As I thought. Her independent status isn't really significant.
It's very significant as it shows placing a capital D in parentheses behind your name may not hold the automatic influence on voters it historically has in St. Louis City. Based on the special election results -- a whopping 968 votes cast for Independents against Melissa McDaniel's 123 -- people weren't going to the polling place and just voting the (D).
So what if, under different circumstances, Smythe and Green would have identified themselves as Democrats? That's the good thing about an Independent, you can be one or the other (Or both! Or neither! Or other!) without having to kowtow to a party's mission statement/structure. And ultimately its the reason party primaries are likely more of a hindrance than a help in this town.
In this special election you saw more candidates, more civic engagement and higher turnout than the local primary/general system traditionally does. I suspect that, even within our current partisan system, you'll start to see new candidates eschew the Democratic Committee and go it alone. No matter how you cut it, 968 to 123 offers a compelling reason to do just that.
So what if, under different circumstances, Smythe and Green would have identified themselves as Democrats? That's the good thing about an Independent, you can be one or the other (Or both! Or neither! Or other!) without having to kowtow to a party's mission statement/structure. And ultimately its the reason party primaries are likely more of a hindrance than a help in this town.
In this special election you saw more candidates, more civic engagement and higher turnout than the local primary/general system traditionally does. I suspect that, even within our current partisan system, you'll start to see new candidates eschew the Democratic Committee and go it alone. No matter how you cut it, 968 to 123 offers a compelling reason to do just that.
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I'd like to think we are turning a corner on partisan local elections. However, the Democratic Machine™ was built over a course of 70 years, so it's going to be pretty difficult to dismantle.
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I wonder if Megan will have the D imprint behind her in April? I see Rhonda Smythe also plans on a re-match.
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i don't think soroger wyoming II wrote:I wonder if Megan will have the D imprint behind her in April?.
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^ No? I assume this Missy person who was mauled at the polls will be missing from action and if Megan was involved in 15th Ward dems before wouldn't that be a consideration? Honestly, I haven't paid much attn. to the internal workings of 15th Ward dems so I have no idea.
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i would assume she cant run in the primary as an I and then run as a D in the general- she can probably change it from I to D after the general election. US Senators have done that before
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^ this was a special election to fill out a term. There will be primary elections in April next year and general in the fall for a new, full term. So my thought is that she could switch to D and be the party candidate for the full term.... if there wasn't some D backing here for her, I wouldn't see how Lewis Reed would be supporting here. Anyway, I guess I need to pay more attention.
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I think the primary in March of next year will decide who gets the D and who run as an I in April. tho the primary will probably be the de facto general election.... if its close, i can see the loser trying again in the general as an Iroger wyoming II wrote:^ this was a special election to fill out a term. There will be primary elections in April next year and general in the fall for a new, full term. So my thought is that she could switch to D and be the party candidate for the full term.... if there wasn't some D backing here for her, I wouldn't see how Lewis Reed would be supporting here. Anyway, I guess I need to pay more attention.
Apparently Greene officially re-classified to a Democrat this week:
Megan Ellyia Green @MeganEllyia
I'm officially a Democrat (again)... Like there was ever really any doubt...
5:55 PM - 23 Oct 2014
It's like Jennifer Florida running as an "independent Democrat." The whole independent tag is nearly meaningless and is just a way to avoid the Democratic primary or committee selection process while for all intents and purposes still running as a Democratic candidate on a Democratic platform relying on traditionally Democratic voters.
I really don't get the disgust some people on this forum have for the Democratic Party in the City. At least they are still around. All the Republicans left for greener pastures when things got rough. Republicans can't evolve to tackle a more diverse electorate because they by and large earn votes by playing off of the fear of suburban and rural white voters. I think it would be good if Republicans began to challenge the status quo in the urban centers, but until they do, the Democrats are the only ones with the political capital to run the City.
I really don't get the disgust some people on this forum have for the Democratic Party in the City. At least they are still around. All the Republicans left for greener pastures when things got rough. Republicans can't evolve to tackle a more diverse electorate because they by and large earn votes by playing off of the fear of suburban and rural white voters. I think it would be good if Republicans began to challenge the status quo in the urban centers, but until they do, the Democrats are the only ones with the political capital to run the City.
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For a young person, coming out as non-liberal Democrat takes more courage than coming out as a homosexual. I mean, I get that. There's a lot of pre-conceived garbage to wade through before you can muster the courage to do it. Saying you're "independent" or "libertarian" is the first step. It's like walking into a gay bar with a boner for the first time.Ebsy wrote:It's like Jennifer Florida running as an "independent Democrat." The whole independent tag is nearly meaningless and is just a way to avoid the Democratic primary or committee selection process while for all intents and purposes still running as a Democratic candidate on a Democratic platform relying on traditionally Democratic voters.
I really don't get the disgust some people on this forum have for the Democratic Party in the City. At least they are still around. All the Republicans left for greener pastures when things got rough. Republicans can't evolve to tackle a more diverse electorate because they by and large earn votes by playing off of the fear of suburban and rural white voters. I think it would be good if Republicans began to challenge the status quo in the urban centers, but until they do, the Democrats are the only ones with the political capital to run the City.
In the 1990s, half of the 12 largest cities in America had a Republican mayor.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... ed-species
A Republican can yap all they want about abortion (they can think it's icky but it isn't going away) and gay marriage (might not be their cup of tea but it's mostly inevitable). I just zone out on that and that leaves me free to vote (nowadays anyway) for the person that's going to try and do the right things fiscally like maybe look into that black hole of waste at City Hall and do real work promoting business and jobs and economic opportunity for EVERYONE.
