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Tag Archives: Applebaum

Losing Effectively

12 Wednesday Sep 2007

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Applebaum, Dempsey

You can’t win ’em all, but in elections you can do yourself a lot of good even by losing.  That’s the point John Hickey of ProVote made in a speech Monday at West County Dems.

In the special state senate election on Tuesday after Labor Day, Ed Applebaum lost the race in St. Charles County to Tom Dempsey (44-56).  Nobody, not even those who canvassed for Applebaum, was surprised at the loss.  The Republican outspent our man 25-1.  And Applebaum agreed to run a mere six weeks before the election.  Those factors alone would have given Dempsey a big edge, but he had still more in his favor.  As a state representative and Republican Majority Floor Leader, Dempsey had, for all intents and purposes, the advantages of an incumbent in name recognition.  He made the most of that, using much of his money to dot the St. Charles landscape with billboards.

A twelve point difference seems like a drubbing, until you realize that Dempsey outspent Applebaum, as I said, by 25-1.  That’s money that the Republicans were forced to spend and that they’d rather have saved for races next year.  So, if nothing else, Applebaum punctured their campaign coffers so that a lot of cash oozed out.

Meanwhile, instead of spending money on TV ads and billboards, the Dems–with a lot of help from ProVote–concentrated on a ground game.  That strategy has many advantages, not the least of which is that it’s cheap.  But just as important is that nothing, nothing is as effective as talking to voters  one on one, knocking on doors and calling them.

How else are we going to counteract the deception of Dempsey’s campaign literature–literature that makes him sound so magnanimous about health care and education that you’d swear he was a Democrat.  One activist who canvassed for Applebaum told about explaining Dempsey’s actual record on health care to a voter and having the voter say, “Oh my.  I didn’t know that.  I guess I’ll be voting for Applebaum. … Maybe I ought to go out in the front yard and take down the Dempsey yard sign, huh?”   Good idea.

And you know what?  That conversation is more than just an amusing anecdote.  The information about that voter is now part of the ProVote data base.  Canvassing, even in a losing election, gives us a chance to i.d. voters.

Hickey also stressed that losing isn’t the end for a candidate.  It often lays the groundwork for success.  ProVote’s research shows that the Democrats they’ve worked for more typically win the second time out than the first, and some even persevere and win the third time around.  Jim Trout, who lost his first bid for the House in District 91 by about two hundred votes last year, plans to try again.

And finally, on the list of benefits that can come even from a loss, is that the loser may help other Democrats up the ticket.  If a candidate hustles and brings in a couple hundred extra votes, that still might not be enough to put him over the top.  But it might well contribute to a win in the governor’s race, for example. 

In 2,000, the governor’s race was decided by 20,000 votes.  With 163 districts, that’s a difference of about 125 votes per district.  So any candidate who rustles up an extra two hundred votes has done more than his share to help the up-ticket candidates.  That kind of effort next year could make the difference between four more years of Blunt or four years of being able to at least put the brakes on some of the more egregious foolishness to come out of the Missouri legislature.

Nobody’s saying losing is just as good as winning, but even candidates who know their chances are slim do the party good by running.  They deserve lots of credit for putting themselves out there.

 

Should Unions Stick with Democratic Endorsements?

31 Friday Aug 2007

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Applebaum, Carpenters' Unionconsid, Dempsey, Laborers' Union

Considering the general Republican disdain for helping ordinary citizens cling to their middle class status, it comes as a shock to see two major Missouri unions endorse Tom Dempsey in Tuesday’s special election for the state Senate.

The Missouri Laborers’ Legislative Committee, which represents 14,000 members, and the Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity, which represents 22,000 members, are endorsing Dempsey, mainly on the strength of his vote “to protect the prevailing wage.”  He voted as a state rep, in other words, for a law requiring that major government construction projects must pay workers the prevailing local wage.

Since many of the unions’ members in St. Charles are social conservatives, the union leaders apparently feel they must consider endorsing any Republican who votes labors’ way on particular laws.  Even if Republicans do knock 100,000 desperate people off Medicaid.  Even if they work to eliminate a non-partisan system for selecting judges in favor of a system where judges will be bought by campaign contributions.  Even if they do harm public schools by favoring vouchers.  Even if they do overturn the campaign contribution limits that Missouri’s voters set, so that they can sell themselves to the richest buyers.

The unions are in the business of protecting their workers’ wages and working conditions.  They don’t figure it’s their job to decide for their workers what to think of these political issues.

Do you agree with them?

Work for Ed Applebaum in St. Charles This Weekend

31 Friday Aug 2007

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Applebaum

Anybody interested in helping canvass for Ed Applebaum this weekend can join ProVote workers.  Just go to the Target store in St. Charles at 3881 Mexico Road.  Here are the times (arrive 15 minutes early if possible):

Saturday:  10-2 and 3-7

Sunday:  3-7

Monday:  10-2

Tuesday:  10-7

You’ll need three hands ….

28 Tuesday Aug 2007

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Applebaum, ballot initiative, computerized voting, paper ballots, petition drive, special election

….or more.  Any evening this week from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., you could help out in St. Charles, but you’ll be multitasking.

One hand is going to be holding a clipboard for collecting signatures in the petition drive to get an amendment on the ballot mandating hand-counted paper ballots in Missouri instead of computerized voting.

Another hand will be giving folks information about the special election in St. Charles next Tuesday for the state senate.  Republican Chuck Gross resigned from the senate.  Ed Applebaum, the Democrat, is facing a well funded Republican named Tom Dempsey.  Applebaum’s a good man and, by the by, could use your contribution.

The third hand will have voter registration cards.

 

No partisan rant will be required or even desired.  You’ll just be urging people to vote in an election where single digit turnout is expected, helping them register if need be, and asking for a petition signature.  That request for signatures will prove to be popular.  When several volunteers for Show Me the Vote went signature collecting recently at the St. Charles Festival of Little Hills, they got a seventy percent positive response from people they approached for signatures.  That’s as in 70% of the people were glad to sign.  A lot of Missourians would be happy to see the last of those computers at the voting precinct.

The reason you might need more than three hands, by the way, is that petition signers have to sign on a sheet for the county they reside in.  Just kidding about the hands.  You won’t need extras, of course.  Just put a sheet for each county on your clipboard.

Volunteering in St. Charles will enable you to kill three birds with one stone. 

If you’re interested in helping, call Judith Conoyer (636-946-8425).  And if you need a ride, call Pro-Vote.

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