El voto hispano

Demográfico cambiando

Malas noticias, republicanos.

Muchos expertos piensan que los demográficos de los EEUU estan cambiando en una manera histórica. Específicamente, se predicen que dentro de treinta años, los EEUU no será una nación de mayoría de "blancos."

En la semana pasada, Barack Obama ganó 66% del voto hispano. Este margen estuvo un gran parte de su victoria, especialmente en estados con poblaciones hispanas grandes como Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, y Florida. McCain ganó un 33% lastimosa.

A pesar de los esfuerzos (supuestos) de la administración de Bush en las dos campañas presidenciales pasadas, ahora parece que el voto hispano es asegurado para las demócratas. Por lo menos, para el futuro inmediato.

Bien, los republicanos no pueden culpar otros que el mismo. Cuando el partido incluye una gran parte de racistas como Tom Tancredo, cuando ellos gritan incesantemente de las personas marrones peligrosas, es cierto a distanciar hispanos, ¿no?

El problema para los republicanos es que, para muchos años, cuando ha habido ventajas, ellos han solicitado el voto ignorante. ¡Bien, el perro ha vuelto a casa, hombres! ¡Qué lástima para ustedes!

¡Sí, se puede!

(Perdóneme por favor para mi español malo.)

Seed of pride

Like any good liberal, I question everything. And most especially, I question my own convictions. Constantly. Agonizingly.

I know that the opinions I hold on one day may very well be starkly different at some point in the future. Even my most cherished ideals will be bombarded by disillusionment, by stark reality, by the indifference of a cold, ever-expanding Universe. (We are angst-ridden souls, we liberals.)

This diffidence, this lack of certainty is, in itself, assuring. When the inevitable fall from grace occurs, the heart-break is tempered by the recognition that the Universe is either morally ambiguous, or is governed by a morality that is far beyond our petty human comprehension.

Preamble thus articulated, as I have read and watched the news over the past week, I have slowly become aware of something stirring in my heart. Something hopeful. Something joyous. Something that has been completely alien to me for a long, long time. It is the seed of pride. Pride in my country.

I've had fleeting similar sentiments before in my life. But never like this.

My country did the right thing last Tuesday. It rejected the politics of fear; it saw through the shrill bleating of the right-wing smear machine; it chose not to be afraid of diversity and change, but to reject ignorance and small-mindedness; it moved beyond the Karl Rove method of electoral politics.

It took an enormous amount of pain to awaken my country from its fitful sleep. But we are now awake. Watch the whisperers and the shadow-dealers run for cover!

President-elect Obama will not be perfect. The Democratic majorities in the two houses of Congress will certainly succumb to the temptations of abuse. But, independent of Obama, himself, and the people cutting the deals on Capitol Hill, the tone and tenor of American politics has fundamentally changed. Rather than a nation of wealth-hoarders, warlike in our efforts to maintain our dominance over other peoples, we are becoming a nation where we all work together for the common good, with a more equitable attitude toward each other and toward people outside our borders.

To be sure, there is a lot of work to do. A staggering amount of work. A titanic and Herculean effort will be required if we are to fix things.

Well, let's get started, then.

Emanuel as White House Chief of Staff

Obama is out of the gate and running. Everyone seems taken aback at the alacrity with which his organization is moving. Less than 48 hours after his (our) historic victory in the general election, big decisions are being announced in rapid-fire succession.

Well, that's all to the good. The crises being faced by this country require immediate response, and Obama is not dithering.

Unfortunately, I find his first and most important personnel decision to be appalling: Congressman Rahm Emanuel is to be the chief of staff.

White House Chief of Staff is a very powerful position. The WHCS controls the flow of information into and out of the White House. The WHCS is the gateway to the President, determining who gets in to the Oval Office and who gets escorted to the exit.

From a practical standpoint this is a good choice for Obama. He and Emanuel are personal friends, both coming from Illinois. Emanuel "made his bones" working for the Clinton administration as a senior advisor from 1993 to 1998. He's been in Congress, representing Illinois' 5th Congressional district since 2002. By all accounts, he is a hard-nosed individual and by many more, he's a son of a bitch. Emanuel knows the ins and outs of how things work in the halls of Congress and so will be a huge asset to Obama when it comes to getting his agenda passed. No problems with any of that.

