We Could Really Learn A Lot from Oregon Last Night

[LAGC]

One of the few states where Democrats actually held their ground.

Put fucking MJ on the ballot, and you guarantee serious turn-out amongst the 18-29 crowd.

Nearly every other state that flipped had abysmal turn-out amongst that age demo.

They'll show up for presidential election years, but if you want to see them show up for mid-terms as well, you need to give them a reason to really care.

Just sayin'...

[PatrickforO]

1. I agree with you. But...

isn't it sad that the 18-29 'demo' is so apathetic that that has to happen to get them out?

I guess there will be plenty of time for them to yearn with all their hearts to exercise their franchise when we're living under a corporate theocracy and elections have been banned.

[Cleita]

4. It's always been that way.

In my day what got them out was the draft. They realized that they were being sent to Vietnam to get their asses shot off and that turned them out to vote.

[Qutzupalotl]

2. That's a good idea in states where it might pass.

It could backfire in states where it won't, increasing turnout by the opposition.

Also, don't forget to stand for something: http://www.jeffmerkley.com/issues/

[Maedhros]

3. Oregon is one of the few states in which Republican reactionaries are just not welcome.

Oregon had a strong tradition of reasonable Republicanism - Mark Hatfield, Bob Packwood (before he became a dirty old man), Governor Tom McCall. Those kind of Republicans appealed to a wide swath of voters. The new breed of god-bothering anti-intellectual dog-whistle extremists can't win state wide elections. Our last Republican Senator, Gordon Smith, was relatively sane compared to his peers.

I do agree that the country would be better off if every state was more like Oregon. Would that it were.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Its the reverse of what happened ten years ago

Then, homophobia was on the ballot, and the reich wing turned out for both it and Dubya. When we have a candidate or an issue that inspires minority voting, we tend to win, when we don't, we tend to lose.