A Nationwide Victory for Progressives

Nationally on this "OFF YEAR" for elections Democrats, but specifically PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS have done a GREAT JOB!

As explained in today's Progress Report, they outline quite well the sweeping wins we had throughout the heartland.

Yesterday was election day for many Americans, and progressives won big. There were victories for civil rights in Maine, for employee rights and privacy rights in California, for science and education in Dover, Pennsylvania, and for progressive candidates around the country. A full run-down:

VICTORY IN CALIFORNIA: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) suffered an "across-the-board defeat last night at the ballot box," as California voters "rejected every measure he offered to change the political, fiscal and educational policy of the most-populous U.S. state." According to the L.A. Times, Schwarzenegger cast the debate in "stark terms": "He was a bold force for progress; the teachers, firefighters and nurses arrayed against him were selfish 'special interests.'" Not surprisingly, voters sided with teachers, firefighters, and nurses. Among the initiatives knocked down: one sought to limit the use of trade-union dues for political purposes; another would have capped state spending and eliminated the state's minimum funding guarantee for education; a third strongly backed by the pharmaceutical industry was also defeated. California voters also rejected a parental notification initiative that would have harmed teens seeking abortions.

VICTORY IN MAINE: For the first time, Maine voters approved a set of civil rights protections for gays and lesbians, voting down a conservative-backed measure that would have overturned a ban on "discrimination in housing, employment and education based on sexual orientation." Conservatives had succeeded in overturning similar laws in both 1998 and 2000.

VICTORY IN DOVER: Though the Kansas Board of Education voted yesterday to back "intelligent design," there was a silver lining. In Dover, Pennsylvania, eight out of eight incumbent school board members lost their bids for re-election to members of the pro-science Dover CARES campaign, who argued that the inclusion of "intelligent design" materials in science classes should be based on scientific, not political or ideological, merits.

FRUSTRATION WITH BUSH AGENDA EVIDENCED IN SEVERAL RACES: The New York Times opines that at least one fact seems "obvious" after last night's elections: "George Bush's political capital turned into a deficit." The AP's Ron Fournier agreed, referring to Bush as a "political toxin," noting that the president "put his wispy political prestige on the line" when the Virginia candidate "he embraced in a last-minute campaign stop was soundly defeated." In one contest in particular -- the mayoral race in Minnesota's capital city, St. Paul -- the issue of President Bush's leadership trumped all others. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, "St. Paul voters punished Mayor Randy Kelly on Tuesday for standing with President Bush a year ago, denying the Democrat a second term in Minnesota's capital city. Former City Council member Chris Coleman, also a Democrat, routed Kelly by a more than 2-to-1 margin in unofficial returns with most precincts reporting."

SOME DARK SPOTS: In Texas, voters approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, "making their state the 19th to take that step." Said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign: "The fight for fairness isn't over, and we won't give up." In Ohio, meanwhile, voters rejected a set of measures meant to reform the state's scandal-plagued political system. "An ambitious effort by opponents and widespread confusion over the complex issues combined to defeat the entire package," the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

In a "What are they thinking" moment - The Kansas Board of Education voted 6-4 on Tuesday to adopt new science standards that will force Science teachers to teach intelligent design along with evolution ... YES - IN SCIENCE class. Ofcourse the next fight will be - WHICH GOD will they teach about... A Catholic Teacher with Jewish Students? You must learn it the Catholic way - Yes? This will be the next fight.

However, when left up to the VOTERS - The voters send School Board members who want to push their THEOLOGICAL beliefs onto their science students - PACKING. In Pennsylvania, school board members that have been sued for introducing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biology class were all kicked out of office by the voters. Yes, that is right - ALL members of this school board who were up for re-election who supported the dumbing down of Biology classes were voted OUT of office.

So what have we learned?

1. The GOP is completely corrupt, reports throughout the country from the President's administration on down to the Burroughs of New York Republicans are being indicted and the voters are finally "GETTING IT"
2. When we stand up and fight, our arguements WIN - We just have to stand up!
3. The "Gover-nator" will NOT "BE BACK"
4. Public Schools are not the place to push RELIGION... after all, is that not what "SUNDAY SCHOOL" is for? Voters seem to think so!
   
   

So there is my weekly Update - What do you think?