I read somewhere that Paul Ryan was passionately hellbent on reaching out to poor urban blacks and showing them that there is a better way to prosperity and progress than what they suffered and continue to suffer under complete Democrat control for the last 60 years in places like St. Louis and Detroit. Ultimately, it was decided that it was a waste of time and money.
Only in a city with a Democrat machine like St. Louis could there be pushback against things like Uber and Lyft. A lot of the progress in the city happens DESPITE the Democrat machine.
As the old guard Democrat machine dies off I think things will improve. If we woke up today and their was a Republican mayor the Metro wouldn't stop and EBT cards would not be confiscated. There would still be lots of hot gay sex (hot gay Republican sex is the hottest I hear). Non-liberal Democrats like to take the Metro to work and smoke weed too!
I've probably swayed more Republican just because I'm just an anti-mob mentality individual type and I like to bother people and challenge the status quo (and I like to bother people). I think others are starting to feel the same way. The city should have a National Coming Out as a Republican Day. Get your friends together, head to the bar and just be like "Hey everyone, um, I don't think the Democrat machine is working, I'm out". Cheers!
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Thanks, LHA. You pretty much summed up my political views and how they relate to city politics in a way that only you can 
Of course this also points out just how stupid our 2-party system is. I shouldn't have to be republican to believe in certain fiscal conservative ideas, and I shouldn't have to be any particular party to have a realistic shot at being elected to public office.
Most Republicans beliefs in fiscal prudence are really just that: beliefs. Look at our neighbor Kansas. The state is totally Republican controlled, and the hole that Sam Brownback has blown in the budget is so large that the whole state might sink into a Republican-manufactured depression. And here we are in Missouri, with a Democratic governor who by and large balances the budget despite the Republicans in the state legislature routinely passing Friday night favors for their donors. Democrats historically have a record of good fiscal management at all levels of government; St. Louis City itself has sound finances, thanks to a process totally controlled by Democrats. I really want to know what the problem is with Democrats in the City of St. Louis, while some of us on here b**** and moan about the partisan system, they run this city as efficiently as could be expected of any bureaucracy.
For what it's worth, I didn't say "republican fiscal ideas," I said "conservative fiscal ideas." I VERY much believe their is a difference.
The passage of absurd pension benefits decades ago have come at a big opportunity cost. Check out the recent firefighter pension reform debate.
Thanks for that post leeharveyawesome. It was leeharveyspectacular.
There's an interesting conversation developing locally and nationally as many of the sacred cows and covenants of the two major parties are starting to topple. Once those distracting hot button issues are effectively doused, all that's left is the policy of actual governance, and people are starting to realize it makes less and less sense to "lock in your vote" and toe a specific party line.
Others have made the argument that the two-party system basically relieves voters' responsibility as a knowledgeable and engaged public ("I'm one of these, so I'll only vote for these"). On a national scale, the jury's still out; at the micro-level though, it has some validity. In a one-party town like ours, it's even more dangerous: voter apathy and entrenched politics leads to a legacy system where you see the same people go pretty much unopposed for four or five cycles.
Recognizing that the obstructive rigidity of the Party system is becoming more and more obvious both to those running for office and those doing the voting, I really do think we'll see more candidates running as Independents. That is, until nonpartisan elections become a thing here in St. Louis. Forecasting that, I'll admit I was bummed with the outcome of the public Board Reduction vote. Considering the generally abysmal turnout in local elections, an organized, active and passionate "independent" could get the necessary votes with relative ease. With the Board of Alderman dropping down to fourteen in 2020 (?), I suspect it'll be that much easier for the Democratic Party to circle the wagons and use its funding, resources and connections to maintain a near-stranglehold on City Hall. The opportunity's still there, of course, for those who want to try, but the walls through which one must break are much thicker.
There's an interesting conversation developing locally and nationally as many of the sacred cows and covenants of the two major parties are starting to topple. Once those distracting hot button issues are effectively doused, all that's left is the policy of actual governance, and people are starting to realize it makes less and less sense to "lock in your vote" and toe a specific party line.
Others have made the argument that the two-party system basically relieves voters' responsibility as a knowledgeable and engaged public ("I'm one of these, so I'll only vote for these"). On a national scale, the jury's still out; at the micro-level though, it has some validity. In a one-party town like ours, it's even more dangerous: voter apathy and entrenched politics leads to a legacy system where you see the same people go pretty much unopposed for four or five cycles.
Recognizing that the obstructive rigidity of the Party system is becoming more and more obvious both to those running for office and those doing the voting, I really do think we'll see more candidates running as Independents. That is, until nonpartisan elections become a thing here in St. Louis. Forecasting that, I'll admit I was bummed with the outcome of the public Board Reduction vote. Considering the generally abysmal turnout in local elections, an organized, active and passionate "independent" could get the necessary votes with relative ease. With the Board of Alderman dropping down to fourteen in 2020 (?), I suspect it'll be that much easier for the Democratic Party to circle the wagons and use its funding, resources and connections to maintain a near-stranglehold on City Hall. The opportunity's still there, of course, for those who want to try, but the walls through which one must break are much thicker.
Jennifer Florida was soundly defeated by Sharon Carpenter for Recorder of Deeds. This is a sad day for the City of St. Louis.
Why is it a sad day?Ebsy wrote:Jennifer Florida was soundly defeated by Sharon Carpenter for Recorder of Deeds. This is a sad day for the City of St. Louis.
Carpenter is the most corrupt politician in the City of St. Louis.stlien wrote:Why is it a sad day?Ebsy wrote:Jennifer Florida was soundly defeated by Sharon Carpenter for Recorder of Deeds. This is a sad day for the City of St. Louis.