The D.C. Board of Elections says that the city’s voting machines are outdated and in need of replacement, an admission that comes only weeks before what could be a close mayoral election. –Source: WAMU
I always use a paper ballot. I like to leave a paper trail when I vote. But for some reason it’s hard for me to convince others to use the paper ballot. It’s like I’m asking to dump your electric lights for candles. How did the touch screen voting machine, a device that doesn’t produce material evidence to the voter, earn the trust of so many? Is it fear of being labeled “old school” or 20th century? Or does the machine guarantee you’ll know election results before your bedtime?
Lest we forget the DC primaries in April. It was the electronic voting machines that fueled the delay in getting the results of the primary elections.
In an interview, Clifford Tatum, the board’s executive director, said that some of the problems stemmed from the fact that it had increased the number of electronic voting machines throughout the city from 143 in 2012 to 306 on Tuesday. That caused delays at some precincts, he said. — WAMU
This is an unusual year in DC politics. it may be the first time the Democratic nominee for Mayor is not the de-facto winner. This may also be a year where identity politics won’t hold sway as no Mayoral candidate can be assured of votes from persons who resemble their personal demographics — by race, gender, age, or party. When it comes to effectiveness and results, Councilmember-At-Large David Cantania’s record stands out; whereas Councilmember Muriel Bowser appears stronger on personality — at least that’s the framing from the politicos.
How can a victory happen for DC Democrats November 4 on their machine’s watch? As the race and the poll numbers tighten from double to single digits between Muriel Bowser (D) and former Republican David Catania (I), Democrats will need to give “D-Day” its military meaning. This will be a ground offense to get out the vote. And in light of corruption charges, verdicts, and investigations of members in the local party, the Ds have to show proof of a clean election. They also have the weight of the Democratic party to shoulder for if DC goes, so goes the Democratic party’s confidence in its ability to hold onto its own. And Independents come in all political shades.
[I should mention former Republican Councilmember Carol Schwartz (I) who gives the “old-timers” a “choice” but with no strong case or platform for moving the city forward unless the other two candidates fumble miserably in the next few weeks.]
Tight polling numbers, voter apathy, and questionable voting machines are the ingredients for a questionable election. Will the outdated touch screen voting machines be replaced by November 4?
My father used to say “they’ll rob you with a pencil.” At least with the pencil, you know how you was robbed. Maybe it’s time to call in Jimmy Carter?
Early voting in the District of Columbia opens October 20 – November 1. More information is at https://www.dcboee.org. Let’s hope DC’s BOE has enough paper ballots.
Presumptive politicking can be a real turn-off. But in DC, it’s considered tradition and strategy. It’s assumed whoever wins the Democratic primary, wins the general election. In the upcoming mayoral race, that presumptive winner is Democratic Ward 4 Council Member Muriel Bowser. Her opponent is Independent Council-Member-at-Large David Catania (a former Republican) who, in terms of public service has some years and a policy track record over his challenger.
At first I thought it was a silly rumor that the key strategy for a Muriel Bowser victory was to intentionally avoid debates with her chief opponent (and other candidates as well including the Green Party for example). Bowser’s strategists are confident that D.C.’s long-held tradition and culture of “presumptive politics” and its Democratic stronghold (with a capital D) will prevail. But my rumor assumption was confirmed as fact in today’s Washington Post with a branding profile of David Catania (who should be using “DC for D.C.”as a campaign slogan – thanks for that E-bert).
Sitting Mayor Vincent Gray, whom Councilmember Bowser defeated in the Democratic primaries, has been avoiding eye contact with the victor for some months. But he declares his loyalty to the party in power:
“I refuse to . . . allow somebody who is not a Democrat to dictate what will happen in terms of Democratic values for our children.”
Democratic values as in party values? Or Democracy? Gray knows who butters the city’s bread. D.C.’s got your back. Let’s face it, the Democratic party has been more supportive for the city having a voice on the Hill, more so than the Republicans.
But is this presumptive party posturing? Is this Democracy (with a big D) in-action? Will the people have the candidates’ “say” on how I’m different from the other one? I know David Catania is not afraid of a fight, least of all a debate with a political opponent. Not so sure for Muriel Bowser based on these avoidance moves of the Democratic candidate’s camp. Is this a fight she can’t win? Do we want leadership that avoids a challenge or is afraid to fight even for herself?
If this was an old school yard, the word “Chicken” would’ve been blurted out by now.
During the primaries, I gave the Washington Post credit for their ability to influence local election outcomes. They took an 8 candidate primary race and reduced the choices narrative to 2 – Bowser and Gray. The DC Democratic Party is bringing the choice down to one. More of a confirmation than a vote.
