UNBELIEVABLY CON CONTESTED GOVERNOR’S RACE AS THE RIGHT TO
VOTE WAS AS MUCH ABOUT THE
CONTEST AS THE TWO CANDIDATES.
AND THE RIGHT TO VOTE, THE
ABILITY TO VOTE, THE QUESTION
WHETHER OR NOT THE PLAYING FIELD
IS TILTED TO ONE CANDIDATE OR
THE OTHER, TO ONE PARTY OR THE
OTHER, THAT HAS BECOME BASICALLY
THE THEME SONG TO WHAT HAPPENED
IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTION.
IF NOT THE THEME SONG, AT LEAST
THE BACKGROUND MUSIC.
THERE IS A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN
WISCONSIN CALLED ISTHMUS.
IT’S ONE OF THE WORSE I CAN’T
SAY NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I
SAY IT.
SAY IT. ISTHMUS.
ISTHMUS. I CAN’T SAY SIXTH OR PROCUREMENT
OR ISTHMUS.
OR ISTHMUS. THERE YOU HAVE IT.
THAT’S MY KRYPTONITE.
I CAN’T SAY THOSE THINGS.
THIS PROJECT THAT ISTHUMS MADE
TO SHOW THE RESULTS.
IT’S CLEAR AS YOU CAN GET IN
TERMS OF SHOWING WHAT HAPPENED
IN THIS ELECTION AND SHOWING THE
CHALLENGES FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY
NATIONWIDE.
NATIONWIDE. IN WISCONSIN IN YEAR, DEMOCRATS
ACTUALLY DID GREAT.
DEMOCRATS SORT OF RAN THE TABLE
IN WISCONSIN.
IN WISCONSIN. AND THIS ACTUALLY STHOES
DEMOCRATIC VOTES AND THE
REPUBLICAN VOTES FOR ALL THE
STATEWIDE RACES ON THE BALLOT IN
WISCONSIN THIS YEAR.
SO SECRETARY OF STATE IN
WISCONSIN, THE DEMOCRAT GOT MORE
VOTES.
VOTES. THE DEMOCRAT WON.
STATE TREASURER, THE DEMOCRAT
GOT MORE VOTES.
THE DEMOCRAT ONE.
SATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE
DEMOCRAT WON.
DEMOCRAT WON. THE U.S. SENATOR, THE TAMMY
BALDWIN SEAT, THE TAM E SHE WON
IN A LANDSLIDE AND SCOTT WALKER
LOST HIS SEAT, REPLACED IN THE
GOVERNOR’S MANSION IN WISCONSIN
BY TONY EVERS, AFTER THE EVERS,
THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE GOT
MORE VOTES.
MORE VOTES. DEMOCRATS DID GREAT.
THEY WON EVERY STATEWIDE RACE IN
WISCONSIN.
WISCONSIN. AND NOW LOOK AT THIS.
THIS IS THE STORY OF OUR TIME.
WELL, DEMOCRATS WERE BUSY
SWEEPING EVERY STATEWIDE RACE IN
WISCONSIN, THEY ALSO ABSOLUTELY
SWEPT THE STATE ASSEMBLY.
SO PEOPLE VOTING FOR THEIR STATE
LEGISLATOR.
LEGISLATOR. WAY MORE PEOPLE WENT TO THE
POLLS IN WISCONSIN ON ELECTION
DAY IN WISCONSIN AND VOTED FOR A
DEMOCRAT FOR THEIR STATE
LEGISLATOR THAN VOTED FOR A
REPUBLICAN.
REPUBLICAN. DEMOCRATS GOT A MAJORITY OF THE
VOTES.
VOTES. CLEARLY 53% OF THE VOTES CAST
FOR STATE LEGISLATORS OR CAST
FOR REPUBLICANS.
FOR REPUBLICANS. DEMOCRATS BEAT THEM BY AN EIGHT
POINT GAP IN TERMS OF THE
LEGISLATURE.
LEGISLATURE. AND NOW LOOK AT THE RESULTS IN
TERMS OF SEATS WON IN THE
LEGISLATURE.
LEGISLATURE. EVEN THOUGH DEMOCRATS GOT A BIG
MAJORITY OF THE VOTES, EVEN
THOUGH THE REPUBLICANS DID NOT
GET HALF THE VOTES THAT WERE
CAST FOR THE LEGISLATURE,
REPUBLICANS GOT 64% OF THE
SEATS.
SEATS. WHY IS THAT?
BECAUSE THEY TILTED THE PLAYING
FIELD.
