There were not many races with national significance in the
2013 election, but there are several lessons we can learn from the three races
that received the most news coverage—left-winger Bill DeBlasio’s historic
landslide victory for Mayor of New York, moderate Republican Chris Christie’s
mere landslide re-election as Governor of New Jersey and conservative Democrat
Terry McAuliffe’s two-point win as Governor of Virginia over a Tea Party
poster boy.
Lesson # 1: People
are tired of the Tea Party
As the many mainstream reporters touting Chris Christie for
President have pointed out, the Tea Party candidate lost in a Southern state,
whereas the Non-Tea flavored Republican won in a Northern state. The Tea Party
candidate also lost a bitter battle to a less radically conservative Republican
in a special election for Congress in Alabama. Most people either suffered or know
someone who suffered because of the sequester or the government shutdown. Most
now realize that the Tea Party has little to offer to anyone except the one
percenters, who will benefit from tax cuts and less government regulation.
Lesson #2: People
didn’t care that much about Obamacare’s rollout problems
Everyone is rightfully pissed off that the website for the
federal healthcare exchange isn’t working right. But they’re more pissed about
the government shutdown, the sequester, the enormously inequitable distribution
of wealth in the United States and continued high unemployment and they blame
Republicans for all that. Any Republican candidate thinking he or she would get
an anti-Obamacare bounce must have swallowed the entire pitcher of Kool-Aid.
They certainly ignored the recent study that showed that many more Americans
either like the Affordable Care Act or want to strengthen it than those who
want to end or weaken it.
Lesson #3: It helps
to be FOHAB or FOBAH
Friend of Hillary & Bill or Friend of Bill &
Hillary—which is it? Maybe we should just write FOTC and leave it at that.
However you name the phenomenon, it’s interesting to note that two of the three
winners in the major races have close ties to the Clintons. The Clintons
endorsed DeBlasio and spent time campaigning for their former fundraiser Terry
McAuliffe. These results substantiate what many are saying: that Hillary
Clinton is the overwhelming favorite to be elected as our next president,
assuming that she runs.
Lesson #4: Money wins
In all three of the major races (and the Alabama
Congressional race), the candidate who raised and spent the most money won the
contest. Just like all the recent presidential elections. Progressive who may
be overjoyed that McAuliffe and DeBlasio won and not all that upset that
Christie won should nonetheless be alarmed at the continuation of the trend of
money trumping every other factor.
Lesson #5: The crony
capitalists won
In crony capitalism one function of government is to procure
federal contracts and other favorable treatment for the supporters of the
winning candidates. Both McAuliffe and Christie qualify as practitioners of
crony capitalism. It was McAuliffe who auctioned off nights at the White House
for campaign contributions, whereas Christie has a reputation for dealing state
contracts to and getting favorable rulings for his pals and contributors. Thank
goodness that DeBlasio—left wing superhero that he appears to be right now—has
no reputation for engaging in the practices of crony capitalism.
Both McAuliffe and Christie are part of the current corrupt
political system that favors big-money contributors and organized industries.
McAuliffe is a centrist and Christie is slightly right of center but willing to
move left in practical matters such as natural disasters and recessions. While
Bill DeBlasio offers the hope of a political culture that seeks the best
interests of all our citizens, it remains to be seen if he will carry out his
promises. If he does—if he manages to build housing for the middle and lower
class, raise taxes on the wealthy to support universal preschool, negotiate
contracts that give city union workers decent raises, end racist police
practices, improve mass transit in the outer boroughs—if he makes New York a more
livable and more progressive place, then the results of the 2013 election will
reverberate for decades. Otherwise, it will be remembered as another election in
which money and influence won.
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