Two choices are better than one or none. And for those of us who do show up at the polls for every election, big or small, and you’re still undecided, this strategy leaves you feeling cheated. An “anti-presumption” vote could be the choice.
I’m a registered Democrat (disclosure). I’d like to hear the candidates in debate as part of the big D democratic process. The primaries are over, and the Washington Post will be making another endorsement. Blue is Green. Green is Blue. In a changing city, one should be careful to presume.
FINAL UPDATE with election result posted 10:28 AM, Wednesday, April 2 (see below)
7:46 PM
I’m getting settled in. Wanted to get in the Cullen back room and find a spot close to a plug. Considering that they are reporting record low turnout, my laptop battery might outlast election night. But this means it could be anybody’s race.
Busboys and Poets (5th & K, NW) is where the Andy Shallal campaign will hold their watch party.
People are starting to trickle in. A few are outside the door having dinner.
I’m trying to decide where people can send me any useful updates for this blog.
8:00 PM
Polls are closed.
We’re watching News Channel 8 for the results. And I can embed it. Update 4/2/14: In consideration of my readers and the noise level of this live stream, I removed the embedded frame and replaced it with this jpeg that links to News Channel 8 – www.wjla.com/news/newschannel-8/
8:27 PM
I’ve posted a request for updates from my FB friends. They’re a lively bunch. The extended family of Andy Shallal and campaign workers are now in the room.
Let me return to the 3 items from my introductory post regarding this election. DC is a changed city. Anyone who’s been away for 3 or more years will tell you. The city has changed. But what does that mean for DC politics? Home rule has only been around since December 24, 1973. A Merry Christmas. Compared to counties and states, that’s not a long time for a citizenry to choose their elected officials.
The old guard includes The Washington Post. Can the newspaper sway voters to give their vote to their endorsement – Councilmember Muriel Bowser?
1100 newcomers into the city each month. Reports of record low turnout at the polls. I think the Washington Post may have called it in terms of impact, but the specifics are yet to be determined. Maybe the long-time residents stayed home. What were the numbers for early voting?
How politically progressive is DC? How do we measure that? How do we define it? That comes with the debrief post-election night as well.
Room’s starting to fill up. Here come the signs.
8:36 PM
Andy Shallal is here!
High fives! and kisses all around.
9:04 PM
We’re looking at twitter feeds about close-out tapes from the paper ballots. https://twitter.com/mikedebonis
If you're working a poll or just like hanging around, take a picture of the closeout tapes and tweet 'em to me! #DCision14
9:48 PM
Energy in the room is good. Room is full at Busboys and Poets. But no returns from the Board of Elections. It’s now 1 hour and 48 minutes (nearly 2 hours) since the polls closed. As I mentioned earlier, I’m looking at the results and what they reflect about political culture of DC (local) in the 21st century. Are we there yet? Meaning I can wait until morning for the outcomes and then process the rest.
Links to catch while in route:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-tran/local/2014-dc-mayoral-primary-results/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikedebonis
The morning after/About last night
And the winner of the Democratic primary (for Mayor)….The Bowser Express!
The win is decisive despite problems with electronic voting machines at precincts which delayed election results. Early votes and paper ballots were counted first (I keep telling you people). Make a note of these voting machines for all elections to come. The delay prevented me from staying on site at Busboys for the long haul. Longer hauls awaited me the next morning.
I’m still reading the final numbers from the Board of Elections to find out if this election was an indicator of anything for the city other than the “We don’t trust Gray” mandate. Is a 22.5% voter turnout a mandate? Was there fear among the politially motivated of another federal takeover and appointment of another Control Board if there was an indictment?
But the answer about “Washington Post as decider” – definitely a political influencer and player.
Impact of newcomers – Leaning “No impact.” But need to see the numbers for registered voters (new registrations).
Progressive city? – Leaning “No.” Moderate. Or is “Pragmatic” the new “Liberal Conservative”? For this one I’m looking closely at Tommy Wells’ numbers to make some kind of determination. Andy Shallal came in 5th overall and was ahead of Councilmember Jack Evans in Ward 1 where Shallal lives and where Evans launched and pitched his campaign tent. Shallal pitched his campaign tent in Ward 8 where Evans came out ahead of Shallal. Looking at that scenario as well.
When the Taliban destroy incredible pieces of architecture and art, or when American troops don’t protect museums in Iraq, you are seeing people losing their culture. And with the end of a country’s culture goes its identity.
