Can Democrats Still Flip The Senate Seat In Maine?

 I had high hopes for electing a Democrat to the United States Senate in Maine to replace GOP Senator Collins. Even though a flawed candidate, it was looking like Graham Platner had a very good chance of winning.

But a new revelation has changed that. A former girlfriend of Platner's has accused him of a drunken sexual assault - and it looks like her accusation is credible. Many Democrats are now withdrawing their support, and party officials in Maine are calling for him to drop out of the race (see image above).

He has suspended campaign events and says he considering whether to drop out or stay in the race. I hope he does the right thing for his party (and country) and drops out. I no longer think he can win.

But I give a warning to those who would replace him. Maine Democrats were very clear that, in spite of his flaws, they liked his platform and desire to fight for workers. It would be a serious mistake to replace him with a centrist establishment Democrat. 

His replacement must be a progressive - someone who will continue the platform Democrats in Maine voted for. Most people in Maine want a fighter - someone who will fight for workers and oppose the establishment that seem to be happy to cave to Republicans and oligarchs.

Below is former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance's take:

This most recent accusation about him was made by a woman to multiple people, long before he got into politics, including a treating physician. Maine Democrats are already joining national party leaders in calling for Platner to leave the race.

Because this is how it’s done. No man who has raped a woman is fit to serve in public office.

It’s up to Maine voters to decide what to do next. But if they believe these allegations are true, then the only choice they can make is to replace him. They have plenty of qualified candidates, as the contested Democratic primary for governor shows. That choice will be a political one. Removing the current candidate is one of ethics, morality, and common decency.

The contrast here is hard to ignore. Democrats have shown that when credible allegations of sexual misconduct emerge against one of their own, the conversation turns quickly to accountability. Republicans have made a different choice. That’s not a partisan talking point. It’s a difference in how the two parties have approached questions of character and fitness for office over the last ten years.

Democrats shouldn’t lower their standards because the other party already has. If anything, this is the moment to insist that the same principles apply every time, regardless of whose name is on the ballot.

Will The Supreme Court Put Trump Back On Primary Ballots?

Two states (Colorado and Maine) have ruled that Donald Trump is not qualified to be on the primary ballots in their states, and the question will soon be decided in some other states. The Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine Secretary of State both base their rulings on Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

That section of the Constitution prohibits anyone who has engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" from holding "any office, civilian or military, under the United States, or under any State". It seems obvious to me that the phrase "any office" would have to include the presidency.

Did Trump commit insurrection (a violent uprising against an authority or government)? That also seems obvious. On January 6th, immediately before Congress was to meet to count and ratify the electoral votes, Trump urged his followers to go to Congress and stop that vote certification -- and they did so in a violent way (with people hurt, lives lost, and property damaged).

Another state (Michigan) has decided the Fourteenth Amendment does not apply, and said Trump could be on the ballot in that state. Most people now expect the matter to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Two things could happen. One, they could decide it was up to each state to decide who qualifies for the ballot. Two, they could take the case and either rules Trump was or was not qualified to be on the ballot. 

I think they will take the case. But the conservative majority is extremely unlikely to take Trump off of all state ballots. So there most likely ruling is that Trump must be on all state ballots. They will probably dodge the insurrection issue by ruling he has yet to be convicted of that. 

Should Trump be removed from all ballots - YES. Will Trump be removed from any ballots - NO. After all, they are right-wing Republicans, and right-wing Republicans don't think rules, laws, or constitutional provisions should apply to themselves.

Don't expect this Supreme Court to do the constitutional thing -- or the right thing.

Maine, N. Carolina, & Arizona Look Good For Senate Dems

The chart above is from the Public Policy Polling survey -- done on July 22nd and 23rd of 561 registered voters in Maine.

The chart above is from the Public Policy Polling survey -- done on July 22nd and 23rd of 939 registered voters in North Carolina.

The chart above is from the Public Policy Polling survey -- done on July 21st and 22nd of 816 registered voters in Arizona.

The closer we get to Election Day, the more it looks like Democrats have a good chance of regaining control of the U.S. Senate. In Maine, Democrat Sara Gideon leads by 5 points. In North Carolina, Democrat Cal Cunningham leads by 8 points. And in Arizona, Democrat Mark Kelly leads by 9 points.

