FINAL UPDATE: 2008 Initiative Watch List
• Oregon voters have rejected the anti-labor Paycheck Deception measure (64). This means, among other things, that our friends in the Defend Oregon Coalition, who coordinated a massive statewide campaign to oppose seven different measures and support two initiatives, have run the table. They won all nine with an energetic collaboration between nonprofits, labor organizations, individuals, constituency groups, and associations. Defend Oregon has emerged as a tremendous model for successful coordination, planning and execution for a state facing a diverse array of ballot measures.
• Colorado’s election officials still consider the anti-equal opportunity measure (pushed by Ward Connerly) “too close to call.” Because some ballots were incorrectly printed, Boulder County has gone to a hand-count. With 95% of precincts reporting we are looking at a narrow, but steady, 23,000-vote lead for the NO campaign. “Why is this good news?” you may ask. Well, consider that Connerly originally tried gathering signatures for a total of five statewide anti-equality initiatives this year; progressive forces prevented him from making it to the ballot in three of those states. We’ve never won against one of his campaigns to ban public affirmative action to women and minorities -- including in California and Washington State – and we’re about to. At the end of the day Connerly will have failed in four out five states that he sought to outlaw equal opportunity programs. Learn more about Connerly, his tactics, his funding sources and deception at www.BigMoneyConnerly.com.
TAX AND GOVERNMENT ISSUES
At this time of economic insecurity people are looking to government for fairness and investments that provide solutions to the challenges voters face. You may recall from Tuesday night that Massachusetts voters rejected by a wide margin an anti-government initiative to the abolition of the state personal income tax and slash the state’s revenue by 40%; New Hampshire, with the most tax-sensitive voters in the country, rejected 1 of the 2 local revenue cap measures that were originally designed to swing key candidate races. In Minnesota voters voted for a constitutional amendment to increase taxes in order to secure environmental protections and funding for the arts. Hearty congratulations to my home state. And in Oregon and North Dakota, the anti-government folks took it on the chin as well: they lost unfair tax measures advanced by the Grover Norquist crowd. Looks like it’s time for them to go back to the drawing board.
REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE
Moving West, we weren’t able to announce on Tuesday night that California has defeated, for the third time in four years, a measure to restrict access to abortion. The Parental Notification measure went down. For those of you keeping track at home that means that the reproductive justice community won every single anti-choice initiative in 2008, from South Dakota to Colorado to California. South Dakota deserves special attention as a campaign that won with far fewer resources than it had in a similar 2006 battle that it also won.
MARRIAGE EQUALITY
I must also share some notes and sad news about Prop 8 in California, which took away marriage rights from same-sex couples in the state, and which was officially passed this morning. Prop 8 was not the “last stand” for marriage rights in America (though Tony Perkins has sure made a lot of money claiming Armageddon… again). Prop 8 was not the first campaign to break hearts, to diminish rights, to chip away at the successes we have built on the path towards inclusion and equality for all Americans. Of course that does not make it any less difficult when rights are denied and taken away in California, Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, or any other state that has lost a battle against regressive forces. In coming days BISC will continue to push out the public messages that we very much believe:
(1) Despite our losses we must celebrate victories, and remember not to give too much credit to the opposition; and
(2) The political usefulness of gimmicky ballot initiative issues is an empty promise. It must be given up by those who use the politics of fear to mask a void of ideas inherent in real public dialogue about the changing voices and faces of the United States.
(3) Equality isn’t a dream. It’s a reality. And it is right around the corner.
BISC and BISC Foundation will engage in thoughtful dialogue, research, debriefs, and analysis of the 2008 campaigns so that their lessons can best be applied to future efforts.
