Elections 2022, Part 1
Die Gouverneure
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There’s a lot to cover before the mid-terms so giving some thought about the upcoming Gubernatorial elections is a good start.
Since the country seems to be slouching toward the 1950s, if not the 1800s, with Republicans actively promoting and reviving a system of states’ rights and long-discredited laws–when segregation was legal in some states, women were not allowed to buy contraceptive devices or have an abortion, and gays were in the closet–it might be wise to pay attention to the upcoming races for Governor in a few crucial states.
As Heather Cox Richardson wrote in April, The Trump years put the states’ rights ideology of the Confederacy on steroids, first to justify destroying business regulation, social welfare legislation, and international diplomacy, and then to absolve the federal government from responsibility for combating the coronavirus pandemic. Then, of course, the January 6 insurrection saw state legislatures refusing to accept the results of a federal election and rioters carrying the Confederate flag into the United States Capitol.
In Arizona, the Gubernatorial contenders will most likely be Democrat Katie Hobbs vs Republican Kari Lake, but the primary elections are not until August 2. Lake, a former longtime local news anchor at a Fox station in Phoenix, has become the early front-runner. Just another Arizona crackpot, Lake tweeted in October last year As bad as they want to make the stolen election, known as ‘The Big Lie’ go away — they will never be successful The World knows that 2020 was a terrible disaster that forced the worst President in History If you think that Election was fair, put down Hunter’s Crack pipe.
According to CNN, Lake has also baselessly advocated the imprisonment of state Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is now running for governor, over unspecified election crimes; there is simply no sign Hobbs broke the law. Lake has also pushed for the imprisonment of unspecified journalists she claims have told lies about the election and other subjects. She also said she would not have certified Joe Biden's 2020 victory in Arizona if she had been governor. She also continues to demand the decertification of the Arizona result today, though that is a legal impossibility.
For the love of all that’s holy, please fucking vote blue and ask everyone you know to do the same.
Other important races in 2022 were mentioned last week in the New York Times. Do you know people living in these states? Maybe if we all reach out and stress the urgency to vote this mid-term. You do know historically that only about 40% of the eligible voting population casts their ballots during midterm elections. Can we grassroots the shit out of this?
Michigan: Current Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is facing a particularly tough climate this year as crowded field of Republican candidates has gathered to challenge her.
Wisconsin: Current Gov. Tony Evers, like Whitmer, was elected in the blue wave of 2018 and has also spent much of his term doing battle with a Republican-led Legislature.
Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Democratic Party endorses Josh Shapiro for Governor, currently the state attorney general. One of his key issues would be to expand voting access by supporting same-day voter registration and automatic registration when people obtain driver’s licenses, and adopting in-person early voting.
Georgia: One shining light is that Trump endorsed David Perdue over current Gov Brian Kemp which might help Stacey Abrams, the likely Democratic nominee.
Kansas: Current Governor Democrat Laura Kelly will have a tough battle with Frump-endorsed Derek Schmidt. The low information voters, of course, will have no memory how Sam Brownback fucked up the state but, as the Kansas Reflector says, the real risk these days doesn’t come from a former governor. It comes from the folks passing laws right now.
Illinois: Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat and billionaire, is up for re-election in this blue state with a history of electing Republican governors. A couple other billionaires, Republican, are trying to oust him.
Texas: This could be one of the most important races in the country as Texas has been fast-tracking laws that make the Salem Witch Trials look like women’s independence day. Does Beto O’Rourke stand a chance? Maybe if he keeps his mouth shut about guns until AFTER the election.
Florida: Possibly the second most draconian Governor next to Abbott is Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. He seems popular in the state of mojitos and vacation homes so can a Democrat unseat him? Who knows? Are there enough Dems in Florida? Activists? Congressman Charlie Crist and the other Democratic gubernatorial candidates say their priority is to stop Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the “culture wars” he has championed. Hey Florida voters...are you listening?
In my Friday Homestead Dispatch on April 1 I wrote that Republicans in Florida are doing everything they can think of to keep people of ‘color’ from voting, and have been doing so since the end of the Civil War. It comes down to voting.
One last bit to toss in the ring concerning Democrats turning the narrative around from Lee Papa:
We're not appealing to the idiot hordes of MAGA cretins and anti-science ghouls. They can go live on plague island and fuck each other until their nipples bleed or whatever. No, we're talking about moving that sliver of a semi-rational middle that is easily manipulated by scary talk but has at least a lick of sense when presented with reality. We can't leave anything unanswered because the majority is on the Democrats' side and we have let them control the cultural narrative in the political realm for way, way too long. It's just that Democrats are like actors who get a dozen great reviews on a play and then obsess on the one bad one, perversely thinking it's more important than what everyone else fucking says. Stop giving power to assholes.
Read the entire piece here.
Again, please share this post with people you know in the states listed above. If there ever was a time to cast a ballot it will be this November!
And now…
I commend you on giving us this information....it's overwhelming for me, and you highlight the races that are imperative for Dems to win. Thanks Gary.
I just don't understand how we got here.......
Kim