Add to this the fact that polls have shown a decent chance for Democrats to pick up a seat in Colorado and Montana, and you have the makings of a Democratic Senate majority.

New Poll Shows Collins In Trouble With Maine Voters

It looks like Senator Susan Collins of Maine is in real trouble with her home state voters. That's not good, since she must run for re-election in the 2020 election.

Only 35% of Maine voters approve of the job she is doing, while 50% disapprove. If the election was held now, she would lose to a generic Democratic opponent by 3 points (44% to 41%). And if she opposes impeaching Trump, that margin would grow to 7 points (47% to 40%).

The charts above are from the latest Public Policy Polling survey -- done between October 11th and 13th of 939 Maine voters, with a 3.2 point margin of error.

Democratic Support In Maine On Eve Of The Debates

This chart is from the Gravis Marketing Poll of 767 registered voters likely to vote in the Democratic primary in Maine. It was done on June 24th (two days before the debates), and has a margin of error of 3.5 points.

Senator Collin's Job Approval Has Dropped Sharply In Maine

These charts reflect the results of a Critical Insights Poll -- done in March and April of 2019 of a sample of 612 registered voters in Maine, and has a margin of error of 3.9 points.

Senator Susan Collins has been very popular with voters in Maine, but that may be changing. For the first time in the last seven years, her job approval is negative (41% approve to 42% disapprove). That is within the poll's margin of error, but it does show that she may not have as easy a time getting re-elected in 2020 as she has in the past. She needs to get this fixed in the next year, or Maine could have a Democratic senator.

Collins Vote Has Raised Millions For Her Next Opponent

(Caricatures of Susan Collins and Susan Rice are by DonkeyHotey.)

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) has claimed to be a moderate voice in the U.S. Senate. But her vote to confirm Kavanaugh to sit on the Supreme Court has exposed her. She is no moderate, but just another Republican party hack supporting the corporate white patriarchy, and willing to lie to do that.

But this vote was definitely over the line, and it may cost her dearly. By voting for Kavanaugh, she has assured that her Democratic opponent in 2020 will have the funds to run a good race against her.

After her mendacious speech on the Senate floor in support of Kavanaugh, CrowdPac began raising funds online for her next opponent. They had hoped to raise $4 million (which would allow someone to run a great campaign in Maine). They will likely reach that goal. As I write this, there fundraising total is already $3,421,769.

Who might that opponent be? Susan Rice (who was first the ambassador to the United Nations and then the National Security Advisor in the Obama administration) has expressed an interest in running. And I think she could be a formidable candidate.

But whoever the Democrats select as their candidate will start with a substantial campaign war chest.

Critical States Oppose The GOP's Tax Cut Plan

There are five Republican senators who have not yet agreed to vote for the GOP's Tax Plan in the Senate -- Senator Collins (Maine), Senator Corker (Tennessee), Senators Flake and McCain (Arizona), and Senator Johnson (Wisconsin). If the Republicans lose three of those five senators, then their tax plan will fail (just like the effort to repeal Obamacare). That's because the bill gives most of the cuts to corporations and the rich -- something the Democrats cannot support.

Making the pressure on those Republican senators rise is a new poll in three of the four states. Those polls show that voters in Maine oppose the GOP tax plan by 31 points, voters in Arizona by 18 points, and voters in Tennessee by 17 points. Those same voters believe the wealthy are the ones that will benefit the most from the Republican tax plan -- Maine (62%), Tennessee (54%), and Arizona (52%). If these senators vote for the GOP plan, then they will be voting against the wishes of the people in their own states.

These charts reflect the results of a Americans for Tax Fairness / Hart Research Poll done of 400 registered voters in each state -- Maine (November 18-20), Arizona (November 18-21), and Tennessee (November 17-19).

Nevada Becomes The 5th State For Legal Marijuana

(This map on legal marijuana is from governing.com.)

Yesterday (July 1st), Nevada became the fifth state where the sale and possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal. After passing the legalization initiative in the last election, Nevada joined four other states (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska) in implementing that legalization. They expect the tax on marijuana sales to bring the state about $60 million in revenue in the next two years. I think that's probably a very low estimate.

