Ballot Initiatives
So our losses have dumbfounded me so I just want to get that out of the way. I have been reading lot and lots of threads and commiserating with hundreds of people. One thing that was pointed out to me that stood out starkly was the success of two ballot initiatives, raising the minimum wage and legalizing marijuana.
So it hit me with as much clarity as one can have after being up all night watching returns and talking issues, that ballot initiatives could be the way to go for the next two years. The two that passed are policies most liberals would agree on. More the minimum wage issue, but many if not in total agreement on legalizing pot are at least tolerant of the idea. So could this be the wave of the future? I don't think it's an either or thing. I want Democrats to win every race they are in. But, when we lose giving up is not an option in my opinion. I think that we have been given a gift a lot bigger than a few states getting pot legalized and the minimum wage being raised in four states.
Here is what the voters in these states have given us. They have shown that when a policy liberal policy is before them they are completely capable of voting it in. They can see it right in front of them and understand the benefit of voting it in. They don't need hours of debates and millions of dollars spent on campaign ads. They just need a well crafted ballot initiative.
If we can't get Congress to pass minimum wages or expect Congress to draft a more sane approach to people using marijuana we need to fight to get these two issues on every ballot in every state in the next two years. I am sure there are other issues that would do very well on a ballot initiative. But, these two issues will help millions of people. The increase in the minimum wage will go a long way to providing people with basic necessities and legalizing pot will keep non-violent criminals from entering into the prison industrial complex system. If we have nothing else to celebrate, we can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel, if we have the political will to bring these two important issues directly to the voters.
cross posted from Daily Kos