Emanuel is less of an idealist and more of a pragmatist when it comes to left-versus-right politics. While that doesn't endear him to me, I can live with that.

The reason Emanuel's selection troubles me is because of what it means in terms of US policy toward the Israel-Palestine issue and toward the Muslim world, generally. Emanuel supported the illegal invasion of Iraq; is by all evidence, fanatic in his support of Israel (he went so far as to join the Israeli army as a young man, in spite of being a citizen of the United States); and is harsh in his rhetoric toward the oppressed Palestinians.

Any hopes I have may have harbored that an Obama administration might take a more equitable position in addressing the grotesque Israeli occupation of Palestine and the criminal oppression being perpetrated on Palestinians may not have died completely, but they're on life support.

I hearken back to a recent conversation I had with a Palestinian man and have to agree with the sober assessment he uttered about the next President of the United States: there ain't a lick of difference between Obama and McCain when it comes to Israel-Palestine. The Emanuel selection shows that Obama isn't going to ruffle any feathers over at AIPAC.

I'm still hopeful about an Obama administration being more equitable and just in its relationship to the world outside our borders. But Obama's selection of Rahm Emanuel as his most important advisor points up the fact that there is still a dire need for social activism and dissension.

Surveying the post-election battlefield

This is how it turned out...

A day of elation. You should have seen it. On Wednesday, walking around my neighborhood in southeast Portland, everyone was grinning, happy. It was rainy and cold, as is typical at this time of year, but there was a "lightness of being" (to borrow a phrase from Milan Kundera) prevalent in the demeanor of everyone I encountered. What a great day!

Over all, the election cannot be considered as anything other than a decisive victory for progressives and a defeat for conservatives. It is also the second consecutive election to repudiate Junior Bush directly. The Democrats picked up at least 25 seats in the House of Representatives for the second time in as many election cycles; it's been 70 years since that has happened for a party. In the Senate, the results are not as decisive, but the Democrats will pick up at least 5 Senate seats.

On to the results (as of Wednesday evening at ~5pm):

Candidates

President: Barack Obama, Democrat.
Obama 364 EV, 63,550,666 (52%)
McCain 174 EV, 56,178,963 (46%)
Note: Missouri and North Carolina results are not yet final.

This is a proud moment for our country. No matter what else this victory may portend, the United States has overcome a major hurdle in its struggle against racism. The battle is not over. Indeed, it will always be with us. But Obama's victory is a huge step toward equality.

US Senate: Jeff Merkley, Democrat.
Merkley 652,276 (48%)
Smith 650,262 (47%)
Brownlow 75,162 (5%)
Note: This race is still being contested. However, Merkley seems to have the advantage since most of the uncounted ballots come from Multnomah and Lane counties, which are Democratic strongholds.

The thought that we might finally be rid of Gordie Smith is a blissful thought, indeed.

US Representative, 3rd Congressional District: Earl Blumenauer, Democrat.
Blumenauer 160,645 (75%)
Delia Lopez 44,484 (21%)
Michael Meo 8,733 (4%)

Earl didn't even break a sweat.


Attorney General: John Kroger, Democrat.
Kroger 775,150 (73%)
Leuenberger 120,240 (11%)
Albies 115,906 (11%)
Brown 51,538 (5%)

Kroger wins. Fine.


Secretary of State: Kate Brown, Democrat.
Brown 666,985 (50%)
Dancer 634,544 (47%)
Woolley 38,146 (3%)
Note: This race is still being contested. Kate Brown has been holding a slight lead.



State Rep. 42nd, District: Jules Kopel-Bailey, Democrat.
Kopel-Bailey 13,511 (87%)
Extine 2,001 (13%)

Easy victory for Jules. No surprise.




Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries: Brad Avakian, Democrat.
Avakian 489,807 (67%)
Goberman 134,282 (19%)
Welyczko 100,201 (14%)

Foregone conclusion.


Multnomah County Sheriff: Bob Skipper
Skipper 125,364 (81%)
Ra'oof 28,900 (19%)
Danielson At least 1 (.0001%)

This one hurts. I know it was a long shot, but I was pulling for Andre until the bitter end. I just know you would have made a fine Sheriff, Andre. I'll be your deputy any time.


East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District , Director at Large #1: Rick Till.
Till 42,640 (36.53%)
Klock 38,569 (33.05%)
Sweeney 34,293 (29.38%)
Other 1,214 (1%)
Note: This race is still contested.