By early next year, the number of states with legal marijuana will climb to eight states. Massachusetts, California, and Maine have all voted to legalize the gentle herb. The legalization will actually go into effect in Massachusetts on December 15th, in California on January 1st, and in Maine next February.

The genie is now out of the bottle -- and I expect several more states to jump on the legalization bandwagon in the next few years.

Four More States Legalize Marijuana Possession And Use

(This image is from opensecrets.org.)

Not all of the news fromTuesday night's election was bad news. Four more states have legalized the possession and use of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use. The states are California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Maine. The results of the first three states are final, and while Maine is very close it looks like it is also going to pass. Here are the results for all four states:

CALIFORNIA (100% reporting)
For...............4,957,215 (56.04%)
Against...............3,889,080 (43.96%)

MASSACHUSETTS (99.9% reporting)
For...............3,491,808 (53.6%)
Against...............3,024,360 (46.4%)

NEVADA (100% reporting)
For...............602,400 (54.5%)
Against...............503,615 (46.5%)

MAINE (98% reporting)
For...............752,246 (50.2%)
Against...............745,872 (49.8%)

Assuming the yes vote in Maine holds up, there are now eight states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

Latest Polls Show The Blue States Solidly Behind Clinton

Donald Trump is having trouble trying to keep some of his red states in the fold (Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina). Hillary Clinton doesn't have that kind of problem with states normally considered blue states.

The chart above reflects the latest polls in 10 blue states -- California, Virginia, Oregon, Maryland, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island. Clinton leads in all of them, and is expected to carry them rather easily in November. That's good, because it allows her to put more emphasis on the swing states.

NOTE -- You can click on the state name to get the poll dates, sample size, and margin of error.

Two States Will Vote On Marijuana Legalization In November

 So far, four states have legalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use -- Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon. Now it looks like two more states are poised to join them.

The two states, located at opposite ends of the country, are California and Maine. If passed, the petitions in the two states would legalize small amounts of marijuana for the recreational use of adults, and it would tax the sale of that legal marijuana.

In California, the coalition for legalization has collected more than 600,000 signatures. It only needed to submit 365,880 signatures to get on the ballot. I think there's a very good chance that the petition will be passed by California voters in November.

In Maine, 61,123 signatures were needed, and more than enough were submitted. But officials rejected about 17,000 signatures without vetting each one to make sure they were valid. The legalization initiative went to court, and the state court ordered the Maine Secretary of State to check all of the rejected signatures. The Secretary of State has now announced that enough signatures were gathered, and the legalization petition will be on the November ballot. A recent MPRC Poll in Maine showed that 54% of voters favored legalization.

Bernie Sanders Wins The Maine Caucuses

Maine Democrats caucused on Sunday -- and the result was a 28 point victory for Bernie Sanders.

This is no big surprise. Maine is close to Sanders' home state of Vermont, it's 95% White, and it held a caucus instead of a primary -- all qualities that make it seem tailor-made for Sanders.

It's not a delegate-rich state though, with only 25 of its 30 delegates up for grabs through the caucuses. Sanders will probably get about 16-17 of those delegates, and Clinton will get about 8-9 delegates. That means Sanders will only make up about 7-9 delegates on Clinton's already large lead in delegates.

The campaign voting now goes to Michigan and Mississippi on Tuesday -- states where Clinton has a significant lead in the polls.

Here are the results of the Maine caucuses:

Hillary Clinton...............1232 (35.5%)
Bernie Sanders...............2231 (64.3%)

Here are the updated delegate totals:

Hillary Clinton...............1130
Bernie Sanders...............499

Will Maine Be The Next State To legalize Marijuana ?

In each of the last two elections, two states legalized the possession and use of marijuana by adults -- making four states where it is now legal. It's been a long time in coming, but people are finally beginning to realize that they have been lied to by the government and there is no legitimate reason for marijuana to be illegal. One day, in the not too distant future, I believe marijuana will be legal across the country.

The question right now though is which state will be the next to legalize the "gentle herb"? It could be Maine. This article at the website of the Marijuana Policy Project, by Morgan Fox, is about the effort in Maine.

A statewide ballot initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol was filed Tuesday with the Maine Secretary of State.

