the views of the candidates didn't matter- which may or may not be true, depending on particular issues, which we'll see about in two years.

It certainly wasn't a pretty victory from the direction I'd prefer to see the Democratic party going personally (suburban-focused), but it certainly provides some well-deserved hope among more populist Dems like Al, after years of relative disappointment. Having a more moderate caucus representing a wider range of the country isn't necessarily a bad thing either.

In terms of what the Democrats needed to do this year, which was get themselves into government somehow and show that they could win, they did it. That's really the most important thing. Figuring out the ideal contours of a long-lasting majority coalition is something that's just going to have to stay on the to-do list for now.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

House:

Kagen - *

Liberal.  Pro-choice to the point of birth, brags about how his father was an Anti-Vietnam activist.

Appleton is much more liberal than Green Bay, and definitely changed the balance of WI-08 when it was added to it in 2001.

[Conan]

House:

Kagen - *

Liberal.  Pro-life to the point of birth, brags about how his father was an Anti-Vietnam activist.

Appleton is much more liberal than Green Bay, and definitely changed the balance of WI-08 when it was added to it in 2001.

Pro life until birth? What does that mean!!

[Inmate Trump]

The Democrats won because the Republicans got lazy the day they took over control of Congress.  There's really no other reason.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

House:

Kagen - *

Liberal.  Pro-life to the point of birth, brags about how his father was an Anti-Vietnam activist.

Appleton is much more liberal than Green Bay, and definitely changed the balance of WI-08 when it was added to it in 2001.

Pro life until birth? What does that mean!!

D'oh!  Should be pro-choice.  I always get those two mixed up :-).

"Pro-choice... pro-life... I'm the one with the gun."

[Adlai Stevenson]

Nancy Boyda used to be a moderate Republican but switched parties in 2004 and ran against Ryun that year.  She lost 56%-41% and recently won 51%-47%.  Quite a turnaround given Bush won KS-2 59%-39% in 2004. 

[Eraserhead]

Well, the media seems to often describe social conservatives such as Schuler or Ellsworth as just "conservative." 

And Brown and Tester ran rather populist campaigns, not liberal campaigns overall, for example.  I personally think Tester won in spite of some of his more liberal positions, rather than because of those positions which is what some crazy DailyKos'ers seem to think.

Tester being strongly against the Iraq War and the Patriot Act are really libertarian positions and fit in well with Montana (which is a libertarian state).

By the way, did anyone see Tester's victory speech? I want to see it bad.

[Conan]

More points:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200611080006

Ignoring Facts, Washington Post Declares Nation 'Right of Center'
Democrats Won Big and Progressive Policies Enjoyed Broad Public Support


Washington, DC - Despite the apparent Democratic capture of both houses of Congress and a gain of six governorships in the November 7 midterm elections, The Washington Post's lead article about election results asserts that the United States is "a nation that leans slightly right of center."

The Post didn't offer a single example of an issue on which the nation "leans slightly the right of center," nor did it offer any examples to support its assertion that "the Democrats' victory was built on the back of more centrist candidates," or any frame of reference for what "centrist" means.

For the record, here's what happened last night in the nation that, according to the Post, "leans slightly right of center":

Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives, picking up at least 27 seats in the process.

Democrats apparently gained control of the Senate by defeating six Republican incumbents -- winning in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Montana, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Missouri.

Democrats gained six governorships, bringing their total to 28. Democrats now hold governorships in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, and Arkansas, among other states.

South Dakota voters rejected a sweeping ban on abortion; California and Oregon rejected parental notification laws. Arizona rejected a ban on gay marriage.

Six states voted on initiatives to raise the minimum wage; all six passed.
Missouri voters passed a ballot initiative in support of stem cell research.
Though the Post didn't tell readers what the phrase "more centrist candidates" means, it is worth noting that the vast majority of policy proposals and issue positions backed by most national Democratic leaders enjoys the support of at least a plurality of Americans. As Media Matters for America explained last week, many of them have overwhelming public support:

Raise the minimum wage for the first time since 1997: The current federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour means that a person working five days a week, 52 weeks a year would earn a mere $10,712 a year. Republicans have refused to raise the minimum wage without including massive tax breaks for the rich. According to a recent Gallup poll (subscription required), 86 percent of Americans would approve of such an increase of the minimum wage.

Extend health coverage to the uninsured: Gallup found that 79 percent would approve of such legislation.

Allow the purchase of imported prescription drugs, which are often cheaper: According to Gallup, 72 percent of Americans would approve.
Implement the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission: According to Gallup, 62 percent of Americans would approve.

Though it went unstated, the Post may have been referring instead to "litmus test" issues like abortion and gun control. But even on those hot-button issues, polling shows that the progressive position is more popular with voters than the conservative position. For example:

Support for reproductive rights is the majority position in America. A Newsweek poll conducted in late October found that 53 percent of Americans said they sympathize with the "pro-choice" position; only 39 percent described themselves as sympathetic to the "right-to-life" position.
Support for reasonable gun-safety laws is the majority position in America. Though PollingReport.com lists no polls about gun control conducted since 2004, it shows that the Gallup poll has consistently found support for "more strict" gun laws to be in the mid-50s to high-60s going back to 1990. Those who think laws should be "less strict" have not exceeded 12 percent in any Gallup poll in that time.

A majority of Americans favor legal recognition of gay and lesbian relationships.

[Eraserhead]

The Post is going down the toilet anyway.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That article makes two big mistakes...

1. It fails to note the, crucial, differences between leftwing economic positions and liberal social ones (and the fact that many that support the former are opposed to the latter, and vice versa).

2. It fails to notice quite what the areas that swung strongest to the Democrats are like.

[Conan]

What the hell is this piece of an article?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/10/new.dems/index.html

First of all, Casey is no conservative. Only 4 of the new house dems can be classified as such. Tester is actually very liberal, more liberal then Hillary Clinton and John Kerry probably.