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**FEBRUARY 22, 2023**
Kuttner on TAP
Some Good News for Democrats
Just when you are despairing about the Dems, they have a surprisingly
good day.
In the crucial election for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court,
progressive Democrat Janet Protasiewicz nearly won the seat outright in
the first-round, with 44.6 percent of the vote. She is now the favorite
to win the runoff. The leading Republican, Daniel Kelly, made the runoff
with only 24.2 percent. All told, in the multi-candidate primary
election, Democrats won about 54 percent of the votes.
If Protasiewicz is elected, it will flip the court from 4-3 conservative
to 4-3 progressive. During the 14 years of conservative control, the
court has affirmed Republicans' union-busting efforts and voting
restrictions, including ID requirements and a prohibition of ballot drop
boxes.
Kelly was a Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin, but lost re-election in
2020 to Democrat Jill Karofsky by double digits
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combined with the spread for Democratic candidates in the primary,
should boost optimism that Wisconsin can get a Democratic majority on
its highest court, and maybe some reversals of those voting rights
measures-particularly the gerrymandering that has locked in a
supermajority-conservative legislature in a purple state, making it
something less than a democracy.
Meanwhile in Virginia, in a special election for an open (and safe
Democratic) seat in the Richmond area 4th District, Democrat Jennifer
McClellan won a resounding 74.3 percent of the vote, outperforming the
usual Democratic baseline. In Louisville, Kentucky, a liberal Democrat
won a state Senate race
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by about 12 points above Biden's margin in the district in 2020. And
in New Hampshire, Democrats picked up a state House seat in Rochester,
in an election that was a re-run of an exact tie last November.
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Even President Biden has enjoyed an uptick in his approval ratings since
his outstanding state of the union performance and his resolute defense
of Ukraine. In the latest NPR/Marist poll
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his approval was 46 percent, the highest in a year.
Something is happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear. But a good
candidate would be the sheer lunacy and disarray of the House
Republicans. For Democrats, this will be a gift that keeps on giving.
Add Donald Trump to the cauldron and the slugfest among Republican
contenders for 2024, and the news only gets better.
Democrats, as the party of both sanity and of concrete benefits for
working people, have gotten a bum rap from the press. The voters are
beginning to show some love.
~ ROBERT KUTTNER
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Trending On TAP <[link removed]>
Does COVID-19 Damage the Immune System?
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The balance of evidence strongly indicates that outside of rare cases,
it does not. BY RYAN COOPER
Federal Court Tells Starbucks to Stop Illegal Union-Busting
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A judge issues an all-too-rare injunction that might just revive the
baristas' organizing. BY HAROLD MEYERSON
How Los Angeles Tenants Beat the Landlords-For Now
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The rise of a renters' movement and their electoral victories last
November have reshaped some fundamental city policies. BY NICHOLAS
SLAYTON
Adam Schiff's Domestic Policy Record Veers From Progressive Priorities
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The Senate hopeful in California wants to join the Progressive Caucus.
He never voted for a Progressive Caucus budget. BY DAVID DAYEN
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