Post by Flying Horse on Nov 9, 2011 4:08:59 GMT -5
Voters reject Ohio union curbs, Mississippi abortion initiative surprise.
Outcomes from Maine to Mississippi included enough wins for Democrats, abortion rights advocates, and labor unions to give a bit of a lift to Obama and his allies as they look toward 2012.
In Ohio, voters overwhelmingly rejected the law enacted last spring by Gov. John Kasich and the Republican-controlled legislature that limited the ability of public employee unions to collectively bargain. The law also would have required performance-based pay for most public employees and required them to pay 15% of the cost of their health care benefits. Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz cheered the outcome in Ohio calling the law “a blatantly partisan attempt to lay the blame for our economy on middle-class Americans, while letting the wealthiest and special interests off the hook and not asking them to pay their fair share. Voters in Ohio know that targeting public employees for political reasons will do nothing to create jobs or boost Ohio’s economy.” Yet they delivered at least a symbolic rebuff to Obama’s health care reform law by overwhelmingly approving a ballot measure saying that no federal, state, or local law or rule could compel any person or employer to participate in a health care system. The practical effect of that Ohio measure hinges on the outcome of legal challenges in federal courts to Obama’s health care law.
In Mississippi, abortion rights advocates scored a somewhat surprising victory as voters defeated Initiative 26, a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that would have defined the word “person” to include every human being “from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.” More than 55% of voters voted “no” on the ballot measure, the AP reported, falling far short of the threshold needed for it to be enacted. Both the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor had backed the measure. But Republican Gov. Haley Barbour indicated he had misgivings about its effect on in vitro fertilization and ectopic pregnancies, even as he said he had voted for it. A statement from Planned Parenthood cheered the victory, saying “Mississippi voters rejected the so-called ‘personhood’ amendment because they understood it is government gone too far, and would have allowed government to have control over personal decisions that should be left up to a woman, her family, her doctor and her faith….” Meanwhile, Mississippi voters also gave overwhelming approval to a ballot initiative that will create a photo identification requirement for voters and will now be the 31st state with a voter ID requirement and the 8th with a strict photo ID requirement.
In Maine, voters were headed toward a rejection of an attempt by the Republican-controlled state legislature to put an end to Election Day voter registration in the state. Maine has had Election Day voter registration since 1973.
In two governors' races, the parties each picked up a win - Kentucky Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear won a 2nd term. And as expected, Republican Lt Gov. Phil Bryant won in Mississippi (Barbour could not run due to term limitatioin).
In Arizona, the Republican state Senate leader who spearheaded the state's controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants appeared headed for defeat in early returns. With all precincts reporting, Russell Pearce was trailing challenger Republican Jerry Lewis by 7 percentage points. But election officials said the final outcome remained uncertain due to an unknown number of early votes and provisional ballots that remained to be tabulated, the AP report said.
So for most part the Democrat union and middle class have beaten the radical Republican agenda. It makes me feel better for my country. Thank you.
Outcomes from Maine to Mississippi included enough wins for Democrats, abortion rights advocates, and labor unions to give a bit of a lift to Obama and his allies as they look toward 2012.
In Ohio, voters overwhelmingly rejected the law enacted last spring by Gov. John Kasich and the Republican-controlled legislature that limited the ability of public employee unions to collectively bargain. The law also would have required performance-based pay for most public employees and required them to pay 15% of the cost of their health care benefits. Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz cheered the outcome in Ohio calling the law “a blatantly partisan attempt to lay the blame for our economy on middle-class Americans, while letting the wealthiest and special interests off the hook and not asking them to pay their fair share. Voters in Ohio know that targeting public employees for political reasons will do nothing to create jobs or boost Ohio’s economy.” Yet they delivered at least a symbolic rebuff to Obama’s health care reform law by overwhelmingly approving a ballot measure saying that no federal, state, or local law or rule could compel any person or employer to participate in a health care system. The practical effect of that Ohio measure hinges on the outcome of legal challenges in federal courts to Obama’s health care law.
In Mississippi, abortion rights advocates scored a somewhat surprising victory as voters defeated Initiative 26, a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that would have defined the word “person” to include every human being “from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.” More than 55% of voters voted “no” on the ballot measure, the AP reported, falling far short of the threshold needed for it to be enacted. Both the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor had backed the measure. But Republican Gov. Haley Barbour indicated he had misgivings about its effect on in vitro fertilization and ectopic pregnancies, even as he said he had voted for it. A statement from Planned Parenthood cheered the victory, saying “Mississippi voters rejected the so-called ‘personhood’ amendment because they understood it is government gone too far, and would have allowed government to have control over personal decisions that should be left up to a woman, her family, her doctor and her faith….” Meanwhile, Mississippi voters also gave overwhelming approval to a ballot initiative that will create a photo identification requirement for voters and will now be the 31st state with a voter ID requirement and the 8th with a strict photo ID requirement.
In Maine, voters were headed toward a rejection of an attempt by the Republican-controlled state legislature to put an end to Election Day voter registration in the state. Maine has had Election Day voter registration since 1973.
In two governors' races, the parties each picked up a win - Kentucky Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear won a 2nd term. And as expected, Republican Lt Gov. Phil Bryant won in Mississippi (Barbour could not run due to term limitatioin).
In Arizona, the Republican state Senate leader who spearheaded the state's controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants appeared headed for defeat in early returns. With all precincts reporting, Russell Pearce was trailing challenger Republican Jerry Lewis by 7 percentage points. But election officials said the final outcome remained uncertain due to an unknown number of early votes and provisional ballots that remained to be tabulated, the AP report said.
So for most part the Democrat union and middle class have beaten the radical Republican agenda. It makes me feel better for my country. Thank you.
© 2011 -- 
Crap, the Name Escapes Me 
