so. blog.: April 2011

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

13% Turnout - Town Election Results - Apr 12 2011

By all accounts, turnout for Tuesday’s election was extremely light. Out of 20,159 registered voters, only 2,793 voters participated in the election for a turnout of 13 percent. By the afternoon, poll workers at precincts G and H reported seeing few Needhamites at the polls.

...

“The people who are coming out are mostly an older crowd,” another worker added. “We usually see a lot of younger people come out early so they can vote before work, but we haven’t seen that at all.”

Read more: Low turnout, expected results for town election - Needham, Massachusetts - Needham Times

Full vote counts/totals are at the Needham Patch.

For SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
Kim-Marie Nicols (1,515) elected and Michael Greis (1,874) were re-elected

For PLANNING BOARD
Bruce Eisenhut (1,389) re-elected

Our friends in Precinct G, Katy Dirks (136) and Scott Muldoon (169), both were elected to Town Meeting (2 year and 3 year terms, respectively)!

Congratulations all!!

And it looks like very few people are voting--only around 275 votes cast by 12:30PM in precincts G and H. (which are usually high turn-out precincts--so other precincts probably even lower).

POLLS ARE OPEN UNTIL 8PM.
Don't know your precinct? Check here: http://wheredoIvotema.com
Full ballot guide provided by the League of Women Voters

FWIW, here's who I'm supporting for the contested seats:

SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
Michael Greis and
Kim-Marie Nicols
(both endorsed by the Needham Times)

PLANNING BOARD:
Bruce Eisenhut
(endorsed by the Needham Times)

And if you live in PRECINCT G (votes at Broadmeadow)--for TOWN MEETING--
please vote for our allies and friends K. Scott Muldoon (3 year seat) and Katy Dirks (2 year seat)!

PARKS AND REC:
I am supporting the WRITE-IN CANDIDACY of ANDREA SHORTHOSE, 11 GAGE STREET. (you have to write-in full name and address)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Framing our values/winning the argument

the cinephile in me loves this 'frame'

(April 4, 2011, Maddow, "Winning the Argument": Yes. Exactly:)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Framing OUR Values

Lakoff, Words That Don’t Work | Common Dreams (Dec. 7, 2011)
Cheap Labor Conservatives: Perhaps it's a little harsh, but I think that the essential point is correct: the conservative's central ideology revolves around an economy that keeps a workforce dependent on whatever scraps the wealthy few are willing to share.
George Lakoff, The Dems Need to Speak to Progressive Values, or Else Lose Badly Come November | News & Politics | AlterNet (Sept. 2, 2010)
Lakoff/Framing "Occupy Wall Street" (via DailyKos, 10/2011)
Framing: The Key to ‘Selling’ Sustainable Ideals « Dan Smolen (Oct 2010)

Framing, Conservative-style (see also Welcome to the Echochamber)

The Secret List Of 14 Words That Republicans Are Never Supposed To Use (Luntz's secret playbook) (10/30/2011)

Miscellaneous:

How the Press Erodes Our Belief in Government | The Nation (4/9/2012) http://bit.ly/GGAbdy

The Righteous Mind,’ by Jonathan Haidt - NYTimes.com (REVIEW) (3/2012) http://nyti.ms/GSvkn4

Haidt argues that people are fundamentally intuitive, not rational. If you want to persuade others, you have to appeal to their sentiments. But Haidt is looking for more than victory. He’s looking for wisdom. That’s what makes “The Righteous Mind” well worth reading. Politics isn’t just about manipulating people who disagree with you. It’s about learning from them.
N Kristof - Politics, Odors and Soap (3/22/2012) - NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/GG0uEp

Another way of putting it is this: Americans speak about values in six languages, from care to sanctity. Conservatives speak all six, but liberals are fluent in only three. And some (me included) mostly use just one, care for victims. “Moral psychology can help to explain why the Democratic Party has had so much difficulty connecting with voters,” writes Haidt, a former liberal who says he became a centrist while writing the book.