Initial Thoughts On Prop A Campaign Aftermath

I've got some thoughts and lessons on Prop A for the Tea Party, and for Republicans in general.  We were outraised, outmanned, and eventually outvoted - but Burns did enough work to scare the pants off the pro-Prop A crowd. They raised an additional $300,000 in the last few days to make sure they had funds to make this pass.

But that it did pass shows the urgent need for a political organization of the Tea Party if we plan to make an impact in August and November. While April elections over local tax issues haven't been the bread and butter of the Tea Party, a lot of people who agreed the issue needed to be defeated admitted they didn't vote.  That's a problem, especially with polls showing the Democrats taking a drubbing in November.   Overconfidence that other people will do the work is the surest way to ensure defeat.  Do we think the progressives are just going to sit back and quit?  They're smaller in numbers, but they get a lot of  corporate money and have a built-in organization and paid for manpower in the form of unions and left wing groups.

Burns was outspent 2000 to 1.  So much for the myth of the corporate funded Tea Party.  Still, he didn't do too bad for a young guy without a background in political campaigns.  he sure embarrassed and ticked off Nations.  That debate video will be gold down the road.   Most of the Tea Party folks didn't get involved until the last 10 days, and even then, we weren't fully committed.  I think there was some kind of belief that an invisible groundswell was ready to vote down all taxes, but as we discovered, voters don't magically appear.

Planning the ballot for April, raising 1.5 million, and using aggressive Democratic Get Out The Vote showed how cynical the Prop A supporters were, but this was the culmination of a campaign 20 years in the making - how to build a cash cow and get the county taxpayers to fund it.    

On other topics, In addition to John Nations ending any hopes of a future political career, we learned that socialists like getting bought off by big business, which could just about be the funniest result of the Prop A campaign.  The rabid left wing in St Louis was all over this - and I can guarantee you some of the groups got money.  Too bad they had to steal from the urban poor and the suburban middle class to do it.

And thankfully, those served by current Metro routes aren't going to have be threatened by Charlie Dooley in another game of chicken with the county taxpayer.  And of course, once again, the progressives got to test run their St Louis county GOTV program.  More on that later in the month. 

 Now we get to go through the campaign figures and start naming names.  I'll do more on the aftermath later.

Comments

[Heidi C.]

Scary. I am in Jefferson County.
That was one I wanted to vote NO on.

[Kathleen Henry]

I did my duty and voted NO on Prop A in Manchester Ward 1.

[Jane]

I'd like to see analysis of the vote. Who actually voted to make our sales tax one of the highest in the nation?

[Van]

"...a lot of people who agreed the issue needed to be defeated admitted they didn't vote..."

(blink)

(stare)

er... uh... wha...?

(goes to get broom and sweep up coffee mug smashed against wall across the room)

"nothin honey... just slipped"

[Frieda Keough]

I was bummed about the results. This is what I did: I walked around my neighborhood and handed out fliers about Prop A and a guy runing for the school board (Bill Bauer/Kirkwood). I had a home made yard sign about Prop A and I live on a very busy street and my husband and I were at our polling place from 6-9am with "Vote no on Prob A" signs. We had a lot of positive response. I have not been able to look up the results of the Prop A vote, but Bill Bauer lost by about 500 votes.
So what else should I have done?

[Preserving American Liberty]

Sarah Palin to be joined by Fred Thompson,
Liz Cheney and J.C. Watts for
“Winning America Back” in Kansas City, Missouri
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: J. Eden Gordon
April 12, 2010
(202) 714-6014
media@sarahpalinkc.com
Preserving American Liberty Announces Additional Speakers for
“Winning America Back” Featuring Sarah Palin
INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI (April 12, 2010) – Preserving American Liberty has announced
Fred and Jeri Thompson, Liz Cheney and JC Watts will join Sarah Palin at the Independence
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Preserving American Liberty is a grassroots organization that was formed out of the deep concern
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want to make a positive difference in the community. Preserving American Liberty’s purpose is
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provide non-biased, accurate information on government agendas which affect us directly or
indirectly, today and in the future.
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