More about those state legislature flips
Since last week’s election, we’ve been reading the good news that a great many state legislatures flipped to the Republican side. I even wrote a post about it last Saturday.
But still, I had no idea how dramatic the changes were until I looked at two maps (hat tip: Althouse) that show the actual numbers of Democrats and Republicans in each state legislature, before and after. It’s extraordinary.
Here’s the “before” map, and here’s “after.” Mouse over any state to see the actual figures, and compare.
States that almost always lean heavily to one party or another didn’t show the changes, for the most part. Massachusetts remains bluer than blue; Republican pickups were slight. The same was true in reverse in ruby-red Utah.
But oh, the magnitude of some of those switches! In New England, for example, we’ve got Maine, which started out on Tuesday morning with a hefty Democrat margin of 95 Democrats to 55 Republicans in its House and 20 to 15 in the Senate, and ended up on Wednesday morning with Republicans in charge 73/77 and 14/20 (in this and the following pairs of figures, I state Democrats first and Republicans second). Then there’s Wisconsin, which went from 52/46 in the House and 18/15 in the Senate to 38/60 and 14/19. Minnesota flipped from 87/47 and 46/21 margins to 62/72 and 30/37, while Michigan had similar gains.
But perhaps the most dramatic flip of all occurred in New Hampshire, a tiny state boasting a huge legislature. The previous figures were 216 Democrats to 173 Republicans in the House and 14/10 in the much-smaller Senate. Now New Hampshire has a legislature that rivals Utah in its one-sidedness: a whopping 102/298 and 5/19.
A number of pundits have mentioned that straight-ticket voting was one reason for these whiplash-inducing changes. And no doubt that’s at least partly true. But strangely enough, it doesn’t seem to have been the case for New Hampshire, one of the biggest flippers of all. After a resounding victory for Democrats in 2006, the state’s Democratic Party scrapped straight-ticket voting, fulfilling a long-term promise. This might have been thought to have restrained the Republican vote at the state level in New Hampshire this year, but with results like these, it’s hard to believe it had any effect at all.
[ADDENDUM: More.]
Here in CT the GOP made good gains in the State House while going zero in the Congressional and statewide races. The all out union push made a big difference as well as what I believe is a fear inspired vote by neo liberals in the burbs. All the aspirational benefits of voting the Democrat/mild progressive line were under severe attack and rather than reevaluate them they hunkered down. (Ditto for VT and Mass)
Well speaking for myself (a former Dem, newly registered Republican but basically an Independent at heart) I went into that voting booth hellbent on restoring some balance to the system (not only federal but I was determined to vote mostly GOP at the state and local levels too). That meant basically voting straight ticket, and I’ve never done that before in my life.
I had been deeply horrified by the supermajority that was voted into office in 08, and I don’t think I’m the only one.
DeWayne from USA Today advises the Pres to fight not move to the center
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-11-09-column09_ST1_N.htm
That was the most idiotic column I’ve read in awhile.
DeWayne wrote, “Obama should urge wealthy supporters to create a fund from anonymous donors, much like the one the chamber amassed, to challenge GOP dogma.”
smacking forehead !!!
Katrina Vanden Heuvel likes Nancy Pelosi
http://www.thenation.com/blog/155934/nancy-pelosi-minority-leader
In her own column she writes, “In all, more than 400 House bills weren’t even voted on by a meek Senate straitjacketed by the filibustering GOP and enough conservative Democratic accomplices.”
I swear the idiocy called talent these day!!! Smacking forehead again !
The clincher sentence from Katrina is:
OH. MY. GOD !
All 400 bills did NOTHING for jobs except make them more scarce Katrina !
Thank the lord for the voters…
Katrina Vanden Heuvel is a true believer.
She often makes appearances on Morning Joe on MSNBC, and every time I see her I think how horrible it must be to be seated next to her at a dinner party.
A truly insufferable “progressive.” She will not be moved from her deeply entrenched views. And NO sense of humor about things whatsoever.
Katrina’s one of the 48% now.
http://dailycaller.com/2010/11/09/in-midterm-election-women-voters-shifted-republican/
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Isn’t New Hampshire the state where they attempted takeover? I seem to recall a movement to influence one state by having like minded people move to it. I believe that New Hampshire won but I’ve heard nothing more about it. Found it: http://www.freestateproject.org/
Teri Pittman: yes, I recall that. Small states are vulnerable.
Maybe the liberals who moved there got tired of being in the sticks, though.
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