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Originally Posted by NCB
Well said, especially the summation. The big winner here that has yet to be mentioned is Howard Dean, who was ridiculed for his 50 state approach and the recruitment of conservative Dems in the South. He gambled and it paid off.
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Thanks NCB, it means a lot to me that we generally agree about what this election does and does not mean. On that note, you are absolutely right that Dean is possibly the biggest winner here. Like him or not he has a great political mind. He has shown that running for governor, in being governor, and especially in his presidential primary. As the DNC head I think he has found a great fit. Personally, I like the guy but don't see eye to eye with him very often. What I think that says about him is that he is a great party leader, but not much of a national leader.
Ballot issues were huge for me this year and I think they put the Democratic 'wave' into perspective. We see the 'liberal' democratic gay rights agenda taking major hits while we see the 'moderate' democratic minimum wage issue spreading like wildfire. Regarding minimum wage, I think Colorado will be very interesting. I'd like to note that the amendment calls for annual 'adjusting' and that doesn't necessarily mean increases every year with inflation nor does this make it the equivalent of a living wage. That being said I think this will be a great test state to actually examine this style of approach lauded by the Dems for so long. Myself, I have a lot of faith in this approach for two reasons. First, because the minimum wage does need to be raised, as evidenced by the states who have done so in the recent past having all had improved economies compared to states that have not. Second, the 'adjustments' approach forces state legislators to wrestle with the wage issue every year and make a statement about maintaining, raising, or lowering the minimum. This is something that I think should be discussed every year by every legislator acrossed the country. Make them talk about and then come to a firm decision about it every single year. This should help keep the wage fair and help voters hold their legislators accountable to their constituents.