The leader of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, David Boyer of Falmouth, submitted the language along with the signatures of five registered Maine voters who support the measure, as required by state law. The five signers were State Rep. Diane Russell of Portland; local farmer and former Republican State Rep. Aaron Libby of Waterboro; Androscoggin County Commissioner and Lewiston School Board Member Matt Roy; Rev. Deane Perkins of Belfast; and Sherry DaBiere, a York-based real estate agent and grandmother.

Under the proposed initiative, adults 21 years of age and older would be allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes, and possess the marijuana produced by those plants. The measure would establish a tightly regulated system of licensed marijuana retail stores, cultivation facilities, product-manufacturing facilities, and testing facilities.  Marijuana would be subject to a 10% sales tax in addition to the standard sales tax, and revenue generated by marijuana sales would be allocated public education.

The Maine Secretary of State has 15 days to review the initiative application and either reject it, accept it, or provide revisions to the proposed measure. Once it is approved, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol will have until the end of January 2016 to collect the approximately 62,000 signatures of registered Maine voters that are needed to qualify for the November 2016 ballot.

Can LePage Squeak Out Another Win In Maine ?

Back in 2010, Republican teabagger extremist Paul LePage was able to get elected governor of Maine, even though he only got about 38% of the total votes cast. That's because it was a three-way race -- with Democrat Libby Mitchell and popular Independent Eliot Cutler (who had once been an aide to Ed Muskie and Jimmy Carter) splitting the Democratic / Independent vote. Cutler finished second with 36%, and Mitchell came in third with about 19%.

LePage has not been a popular governor, and I think most Maine voters would like to see him go. The problem is that it is once again going to be a three-way race. The Democrat this time is Mike Michaud, and he is doing much better than his predecessor did in 2010. But Independent Cutler is again running, and while he isn't garnering the support he got in 2010, he is getting enough to make the race very close between Michaud and LePage.

The chart above was made from a recent Rasmussen Poll (taken of 830 likely Maine voters between April 23rd and 25th, with a 3 point margin of error). It shows LePage and Michaud in a dead heat with 40% of the vote each, with Cutler getting about 14%. I had hoped the voters of Maine had learned a hard lesson from 2010, and would unite to toss LePage out (who has been disastrous as governor). But it's starting to look like we may witness a replay of the 2010 election -- with LePage squeaking out a win as the other two much more moderate candidates split the non-Republican vote.

I hope I'm wrong, because LePage has been every bit as bad a governor as the teabaggers in Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida. The people of Maine deserve better.

3-Way Race Could Let Unpopular Teabagger Governor Get Re-Elected In Maine

The chart above was made using information in a new Public Policy Polling survey (conducted between November 8th and 11th of 964 Maine voters, with a margin of error of 3.2 points).

Back in 2010, teabagger Paul LePage eked out a win in the governor's race in Maine. He only got about 38% of the popular vote, but that was enough because two other candidates (Independent Eliot Cutler and Democrat Libby Mitchell) split the rest of the vote.

LePage is a very unpopular governor, and there is no way he could get a majority of the popular vote. But he might not have to do that to get re-elected, because it is once again shaping up to be a 3-way race. Mike Michaud looks to be the Democratic nominee this time, and Eliot Cutler is running again as an Independent -- and those two look like they are again splitting the liberal/moderate vote in the state (although Cutler seems to be pulling a smaller percentage this time (he finished second in 2010).

The current survey shows Michaud in the lead with 38% and LePage closely behind with 36%. Cutler is running a distant third with 15%. But the difference between Michaud and LePage is within the poll's margin of error, meaning the race is currently a dead heat (and either one could win). LePage could finagle a win out of there being too many candidates in the race -- and that's sad, because a majority of Maine voters do not want LePage re-elected. He would easily lose to either of the other candidates in a 2-way race:

Michaud (D)...............53%
LePage (R)...............39%
Unsure...............8%

Cutler (I)...............49%
LePage (R)...............38%
Unsure...............13%

The only good news in this survey is that the 10% of voters who say they are not sure who to vote for are leaning fairly strongly toward Michaud. Most of them are moderate Democrats or unmarried women -- two groups that are very unlikely to vote for a Republican (especially a teabagger).

This will be a very interesting race to watch in the coming months.

