2006 election

Kudos to Mike, Molly and Mark (and Mark’s brother) for pulling it together. Onward!

UPDATE: RUMMY RESIGNS!

It’s a wave election. Where’s that wave coming from? Millennials:

Republicans were rejected across the board, but the 18 - 29 year old bracket is what made this wave election possible.

HFS! I did not expect for this to be a sweep! It looks like (recounts permitting) Webb and Tester are in, which would mean that Democrats + Lieberman would control the Senate. You can bet Holy Joe will milk that, but in terms of setting the agenda and taking control of committees, it’s a shift.

It looks like the GOP is out of power in the Legislative branch. They also lost governorships and state legislatures to boot. It really was a national wave (as big a deal as 1994 for sure) and a resounding vote of no-confidence by the people against Bush’s agenda.

Closer to home, my man Jerry McNerney beat corrupt oil-company shill Richard Pombo like a drum down in the 11th district. That was my $250 well spent I think.

Other notes:

• Young voter turnout (ages 18-29) was way way up vs 2002, and was the most partisan segment of the electorate.
• Anti-choice ballot initiatives failed in several states.
• Bans on same-sex marriage passed in several red states, but failed in Arizona. This one’s going to look real different in ten years, I think.
• Minimum wage increases in several states. Expect a bump in the federal minimum as one of the first things the new Democratic congress does.

Should the Democrats shore up their position here and govern well, I can see national health care front and center once Bush is out.

Early (read: unreliable) indicators are good. Turnout appears to be high. Exit polls suggest a national referendum election. There seems to be a strong investigative response to most reports of problems.

In any event, I’ll be lurking around kos and mydd, watching TV (prolly MSNBC and Olberman, who’s one of the few personalities I can stand) drinking and enjoying the returns.

First real results in 5 minutes or so.

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There’s a strong push from the talking heads (who I don’t watch much for this reason) to push the narrative that this election is about “moderate Democrats,” with anti-choice Bob Casey (who won in PA) as the poster-boy.

This is pretty much nonsense, or at least it’s not grounded in emprical reality. Check my dawg Sterling Motherfucking Newberry for the details.

But basically this is a great example of how insular the world of the DC power elite — political careerists and the media figures who they mingle with — really is. As I’m fond of saying, adult life is disappointingly like highschool. That unfortunately means that these narratives can be quite powerful, because in spite of the facts “everyone knows” that it was moderate/centrist candidates who made the difference.

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Another observation, not a mention has been made as to “what are the Republicans going to do?”

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What’s really hillarious is that presumptive Speaker Pelosi is deemed as too conservative in her home district of San Francisco. Egad!