Applejack
04-23-2013, 12:40 PM
There is an interesting special election today in D.C. An at-large D.C. Council seat is up for grabs and a Republican (A REPUBLICAN!) is a serious contender. For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of D.C.politique, the D.C. Council runs the city and is notoriously corrupt. Marion Berry is a CURRENT member of the Council. Way to go, pimp!
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ3ohDdD6T54oVY-tQ-NdC8e2cEcb-dkS7rmzzb6uF12pZssbRl
Anyway, since D.C. is like the bizarro political version of Utah County, all 15 council members are usually democrats. However, there is an open city-wide seat that might be stolen by a Republican. Who is this super-human politician, you may ask? It's Partick Mara, a young, white, wealthy businessman, who has lost in three previous elections and whose personality is generously described as "goofy." Sound like any other formerly aspiring politicians you know?
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS3Byz8yFaVDbK-hM8blf0iVu86TjZkhju86ZwcS3GJ6KCsTBNN
So, how did Mara thrust himself into a punchers chance at victory in a city that votes over 75% democrat? By positioning himself in just the way Mitt should have:
1. He is not tone-def on social issues. He is pro-gay marriage, never talks about rape or abortion, and even supports decriminalization of marijuana.
2. He focuses on spending, but not in a draconian, I-like-to-fire-people kind of way. He is the only one running who talks about D.C.'s crazy spending, while he still talks about improving schools (the public kind). Essentially, he is suggesting that we shift spending away from frivolous stuff towards the stuff that matters.
3. He got lucky. There are too many white, uber-left candidates (4) who will drain each others votes. If two of them had dropped out, there isn't enough cross-over appeal for Mara to win. But because none of the 4 withdrew, they are all screwed. His real challenger is Anita Bond, an African-American woman who is the interim council-member. She will run away with the African American vote in the city, so it will largely come down to turnout (expected to be low).
So, could Mitt have won if he had dropped his "extreme conservative" persona? Who knows, but I think that the future of the Republican party looks like Mr. Mara. He has my vote today, even though he's a doofus - I'm all about diversity.
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ3ohDdD6T54oVY-tQ-NdC8e2cEcb-dkS7rmzzb6uF12pZssbRl
Anyway, since D.C. is like the bizarro political version of Utah County, all 15 council members are usually democrats. However, there is an open city-wide seat that might be stolen by a Republican. Who is this super-human politician, you may ask? It's Partick Mara, a young, white, wealthy businessman, who has lost in three previous elections and whose personality is generously described as "goofy." Sound like any other formerly aspiring politicians you know?
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS3Byz8yFaVDbK-hM8blf0iVu86TjZkhju86ZwcS3GJ6KCsTBNN
So, how did Mara thrust himself into a punchers chance at victory in a city that votes over 75% democrat? By positioning himself in just the way Mitt should have:
1. He is not tone-def on social issues. He is pro-gay marriage, never talks about rape or abortion, and even supports decriminalization of marijuana.
2. He focuses on spending, but not in a draconian, I-like-to-fire-people kind of way. He is the only one running who talks about D.C.'s crazy spending, while he still talks about improving schools (the public kind). Essentially, he is suggesting that we shift spending away from frivolous stuff towards the stuff that matters.
3. He got lucky. There are too many white, uber-left candidates (4) who will drain each others votes. If two of them had dropped out, there isn't enough cross-over appeal for Mara to win. But because none of the 4 withdrew, they are all screwed. His real challenger is Anita Bond, an African-American woman who is the interim council-member. She will run away with the African American vote in the city, so it will largely come down to turnout (expected to be low).
So, could Mitt have won if he had dropped his "extreme conservative" persona? Who knows, but I think that the future of the Republican party looks like Mr. Mara. He has my vote today, even though he's a doofus - I'm all about diversity.