Squeaker.

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District , Director at Large #2: Ron McCarty.
McCarty 72,673 (69.35%)
Fry 30,637 (29.24%)
Other 1,478 (1.41%)

McCarty wins handily.


City of Portland, Commissioner No. 1: Amanda Fritz.
Fritz 90,469 (71%)
Lewis 37,227 (29%)

An easy victory for Amanda.

State Measures

• 54: Standardizes voting eligibility for school board with other state and local elections.
  Yes - 839,892 (72%)
  No - 329,144 (28%)
  
  Good.
  
• 55: Changes operative date of redistricting plans; allows affected legislators to finish term in orignial district.
  Yes - 884,507 (77%)
  No - 265,139 (23%)
  
  Good.
  
• 56: Provides that May and November property tax elections are decided by majority of voters voting.
  Yes - 665,538 (55%)
  No - 536,965 (45%)
  
  Good.
  
• 57: Increases sentences for drug trafficking, theft against elderly and specified repeat property and identity theft crimes; requires addiction treatment for certain offenders.
  Yes - 747,685 (61%)
  No - 474,289 (39%)
  
  Good. The margin of victory sinks Kevin Mannix's Measure 61.
  
• 65: Changes general election nomination processes for major/minor party, independent candidates for most partisan offices.
  No - 759,864 (66%)
  Yes - 394,495 (34%)
  
  I voted "no" on this, but I didn't feel that strongly about it. I know a lot of people that voted the other way. Frankly, I'm surprised at the margin by which it was defeated.

Sizemore Measures

Bill Sizemore took a bath this election, losing on 4 of 5 measures. Too bad we didn't get him on all of them. Nonetheless, one wonders how much longer corporate fat cats will be willing to cut him checks when he keeps getting pounded at the polls like this. It'll be a glorious day when his funding dries up.

• 58: Prohibits teaching public school student in language other than English for more than two years.
  No - 669,160 (54%)
  Yes - 559,263 (46%)
  
  Sorry, Bill. Oregonians just don't hate Mexicans like you do.
  
• 59: Creates an unlimited deduction for federal income taxes on individual taxpayers' Oregon income-tax returns.
  No - 759,600 (63%)
  Yes - 447,024 (37%)
  
  This one has really got to hurt. If Sizemore can't deliver for his sugar-daddies, he's going to be out of a job very soon. In light of the financial crisis that is occuring even now, Sizemore's timing couldn't have been worse for this kind of measure. People just aren't very sympathetic toward Fat Cats.
  
• 60: Teacher "classroom performance," not seniority, determines pay raises; "most qualified" teachers retained, regardless of seniority.
  No - 739,836 (60%)
  Yes - 488,914 (40%)
  
  As hard as teachers have to work, and as underpaid as they are, I'm damn tired of people like Sizemore complaining about them. Looks like most Oregonians feel the same way.
  
• 63: Exempts specified property owners from building permit requirements for improvements valued at/under 35,000 dollars.
  No - 645,393 (53%)
  Yes - 570,736 (47%)
  
  It's probably mean-spirited of me, but Sizemore called this his "favorite measure." That makes its defeat all the sweeter. Kiss it, Bill.
  
• 64: Penalizes person, entity for using funds collected with "public resource" (defined) for "political purpose" (defined).
  Yes - 675,077 (51%)
  No - 659,653 (49%)
  
  This is a real bummer. I don't understand why this country cannot grasp the advantages of organizing in unions.

Mannix measures

Mannix can't win for losing. Not only was he humiliated in the Republican primary election, but both of his measures get thrown on the s**t-pile!

• 61: Creates mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain theft, identity theft, forgery, drug, and burglary crimes.
  Yes - 686,114 (51%)
  No - 684,044 (49%)
  
  Although this would seem to be a victory for Mannix, this measure is nullified by virtue of the fact that measure 57 passed by a wider margin. Too bad, Kevin. So sad, Kevin. No matter how much you try, you're always going to be a loser.
  
• 62: Allocates 15% of lottery proceeds to public safety fund for crime prevention, investigation, prosecution.
  No - 723,601 (60%)
  Yes - 488,885 (40%)
  
  Denied, Kevin. The lottery money is supposed to be for schools, not for your nasty fantasies about punishing people.