George Clooney, W Magazine
I’m looking forward to seeing the film adaptation of THE MONUMENTS MEN, a new film produced, co-written, directed and featuring George Clooney as the leader of a platoon of art curators, preservationists, museum directors, and art historians to retrieve stolen art and masterpieces from Adolf Hitler during World War II. And yes, there were women too. Not all of them represented with the exception of one, Rose Valland, played by Cate Blanchett. The film is based on the non-fiction book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Theives, and the Greatest Treaure Hunt in Historyby Robert B. Edsel and Brett Witter.
UPDATE: This serves as a mini-review. For the most part the critics have been right about “The Monuments Men.” The most compelling story does happen to be Rose Valland (Cate Blanchett). But the larger question of the movie has been one thrown up in my face on occasion — “Which is more important? Saving people or saving art?” For me the two are one and the same. But that’s part of a longer discussion.
Since the Obama administration appears to measure artistic and cultural value by the standards of Twitter and Facebook algorithms, my recommendation would be a celebrity to fill one or both of the endowment posts for the next two years. Actor Jane Alexander was a fantastic chair of the National Endowment for the Arts during the Clinton administration from 1993 – 1997. And a capable one.
Would George Clooney be up to the challenge of saving his country’s cultural treasures? The endowments need someone in place, someone who will testify before Congress on the value of the arts and humanities to the life, livelihoods and people of our country. You want someone who will grab the attention. George is smart and passionate enough around these issues to lead the charge. And I believe this Congress will gladly take a meeting with George Clooney and hear him out, if for no other reason than to ask for his autograph.
“According to researchers at the University of North Texas, residents in neighborhoods with streets named after King are $6,000 poorer than residents in neighborhoods without one.”
I don’t have the exact figures in my head, but just on face value and first impressions this quote illustrates what I’ve seen all my life on Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards, streets, avenues in the United States. And in the words of the comedian Chris Rock, “Martin Luther King stood for non-violence. Now what’s Martin Luther King? A street. And I don’t give a f#*k where you live in America if you’re on Martin Luther King Boulevard, there’s some violence goin’ down.”
The good news from this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend is people are starting to dig deeper into King’s own words (ahead and before “I Have a Dream), his philosphy, maybe even his regrets that we’re now living up to. What blueprint did he leave for the movement especially on the economic front? Was the “revolution of values” part of it. If you’re a Depression era kid or were influenced by a Depression era kid, you get that “values” thing. But it’s a hard sell to kids today. According to the American Psychological Task Force on Advertising, $12 billion dollars a year is spent to reach the youth market with over 40,000 commercials directed at children. For the Depression era kids, advertising to the young ones was off limits. Better yet, you had a better idea of the difference between need and want. But in the digital era where wants now connect you with your needs, the lines are definitely blurred. What does a “revolution of values” mean today?
Somehow the moral imperative of this scenario has been twisted. It’s not the “haves” who are expected to adopt King’s “revolution of values,” not the wolves of Wall Street. The onus is on the “have nots” who waste much, go over and under in debt, tap out unemployment, and sink in foreclosures. Somehow, it’s the poor person’s fault and the poor person’s solution – totally. Your schools are failing. Your grocery stores are closing. You are unqualified for the jobs of today. You don’t live near services like a hospital or health center that can only be reached by car. You don’t own a car. You spend over 50% of your salary in rent. It’s enough to make you want to…..
Chris Rock’s observation doesn’t make the connection between “not having” and violence on MLK Blvd. Perhaps it’s the pervasive fear “haves” and “have somes” in the U.S. have of “class warfare.” Pimping poverty and playing the minuses to your advantage can be a very profitable endeavor for the numbers people who know how (Hello hedge funds.) During a Q&A for a preview of Henry Louis “Skip” Gates “African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross,” civil rights activist Julian Bond said, “If you’re not talking about the money and who controls it, then you’re not serious.”
Gates asked the question: Was not addressing economics the failure of the civil rights movement? Or were the breaks put on any movement from civil rights to economic justice?
In the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. … A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, ‘This is not just.’ It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of South America and say, ‘This is not just.’ The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just.
Violence and poverty go hand-in-hand. Poor streets. Poor schools. Poor employment. Poor healthcare. Poor life habits. Poor mom. Poor dad. Poor sis. Poor brother. A Poor grade. The fact remains no one wants to be poor. Sadly today the middle ground has shrunk. Middle class means looking down from the top of a sliding board, not a ladder.
For a long time, Anacostia and Ward 8 have been known as “across the river” (river serving the same symbolic meaning as railroad tracks). To lighten the load, some call it “East of the River.” Regardless of the “reputation,” when my family crossed the river to live in Anacostia the neighborhood had a several independent businesses including a record store, a pet store, a grocery store, hardware store, and believe it or not, an ice cream shop (temporarily). The Nation of Islam owned a bakery on MLK, Jr. Avenue where I bought bean pies and whole wheat chocolate donuts. (Yum!)
