Attempts by the media to divide the electorate in so many ways failed to materialize again this week as voters in Massachusetts defied alleged desires for generational change when it came to preserving the Senate seat of Ed Markey, 80, who has held it for 50 years. He soundly defeated Seth Moulton, 47.
Voters, including the youth, backed Markey because of his strong progressive stands over the years, including his strong opposition now to the war in Iran. They saw Moulton’s “opposition” to that war as more of a tactical opposition to the manner in which Trump is carrying out the war rather than as opposition to the idea of war on Iran in the first place,
People in the LGBTQ community were also unhappy about his opposition to the participation of transgender girls in sports. He has taken back that position, but that move was apparently not enough to change the minds of many of the voters concerned about transgender and LGBTQ rights.
In other races in Massachusetts, the more centrist but well-known candidates won over people who presented themselves as more progressive. In any case, all the people who won primaries in the Democratic Party in Massachusetts will go to Congress committed to oppose much of the Trump agenda. No Republican has been elected to Congress from Massachusetts since 1994.
Another important feature of the Democratic Party elections this week was turnout. It surpassed the number of Republicans going out to vote in their primary elections.
Concerned about the lack of enthusiasm among Republicans, Vice President Vance turned to his religious playbook this week. He condemned the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, Dr. Abdul El Sayed, as “a very very evil man.” He was invoking hatred of Muslims and appealing to right-wing Christian nationalism. Those appeals, along with anti communism and anti-socialism, are about the only things the GOP has left in its arsenal, since they are unwilling or unable to address the real affordability concerns of the voters.
Dr. El Sayed won his election in Michigan recently because he addressed those concerns with concrete proposals like Medicare for All.
The other thing the GOP has in its arsenal is the dark money flowing into the campaign coffers of its candidates. Dark money is defined as funds coming in from political action committees that are secret, not carrying the names of the donors from which they come,
It is estimated when examining campaign finances that the amount of dark money funneled into GOP campaigns now is, at a minimum, around the billion-dollar mark. The Supreme Court’s course has allowed the unlimited use of dark money in political campaigns. Only ending total GOP control of the three branches of government will change that situation. All the more reason for a massive turnout in the midterm elections.
As with all op-eds published by People’s World, the views reflected here are those of the author.
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