FIELD. THEY DREW THE DISTRICT SO IT’S
ALMOST LIKE NO MATTER HOW MANY
MORE VOTES DEMOCRATS WIN, THEY
CAN NEVER GET THE MAJORITY.
THEY CAN NEVER GET CONTROL.
THEY CAN NEVER GET POWER.
THAT’S HOW IT HAPPENED IN
WISCONSIN THIS YEAR, THIS MONTH.
SAW THE SAME THING HAPPEN IN
STATE AFTER STATE.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKED IN
PENNSYLVANIA.
PENNSYLVANIA. AGAIN, THE DEMOCRATS SHELLACKED
REPUBLICANS IN TERMS OF THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO TURNED OUT
AND VOTED FOR A DEMOCRAT TO
REPRESENT THEM IN THE STATE
LEGISLATURE.
LEGISLATURE. DEMOCRATS WON THOSE VOTES BY
EIGHT POINTS.
EIGHT POINTS. THAT’S A HUGE MARGIN.
AND THE PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE
WILL NEVERTHELESS COME BACK WITH
REPUBLICANS HOLDING THE MAJORITY
OF THE SEATS.
SAME THING HAPPENED IN MICHIGAN.
THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS TURNED
OUT AND VOLTED FOR WHO THEY WANT
THEM TO STATE LEGISLATURE.
THE MAJORITY VOTED FOR A
DEMOCRAT TO BE THEIR STATE
LEGISLATURE.
LEGISLATURE. AND NEVERTHELESS, THE MAJORITY
OF SEATS IN THE LEGISLATURE WILL
GO TO THE REPUBLICANS.
SAME DYNAMIC AT WORK IN NORTH
CAROLINA.
CAROLINA. MORE PEOPLE VOTED FOR A DEMOCRAT
TO REPRESENT THEM IN THE
LEGISLATURE THAN VOTED FOR A
REPUBLICAN.
REPUBLICAN. THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE MARGIN IS
2.5 POINTS OVER THE REPUBLICANS.
BUT THE REPUBLICANS WILL COME
BACK WITH A MAJORITY, WITH 54%
OF THE SEATS.
EVEN THOUGH THE DEMOCRATS BEAT
THEM IN THE VOTE.
IT’S BECAUSE THEY’VE TILTED THE
PLAYING FIELD.
PLAYING FIELD. THIS IS WHAT REPUBLICANS HAVE
ENGINEERED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY
WITH THEIR CONTROL OF STATE
LEGISLATURES TO RIG THE
ELECTORAL MAP SO DEMOCRATS CAN’T
EVER REALLY GET POWER NO MATTER
HOW MANY VOTES THEY GET, NO
MATTER HOW MANY MORE VOTES THEY
GET.
GET. YOU SEE IT IN ALL OF THESE STATE
LEGISLATURES.
LEGISLATURES. AND THAT TRANSLATES TO A
NATIONAL TILT AS WELL, WHERE THE
DEMOCRATS HAVE TO WIN BY
GIGANTIC MARGINS IN ORDER TO
PULL IN EVEN A MODEST MAJORITY
IN THE U.S. HOUSE.
NATE SILVER AT 538.COM TODAY
POINTS OUT THE DEMOCRATS
ACTUALLY HAD HUGE TURNOUT IN
CONGRESSIONAL RACES THIS YEAR
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THEY HAD ABOUT AN EIGHT-POINT
POPULAR VOTE WIN OVER THE
REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESSIONAL
RACES.
RACES. IN TERMS OF RAW NUMBERS, QUOTE,
ABOUT 60 MILLION PEOPLE TURNED
OUT TO VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS FOR
THE HOUSE THIS YEAR THAT IS A
CRAZY NUMBER, ACCORDING TO NATE
SILVER.
SILVER. WHAT IT MEANS IS ALMOST AS MANY
PEOPLE TURNED OUT TO VOTE FOR A
DEMOCRATIC MEMBER OF CONGRESS IN
THIS MIDTERM ELECTION AS TURNED
OUT TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP IN
THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TWO
YEARS AGO.
YEARS AGO. THERE IS NO PRECEDENT FOR THAT
IN U.S. HISTORY.
PEOPLE TURNING OUT TO VOTE IN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR
NUMBERS WHEN THERE ISN’T A
PRESIDENT ON THE BALLOT.
IT’S JUST NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
DEMOCRATS HAD HUGE TURNOUT.
