People in twelve states went to the polls to choose candidates for the general election in November, with the attention of the nation and many of us political junkies focused in South Carolina, Arkansas, Nevada and California.In Arkansas Sen. Lincoln survived with help from Bill Clinton a serious primary challenge from Lt. Gov Bill Halter fueled by unions and netroots activists.
It's being pooh-pooed by the pundit class as a loss for the unions and netroots, but I don't see it that way. It puts centrist Dems like Lincoln on notice that you can't just 'run to the right' and then try to run back to the center and beg for our votes at election time.
Ask Rep. Artur Davis in Alabama about how well that strategy worked for him in Alabama's Democratic gubernatorial primary.
In South Carolina Republican state rep Nikki Haley got endorsed by Sarah Palin, slut shamed and attacked with racial slurs because she is of Indian descent, but nearly received the 50% she needed to avoid a June 22 runoff to become the state's first female governor.In Nevada Teabagger Sharron Angle survived a three way primary to get the GOP nomination and take on Sen. Harry Reid. Sen. Reid's son secured the Democratic nomination for the now open governor's chair since the incumbent scandal plagued GOP governor Jim Gibbons went down to defeat.
And in Cal-ee-for-nia Meg Whitman used $71 million 'free speech' dollars to get the GOP governor's nod to replace Ah-nold. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina also spent some of her golden parachute 'free speech' megabucks to get the GOP senate nod to take on Sen. Barbara Boxer. Both are already flinging campaign ads in what promises to be a long and expensive senate campaign.
I was happy to see Orly 'Birther Mama' Taitz get her political azz whipped in the GOP California Secretary of State race. Last thing we needed was to see her cranially challenged behind ensconced as the chief election officer in the state with the most electoral votes (52) for the 2012 presidential election cycle.
There will be another cluster of primaries between now and the general election on November 2. All they are proving right now is that basically whoever turns their base out will win.
And don't think conservafools, that we're going to sit at home and let y'all put knowledge challenged reactionaries in charge of the federal government without a fight.
That's not the kind of change I voted for in 2008.