Maine's GOP Governor Trailing In Early Polls

It looks like Maine's dalliance with a right-wing Republican Governor may be coming to an end next year. A new poll from the Maine Peoples' Resource Center shows Governor Paul LePage trailing his opponents in a three-way race. The MPRC is a state poll, but it proved itself very accurate in the last election -- picking the winner in every race in that state.

Lending more credence to the MPRC poll is the fact that a recent Public Policy Polling survey came up with similar numbers -- both in a three-way race and a two-way race (without Eliot Cutler). Democratic candidate Mike Michaud had 40% in the MPRC poll and 39% in the PPP poll, while Paul LePage had 34% in the MPRC poll and 35% in the PPP poll, and Eliot Cutler had 16.8% in the MPRC poll and 18% in the PPP poll. If Cutler were to decide to not run, the numbers would be even better for Michaud, with 59.6% in MPRC and 54% in PPP -- while LePage would have 36.1% in MPRC and 39% in PPP.

The biggest problem for LePage seems to be that his approval numbers are upside down. The MPRC has his approval/disapproval numbers at 38%/57%, while the PPP had them at 39%/56% -- showing that the majority of voters in the state are very unhappy with his performance as governor. The number for Michaud are just the opposite -- 56%/31.2% in the MPRC and 53%/30% in PPP.

Of course, it is still very early. It's a little more than a year until the 2014 election, and lots of things could happen. But unless LePage can do something to improve those approval numbers, he'll be booted out by the voters.

The Maine Peoples' Resource Center Poll was conducted of 652 likely Maine voters between September 8th and 10th, with a margin of error of 3.8 points.

The Public Policy Polling survey was conducted between August 23rd and 25th of 953 Maine voters, and has a margin of error of 3.2 points.

GOP Infighting Shows A Party In Trouble

(The cartoon above is by Daryl Cagle at caglecartoons.com.)

There was a time when the Republican Party was united, and their biggest worry was stopping or modifying Democratic proposals. But today, many Republicans seem to think their biggest enemies are within their own party. This was recently highlighted by a disagreement within the party over immigration reform -- with some wanting that reform so they could reach out to Hispanic voters, and others wanting to kill the reform because they think the new citizens would be Democratic voters (and still others just wanting to maintain the ethnic purity of their party).

Now the problem is showing up again. One wing of the party wants to threaten a shutdown of the government unless Obamacare is either repealed or defunded, while others in the GOP think that is unlikely and would just hurt them in the next election. The teabaggers in Congress are still threatening a shutdown, but so far, they don't have enough votes in their own party to make it happen.

And it's not just in Congress where this party infighting is taking place. An interesting thing just happened in Maine -- where 13 prominent Republicans (one of them a member of the Republican National Committee and six others member of the state party committee) have published a letter saying they no longer consider themselves to be Republicans. They believe the party, with it's right-wing governor, is not far enough to the right to suit them.

The same type of thing is happening in other states. At least three right-wing Republican senators (McConnell of Kentucky, Graham of South Carolina, Alexander of Tennessee) are going to be challenged in their state primaries -- by teabagger candidates who don't think they are right-wing enough. And the teabaggers in Texas are currently looking for a candidate to challenge John Cornyn.

This is not a fight between moderates and right-wingers. The party's moderates have been either marginalized or driven out of the party. This is a fight between right-wingers,  and ultra-right-wingers who want to take the party farther to the right than it already is (a scary thought). None of those named senators (or Maine's governor) could be called anything but a right-winger. They just aren't on the ultra-right fringe, where the teabaggers that control the GOP in many states currently are.

It's actually a pretty crazy scenario, and I can't believe those in the GOP think this is something that will help the party. If the teabaggers win this fight, it will drive many Independents toward the Democrats -- and if the right-wingers win, it could drive some teabaggers out of the party (or have them sit out the next election. Either of those possible outcomes could tip the 2014 (and 2016) elections to the Democrats.

Democrats might as well put on the popcorn and get a cold drink -- because it looks like this GOP infighting will be a good show, and will continue for quite a while.

More GOP Racism

The person in the picture above is Charlie Webster, the chairman of the state Republican Party in Maine. He is known for making unfounded allegations of voter fraud. In June of 2011, he claimed that unions were busing people into the state of Maine to commit voter fraud. No evidence was ever found of that. Only a month later, July of 2011, he claimed that out-of-state college students were illegally voting in Maine. Again, Maine's Secretary of State could find no evidence to back up that charge.

