Three largest Dem-fundraising states are now GOP-controlled

[RandomUser]

The top three states for Dem-fundraising -- CA, NY, FL -- are all controlled by republican governors.

NYC has 5 registered democrats for every 1 registered republican, but has elected a republican mayor 3 consecutive times. NY state has re-elected a repubican governor.

FL has just re-elected Jeb, even after the Katherine Harris fiasco of 2000.

CA has just fallen to Arnie.

Now, taken by themselves, each case might be dismissed. Arnie might be dismissed as a fluke. But taken together, this is some serious food for thought. These are by far the top three money-donors to the Democratic party, enormously outdistancing any other states for Dem-funding raising. And now, they all have GOP governors.

You can't blame low voter turnout and despondent dem-base in CA, or even no liberal choices given the greens there. You can't blame lack of partisan anger and righteous outrage at the system in FL. You can't blame evenly split constituencies in 5:1 dem-favored NYC.

What gives? Thoughts?

(edited to tailor focus on governors and remove legislatures)

[KharmaTrain]

1. How Does This Affect Fundraising?

If anything Arnie might be one of the best fundraising causes the Democrats use for the next couple months. Wanna bet there are a lot of fuming Hollywood egos with their hands on the checkbook?

The Davis & Bustamante campaigns failed to coordinate their efforts and were out-PR'd and hustled every step of the way. Also, Labor stayed home BIGtime (maybe someone in Cali can explain this one). I sure hope that isn't the case next year, Labor has to be with us very strong to oust this regime.

[RandomUser]

2. Why are the three biggest Dem-fundraising states not Dem-controlled?

Why are republican governors in control? Why were they re-elected?

If these are the states that we count on most heavily for support in campaigning, why aren't we able to get Dem-governors?

[KharmaTrain]

7. You're Talking Pork

and yes, there's a certain amount of money that passes to the party through that channel with a sitting governor and I can see the rape job Jebbie is doing to Florida, but that isn't just him, it's the entire government (doesn't he have VETO proof houses?). That's not the case in NY or Cal.

I was looking for on a national perspective where I see these GOOPs as targets...a means to energize our base politically and financially.

Now the Monday morning quarterback question here is if Dianne Feinstein had run vs. Arnold, do you think the results would have been the same? There was a tremendous amount of bandwagonning going on here (the paralell to Ventura applies) that we should learn it's roots (many already do) and tap into it next year to remove this un-elected regime.

[SharonAnn]

4. It affects it greatly. In Florida, anyone who gives to Democrats

won't be doing business with the State of Florida. Jeb's instructions are that "NO" people or organizations who give money to Democrats are to get ANY state business.

This means big things, like large contracts with the state but it also means small things like the cleaning company for a small state office, a car dealer who sells to state organizations, even who gets hired for certain jobs.

These are the overt things but there are many more subtle things.

Republican governors have a HUGE effect on the amount of Democratic fundraising in that state.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[lovedems]

5. Isn't that against the law? If it's not it should be!

[Racenut20]

10. Johonnie Byrd sent out people to "watch" Dem donors

Quickest way I know to lose your sales tax exemption.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Control? I think not.

Florida is in the tight grasp of the Bushreich, that's true, but not so for CA and NY.

In California, for as much pain as Schwartzenegger's election caused, he will only be able to do a limited amount of damage. If he starts running interference for the Bush Administration, the legislature will put a lid on it as fast as they can. I don't doubt that A.S. can do a lot of damage, but he's only a super-hero on film. There are lots of Democrats in Sac'to who will do their best to thwart any NeoCon policies Der Schwartzengroper will propound.

In New York, most of the Republicans are RINOs, which cost Pataki a lot of campaign money. The Democratic power from NYC alone is enough to offset the rural GOP element, and the rural GOP has been losing steam for nearly a decade. The only reason NYC has a Republican mayor is because their election came right after the attacks on 9-11.

In addition, there is an insurgency starting within the Republican Party against the ham-fisted NeoCons.

Back to Florida, there has been no effective GOTV effort. The poor folks in FL simply don't vote; if that is changed, then Jeb and his cabal will have to find honest jobs.

It's not like Hitler came back from the dead and stuck all the Democrats in ovens. There is still a lot of Democratic political power out there, even in the most conservative areas. I consider all these negatives to be challenges. These are times when we can, and should, seize the initiative and turn it around.

--bkl

[RandomUser]

8. Challenges indeed

NYC's mayor may have come after 9/11 -- but what about pre-9/11? Bloomberg is the third term of a republican mayor, not the first or even second. And this is in a city where dems outnumber republicans by 5 to 1, for crying out loud. It should never have even been close. Is there a reciprocal example of three consecutive terms of Dem-mayors in a city with 5 republicans to every 1 democrat?

And don't discount the rural republican vote. They were the reason Hillary won. If she had stayed in NYC, she would surely have lost. A poster yesterday said there are no Blue states, only red states with blue metropolitan centers.

Part of the reason Pataki won re-election was because the labor unions backed him. Why are the republicans able to peel off historically Dem-pillars, like labor, while Dems often don't manage to do the same? We need to.