THEY BEAT REPUBLICANS IN TERMS
OF THE POPULAR VOTE FOR CONGRESS
BY LIKE EIGHT POINT.
AND YET DEMOCRATS WILL TAKE
CONTROL OF THE HOUSE IN JANUARY
WITH A RELATIVELY MODEST
MAJORITY.
MAJORITY. BECAUSE THE PLAYING FIELD IS
TILTED AGAINST THEM.
IN ORDER FOR DEMOCRATS TO FIX
THAT, THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO
WIN GOVERNORSHIPS AND STATE
LEGISLATURES ALL ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, AND/OR THEY’RE GOING TO
HAVE TO CONTINUE TO TRY TO
CONVINCE STATES EITHER THROUGH
THE COURTS OR THROUGH BALLOT
MEASURES TO ADOPT NONPARTISAN
MAPS IN THE FUTURE THAT AREN’T
TILTED EITHER WAY.
IN THE MEANTIME, THOUGH, THERE
ARE SHORT-TERM FIGHTS TO BE
FOUGHT.
FOUGHT. THERE IS A U.S. SENATE RACE THAT
HAPPENS A WEEK FROM TOMORROW.
THERE IS A SECRETARY OF STATE
RACE IN THE REALLY IMPORTANT
PURPLE STATE OF GEORGIA THAT
HAPPENS TWO WEEKS FROM TOMORROW.
CAN WE PUT UP THE NORTH CAROLINA
GRAPHS AGAIN?
GRAPHS AGAIN? DO WE HAVE THAT?
RIGHT AFTER THANKSGIVING
WEEKEND, ON MONDAY OF NEXT WEEK,
A WEEK FROM TODAY, YOU WANT TO
KNOW WHAT ONE OF THESE FIGHTS
IS?
IS? A WEEK FROM TODAY, REPUBLICANS
IN THE U.S. SENATE HAVE
SCHEDULED A VOTE ON A LIFETIME
FEDERAL JUDGESHIP FOR THE NORTH
CAROLINA REPUBLICAN LAWYER WHO
CREATED THE MAP IN NORTH
CAROLINA THAT DID THIS TO THE
PARTISAN BALANCE IN THAT STATE.
SO REPUBLICAN LAWYER, LONG-TIME
PARTY APPARATCHIK IN NORTH
CAROLINA NAMED THOMAS FARR.
COURTS DENOUNCED HIS WORK AS A
RACIAL GERRYMANDER AND STRUCK IT
DOWN.
DOWN. WHEN HE ADVISED THE STATE
LEGISLATURE ON A PACKAGE OF
VOTER LAWS THAT WAS DESCRIBED AS
BEING MAYBE THE WORST VOTER
SUPPRESSION PACKAGE EVER PASSED
BY A MODERN STATE LEGISLATURE,
THAT WAS DENOUNCED AS A FEDERAL
APPEALS COURT AS QUOTE TARGETING
AFRICAN AMERICANS WITH ALMOST
SURGICAL PRECISION.
SURGICAL PRECISION. YOU LOOK AT THE TILT OF THE
PLAYING FIELD, RIGHT, YOU SEE IT
NATIONWIDE.
NATIONWIDE. YOU SEE THE EFFECTS NATIONWIDE.
AND YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW,
SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT STATE BY
STATE.
STATE. THE STATE BY STATE PERVERSIONS
IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS, THIS
TILTING OF THE PLAYING FIELD,
AND YOU THINK MY GOD, THE
STRUCTURE IS MESSED UP.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
BUT EACH OF THESE MAP, EACH OF
THESE STATES, THEY HAVE AN
AUTHOR.
AUTHOR. THERE ARE PERSONALITIES AND
INDIVIDUALS STATE BY STATE, LAW
BY LAW, COURT RULING BY COURT
RULING FIGHTS BEHIND EACH ONE OF
THESE SKEWS.
THESE SKEWS. AND ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, THE
NORTH CAROLINA AUTHOR OF THIS
BIAS, THIS SKEW, THIS PERVERSION
OF THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS IN
THAT STATE WILL BE BEFORE THE
U.S. SENATE WITH EVERY SENATOR
IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE
HAVING A CHANCE TO VOTE YES OR
NO TO MAKE HIM A FEDERAL JUDGE
FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.
EVEN THE LONG-TERM BIG PICTURE
BATTLES IN AMERICAN POLITICS
BREAK DOWN INTO SMALL SCALE
SHORT-TERM WINNABLE FIGHTS.
EVEN RIGHT AROUND THANKSGIVING.