This time he's gone over the line and revealed his inner racism. After the recent election, he told the Bangor Daily News, "In some parts of the state, there were dozens of black people who came in to vote. Nobody in town knew them." In speaking to a Portland newspaper, he later upped that "dozens" to "hundreds". What a load of crap!

While Maine is a very white state, it does have some African-Americans in it population. They make up about 1.1% of the population of about 1,321,504. That means about 14,536 people in Maine are of African-American heritage. Does he really think he and his few GOP friends should know all of those people? Frankly, if I lived in Maine, I doubt he and his GOP friends would know me either -- since he really doesn't sound like the kind of person I would want to know.

Webster has now realized his stupid statement could be taken as racist (which it obviously is), and he is trying to backpedal a bit. He says he is not racist because he plays basketball with a black man on Sundays. Personally, I doubt that, but even if it's true, playing basketball with a black man once in a while doesn't prove you are not a racist. However, making unfounded allegations against African-Americans just because they had the temerity to vote does look racist as hell.

Republicans all over this country just can't seem to understand why they did so badly in the 2012 election. I think one of the major reasons is because they put racists like Charlie Webster into positions of power in their party -- and then actually let these ignorant racists speak to the media. Teabaggers like Webster have branded the party as a whole -- and not in a good way. Decent people (of all races and colors) just cannot abide this kind of nensense -- and it is far too common in the Republican Party these days. It even extends to their highest leadership -- remember Willard Mitt Romney's 47% remark (and his remark's in the last few days about how young people, African-Americans, and Hispanics voted for Obama because he gave them "gifts").

I know it angers some of my Republican friends when I accuse the party of being racist (and yes, I do have some Republican friends). But you are known by the company you keep, and far too many Republicans are revealing themselves to be racist these days. There's a lot of truth in the old saying -- if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. Until the GOP runs those flea-bitten racists out of their party (or at least out of the party leadership), they will continue to define the party. 

Equality Wins Big On Election Day

People who don't believe in equal rights for all Americans have had a string of electoral victories when it comes to extending those rights to those in the LGBT community -- especially when it comes to same-sex marriage. The matter has been voted on in the individual states at least 32 or 33 times, and equal rights lost every time. But Tuesday night, that string of defeats was broken in a big way.

It started in Maine, where the voters approved a ballot initiative that would legalize same-sex marriages in the state. It had to be done by ballot initiative, because the right-wing Republican governor of that state had made it clear he would veto any bill coming out of the legislature approving same-sex marriage. But on Tuesday night, the voters of Maine made it clear they stand for equal rights for everyone -- regardless of what their governor wants.

It was a little different in Maryland, where their legislature passed a bill allowing same-sex marriage and their governor signed it into law. The right-wingers there thought they could overturn that law by taking it to a vote of the people. They lost that bid to reinstate inequality. The people of Maryland voted to uphold the law, putting their stamp of approval on equal rights for everyone.

The right-wing in Minnesota took an alternate route. They decided to make sure that same-sex marriage could not be approved in their state by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would have defined marriage as only between persons of the opposite sex. That didn't work either. The voters in Minnesota soundly defeated the amendment, opening the door to a law approving same-sex marriage possibly being passed in the future in that state. It was another victory for equal rights.

Then the state of Wisconsin made their own statement in support of equal rights. They didn't have a same-sex marriage proposal on the ballot, but they did elect Tammy Baldwin to the United States Senate. She is the first openly lesbian/gay person to be elected to the Senate. I think we can chalk this up as another vote for equal rights.

And finally, we come to the state of Washington. The legislature and governor of that state had also passed a law allowing same-sex marriage, and like in Maryland, the right-wingers tried to overturn that law with a ballot initiative. That initiative has not yet been officially defeated, but it is trailing and looks like it will probably be defeated.

Buthowever the initiative in Washington turns out, this election was a clear victory for the forces of equality. Polls had been telling us for months now that this nation was changing. Tuesday night verified that in a big way. Thanks to the voters of these five states, the United States has taken a few more steps to living up to our constitution and granting equal rights to all citizens.