[Dogmudgeon]

14. Excellent points ...

... and here's why I think they reinforce what I've mentioned.

First, the primary reason Bloomberg won in NYC was because the newly beatified St. Rudy Giuliani gave him heavy endorsement. There was a well-publicized push to extend Giuliani's term in late September of 2001, which didn't carry, so Rudy "imparted some angular momentum" to Bloomberg. Otherwise, getting the blessing of RG would have been the kiss of death. On September 10th, Giuliani was widely regarded as a creep, even by many of his own fellow partisans, mainly over his womanizing, his messy divorce, and his persistent petty behavior.

Hillary winning the rural Republicans is further evidence of the under-the-surface rejection of the NeoCon "religion". It's also a working example of why an urban/liberal/Democrat can't afford to assume rural, conservative and Republican voters are not worth campaigning to. A lot of people "we" often disdainfully call "rednecks" actually do want social progress, and are unwilling to play into the hate-Clinton campaign.

But I agree with you, the Democratic organizers in NYC have not been pulling their weight. I attribute it to an old-time party machine which alienates the young and independent voters and just assumes compliant voting. Same for Pataki picking up the unions -- he only did it because the established apparatus of the NY Democratic Party had become ingrown and unresponsive. We're on the same wavelength there.

My overall point is that these are only problems ... to use an euphemism, challenges. We need to activate the progressives, replace the machines, and encourage intra-Republican insurgency.

I agree with http://www.emergingdemocraticmajority.com/index.cfm">Judis and Teixeira that there is a major change coming in the political landscape. Now is the time to prepare for it.

--bkl

[PROGRESSIVE1]

16. True!!!!! Also, Repugs in New York are moderate and...

if you recall, Bloomberg ran as a Repug because he wanted to win!
The Dem's field had 5 candidates!!!

[LeahMira]

6. Sort of appropos...

On the local news this morning it was revealed that the FBI had bugged the office of the mayor of Philadelphia. Mayor Street is a Democrat and currently being challenged by a Republican for the office. Although Mayor Street has been assured that he is not under any suspicion or investigation, people are wondering if the Republicans were trying to get "dirt" to use in their candidate's campaign. I wonder why, if the mayor is not under any investigation, his office would be bugged by the FBI at all! Is this the Patriot Act in action, where the FBI can bug just anyone for no other reason than simply because they can?

(Checking behind all the pictures on the walls when I get home this evening!) :scared:

[Dogmudgeon]

15. "Mayor Shtreet"

As a Fluffyan (Philadelphian), I've taken close notice of the race and the bugging.

You know, the bugging seems to be about Them Eeevil A-Rabbs. The emerging story is that the FBI is closing in on a Muslim civic leader involved in some financial fracas, Ali Shamsuddin. Of course, since Shamsuddin is a "friend" of John Street's, this can be expected to have heavy fallout potential.

Keep track of it at www.philly.com in the on-line editions of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News.

--bkl

[Wwagsthedog]

9. You can never underestimate the intelligence of the US electorate

People who are eligible voters accomplish many things. They don't register to vote. If registered, they avoid voting after making excuses for not doing so. They are misinformed (ie. get news from Jay Leno or on their sabbath) so they vote against self interests.

An example of all this occurred in Texas recently where just over 10% of eligible voters (those registered) approved all 22 of the state constitutional amendments proposed by a bush oriented right wing legislature. One of those amendments was to give away to corporations and doctors the ability of citizens to seek more than incidental damages in tort cases. Duh!

What we have here is a significant abdication of most Americans from their responsibilities as citizens of our country, states and local governments. We have set the plate for governance by the various plutocracies which are now in abundance throughout the land.

Most of those who frequent this site are not guilty of abstinence from the governing process. However, we need to make a better effort to involve those who would benefit from "regime change".

[chaumont58]

11. Removing 'Under God' from the currency

I think 'Under God' should be removed from all US currency and replaced with the H L Mencken quote:

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American People."

Sort of a truth in advertising.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

12. "ALL politics is local"...the power is at the local level as we learned

from the FL election ....get involved on the basic local level folfs...it trickles up NOT down in US government....and that's a fact jack!...remember that...a very important civics lesson that the heiarchy does NOT want you to know...that's why the don't teach it to our children in school anymore...school boards and small town counselmen...are where we have all the power we need...like i stated...it trickles UP from there

[ElsewheresDaughter]

13. but NY has democrats in control of state & Pataki is a RINO

very enviromentally active...hell he even protested in Vegas with Al Sharpton.....Sharpton was arrested there but, Pataki stood side by side with him...and Pataki protested and marched with us against GE.... even went as far as wearing a Hazmat suit...WE WON.... GE has to spend $500 million to clean its PCBs mess in the Hudson River...

Mayor Bloomburg was a life long Democrat up until 2 weeks before the elections...he only switched parties because the dem field was too crowded....he still sucks as mayor

now FL...thats a horse of another color

[THUNDER HANDS]

17. bad candidates

In all three states, our candidates have been lousy.

Carl McCall
Davis
and the guy from Florida, Bill something whom I'm forgetting.

Bad, bad candidates. The NYC Dem party, espcially, has run just god-awful candidates in the past couple of years.