The great abolitionist, orator, journalist, and activist Frederick Douglass’ home was and continues to be the beacon on Cedar Hill in the Civil War enclave of shotgun houses built by freedmen known as Uniontown. And the Panorama Room at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic church has the greatest view of the nation’s capital than any high point in the city. It’s also situated where you have some of the cleanest air in the city.
Most DC residents today may be surprised to know that at one time Anacostia and a sizable chunk of Ward 8 looked like this (see photo on the right) before King’s death in 1968. These are white residents of Anacostia protesting the desegregation of schools. Anacostia and Ward 8 was always a “working class” community. The operative word being “working.” But in this University of Virginia project Race: Reconstruction and Integration: Regardless of race, all residents of Anacostia were united in their belief that the municipal government wasn’t providing enough in the way of public services to the area. The all-white Anacostia Citizens Association and the black citizens represented by the Barry’s Farm/Hillsdale Civic Association complained repeatedly of poor service to their side of the river.
And it didn’t get any better. Public transportation continued to be spotty. The local public school I attended spent more time dealing with behavioral issues than teaching. I had to learn on my own about solar energy for a science fair project. It was a poor attempt for me having no intellectual or material resources available except for Mother Earth News. Don’t blame the parents. They weren’t scientists or had scientist or engineering friends. I saw the beginnings of the fast decline when a McDonald’s couldn’t survive in the neighborhood. But we stayed until my college education was completed and paid for (minus the loans). Then we moved on and out.
That may have been my exit strategy. I don’t have regrets about leaving, neither do I have bitterness about what I left behind. There’s a special spirit in Anacostia and Ward 8 that is missing in other parts of the city where economic instability and inequity are present. And not everyone in the ward is poor. Not every home is unstable. When I visit the old neighborhood today, I don’t feel despondency. People are moving about. They always have. In fact, I remember seeing Park Police on horses coming down MLK, Jr. Avenue. And yes, with the coming of the Homeland Security to the historic Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital Campus, and cultural art centers to the “last urban frontier,” the uneasiness among the long-term residents comes with a spirit of determination not defeat. And often frustration and unspeakable fear.
Before King’s assassination, the movement was turning to address the “poverty problem” in the country with a Poor Peoples’ march on Washington. Without its leader and a horrible downpour that soaked the tent city, the march failed to take the movement to that next level.
A peace march was held on MLK Jr. day on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in Washington, DC. Andy Shallal who is running for Mayor in the Democratic primary was there. In politico speak, Andy has been a “job creator.” But for months the politico gatekeepers have kept Andy in his dining rooms (as owner of Busboys and Poets, and Eatonville restaurants), as if he entered the political arena through a back door. They fail to mention Andy Shallal gives his restaurant employees paid sick days and more than minimum wage for hourly wage workers. He’s invested in his employees and it’s have paid off on both sides. Andy’s also been an advocate for peace and building bridges, crossing rivers, even wading through waters. As a candidate for Mayor, I watch Andy wade through the waters of the city’s “income gap” or “income inequality as we call it today because no one wants to be “poor” or in live “poverty.” But being successful in business isn’t “comfortable” for Andy as he has mentioned in numerous gatherings. Here’s why – the following is posted on his campaign site:
By 2018, it is estimated that 80 percent of the jobs in the District will require better than a high school diploma. Yet some 64,000 adults in our city lack a high school credential and more than a third of the city’s adult residents are functionally illiterate. And in Wards 7 and 8, the illiteracy rate jumps to nearly 50 percent.
When a candidate marches for peace in a community with a reputation for poverty and violence, one can only take that as a sign that the problem has to be addressed from more than just real estate potential and value, but seeing potential and value in people.
“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” my grandmother would say.
I believe Andy Shallal is catching some of the same spirit wind I get when I visit MLK, Jr. Avenue, SE today. And like Andy, I don’t feel comfortable with high illiteracy rates, outrageous housing prices, limited job and economic opportunities for low income, youth, and middle income people to rise to the next level. These are the elements that contribute to poverty of spirit that turns on one’s self and each other.
I don’t want to go back to the days of Frederick Douglass, the sock hops of segregated Anacostia, or the neighborhood of my past. This has to move forward with a new and inclusive vision. I don’t want a city of gold. A Gilded city is soulless and boring. What was the hope and vision of the people who wanted to name these city streets after Martin Luther King, Jr.? Was it a symbolic band-aid for the communities with No jobs. No justice. No peace. The balm for the dream deferred? Or will these be the streets where dreams can come true?