Metro

• 26-96 Bonds to protect animal health and safety; conserve, recycle water.
  Yes - 238,571 (56%)
  No - 186,465 (44%)
  
  Hooray for the elephants!

Portland Community College

• 26-95 Portland Community College bonds to update, expand local educational facilities.
  Yes - 158,346 (51%)
  No - 154,763 (49%)
  
  Good.

City of Portland

• 26-94 Renew Five-year levy for Children's Investment Fund.
  Yes - 94,075 (70%)
  No - 39,517 (30%)
  
  Convincing win for kids.

In summary, a few disappointments, but taken as a whole, this election can only be viewed as a titanic success.

Hoorah!

Glory, glory, glory!

I knew that we had won when CNN called Pennsylvania for Obama. The Keystone State was McCain's last, desperate grasp for victory, and it wasn't even close.

Ohio went for Obama a short time later and the penultimate nail was driven home.

My anticipation grew as I watched the various pundits calculating various electoral combinations, trying to piece together something even remotely plausible for a McCain victory.

But as 8pm Pacific time loomed, with polls closing on the west coast, and with Washington, Oregon, and vote-rich California all hued the deepest of blue, and with Obama already sitting at 207 electoral votes, we all knew what was coming. For the McCain campaign, it must have been a sad eternity, waiting for that axe to fall.

When the hour finally came, I stepped out on my front porch and yelled at the top of my lungs. "Glory!"

The United States has crossed an historic threshold by electing a man of African descent to the White House; a man with a Muslim father; a man that is the product of an interracial marriage; an eloquent, thoughtful man; a deliberate man; a leader.

The GOP is crushed and humiliated. It will be interesting to see how they respond to this defeat. Will they do the soul-searching and painful self-examination that will put them on the road to recovery? Or will they seek external reasons for their defeat in some fearful attempt at denial? As it stands, the Republicans come away from this election as a rump party; a regional party of the Deep South, consisting mostly of Confederate state males. For all our sakes, I hope they grow out of it.

But tonight, I choose to savor sweet victory. We've won. You, me, Democrats, progressives, liberals, moderates, and even Republicans (though they might not know it). We've won! We've won! We've won!

There is a hard road ahead. Dark times are upon us and the night will be long. But day will come again. Working together, we can't lose. We've won! We've won! We've won!

Today is the Day

My prediction: Obama 347 McCain 191

There is not much to say today. Whatever happens, the Good Fight^TM has been fought. If things come out as nearly everyone predicts, today will be a fine denouement for the long, arduous, and at times hopeless, struggle against the ignorance and fear perpetrated on the United States (indeed, on the world) by this heinous phenomenon that is called the "conservative movement."

As recently as two years ago, I could not have believed that I would see an African-American elected president in my lifetime. As recently as two years ago, my faith in humanity, the very core of my creed, was wavering.

Well, today, we just may have turned the corner.

The challenges ahead of us are daunting. Financial catastrophe, climate change, deforestation, energy depletion, religious fanaticism, and so much more. None of these challenges has been acknowledged, let alone addressed, during the reign of the filthy Bush regime. Indeed, most of the problems have been exacerbated.

But the scales may have finally fallen from the eyes of the American people.

An Obama presidency will certainly not be a panacea. I believe that Obama is far superior to his opponent and (most especially) to his disgusting predecessor. But I know already, that Obama will make decisions that will anger me, that will disappoint me, that will infuriate me.

Nonetheless, I believe he is trustworthy. I believe that he will be receptive to the views of progressives and people working for social justice. That alone, is a vast improvement in the general state of affairs.

We'll know soon enough...

Rally

Stand up, you people, you lovers, you fools!
Stand up and make yourselves heard!

Confront the bleating, mindless hordes
That murdered their god
So they might love him,
And burn their witches
Before his bloody, broken corpse;

Stand up, you needy, you mighty, you free!
Stand up and make yourselves heard!

Dethrone the blue-blood, powder wigs
Who wept your misery
Nobless oblige
Frowning at your stench
While their butlers turned loose the hounds;

Stand up, you blesséd, you sinners, you saints!
Stand up and make yourselves heard!

Bring down the tottering castles
From which they watched you
With growing alarm
Behind chimeric
Prophesies of bleak disaster;

Stand up!
Their fear can't stop you!

Stand up!
Their japes can't hurt you!

Stand up!
Their lies can't fool you!

Stand up! You people, stand up!