SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 8, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 5/12/15
In this edition:
*Dane County
*Politicians?
*The American Electorate
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
*Did You Know?
*Dane County
A
large group of Johnson County representatives traveled to Dane County,
Wisconsin on May 4 and 5 for a series of tours and discussions. Our entourage
included 14 Johnson County employees, 3 Iowa City employees, and two citizens
who paid their own expenses. I will write about this in greater detail later.
For now, here are a few thoughts:
*The governments
of Dane County and City of Madison were wonderful hosts. They were all very
helpful and personable.
*We have
EXACTLY the same problems! I read their equivalents of the local paper, the
University paper, and the alternative weekly. If I didn’t know better, I would
have thought I was reading the papers from home.
*Dane County
and Madison do not have all the answers, but there are certainly things we can
learn from visiting with them.
*Troy Gardens
is a fabulous model for the future development of the County Poor Farm!
We
spent time on jail overcrowding, disproportionate minority contact, racial
equity, affordable housing, tiny houses, local foods, and more. All in all,
this was probably the best trip I have ever taken as a Johnson County
Supervisor.
Thanks
to the staff and elected officials in Dane County for the fine hospitality, and
thanks to our own Andy Johnson for all his hard work in arranging this
wonderful trip!
*Politicians?
I
am not offended by being called a “politician”. In my book, anyone who chooses
to run for elective office is a politician by definition. According to Merriam
Webster, I am pretty close. They define politician as: a person who is professionally involved in politics, especially
as a holder of or a candidate for an elected office.
Yet
many elected officials are very put off by the term “politician”. They prefer
“elected official”, “”public official”, “public servant”, etc.
Three
things: First, when did the word politician become a dirty word? If you don’t
like being called that, don’t run for office! Secondly, you will never get to
control what folks call you. Like George Costanza, you cannot pick your own
nickname! Finally, I get called many worse things! If it gets no worse than
“politician”, I’ll take it!
*The American Electorate
We
are reaching the time of year where pundits spend a lot of time describing voters
and voter behavior. I happen to believe they are usually wrong. Here, then, is
my take on the American Electorate:
I
think the American Electorate breaks into 7 groups: Republicans, Democrats,
Independents, Other Parties, Average Folks, Don’t Care, and People with
Barriers. Let’s take a look at all 7 groups:
About
20% of the US electorate are Republicans.
These folks are going to vote virtually 100% of the time, and will almost never
cross party lines.
About
18% of the US electorate are Democrats.
These folks are very likely to vote (though not quite as likely as Republicans)
and will almost never cross party lines (though they are slightly more likely
to do so than Republicans).
Those
two groups are pretty easy to understand. The press seems to misunderstand the
others.
About
10% of the US electorate are Independents.
(No Party is the actual registration status in Iowa.) This group watches the
news, and votes regularly, though not in the percentages as those affiliated
with political parties. These are the folks who vote for Barack Obama and a
conservative City Council. They routinely voted for both Karen Kubby and Jim
Leach. They might lean a bit left of center on more issues than not, but will
never admit it. They HATE talking politics; the topic is uncomfortable. The
majority (but not all) of these folks supported the GOP in ’68, ’72, ’80, ’84,
and ’00. The majority (but not all) of these folks supported Democrats in ’64,
’76, ’92, ’96, ’08, and ’12. This is essentially the group over which hundreds
of millions of dollars are spent every two years.
About
2% of the US electorate belong to Other Parties,
or pretend they do. This group includes Libertarians, Greens, Socialists, etc.
This group spends a lot of time complaining (and rightfully so) about our two
party system. In exchange for their frustration, they like to drive the two
major parties crazy. They know that every percentage point matters, so this
small group is able to punch well above its’ weight.
The
group I am calling Average Folks
makes up about 30% of the electorate. These people do not follow politics much,
and are unlikely to vote except in a Presidential election, if then. While it
might be fair to characterize this group as low information voters, they are
not stupid. They are just busy. They are working longer and harder for less.
They are likely to have second jobs. They have kids and elderly parents for
whom they need to care. It is a struggle to maintain housing and
transportation. Life is hard, and these folks are fighting the good fight. With
the possible exception of Obamacare, they have not seen either party do much
for them since 1964. They have not completely said “screw it” like our next
group, but they see little reason to vote.
The
sixth group I am calling Don’t Care,
and they make up about 10% of the electorate. This group has decided to throw
in the towel. This group believes all politicians are crooks. They see no
reason to vote, and mentions of politics bring out hostility. These are the
people who slam doors in the faces of canvassers.
The final group I am calling People
with Barriers. This amounts to about 10% of the electorate. These folks
have not necessarily thrown in the towel, but voting just ain’t happening. This
includes people in prison and jail; people who have criminal records; very
elderly people; people with disabilities; eligible immigrants; basically people
for whom the barriers to voting are just too high.
What
do you think? Have I characterized things correctly, or not?
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
Save
the date! The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding our Annual Hall of
Fame Awards event on Saturday, May 16 at 7pm at the Coralville Marriott.
Please
join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be
available. Parking is available for a small fee on either end of the building.
The
Hall of Fame inductees for 2015 are: Gary Sanders, Ro Foege, Pat Ikan, and
Dennis and Robin Roseman. We hope you can join us in recognizing this
remarkable group!
Tickets
are available for a $25 suggested donation. People who cannot afford that
amount should still feel welcome, but please call 354-7199 so we can get a
count.
Sponsorships are available
at the following levels:
$100 includes
two tickets
$250 includes
4 tickets
$500 includes
a whole table (8 tickets)
Checks can be mailed to:
Johnson County Democrats
PO Box 1773
Iowa City, IA 52244
If
you have any questions, please contact Rod Sullivan at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. We hope you will join us for a fun evening, and
lend your voice to those who are honoring these very deserving people. We look
forward to seeing you!
*DID YOU KNOW?
Voter turnout in US Presidential elections peaked at 82% in 1876. Since 1968,
voter turnout has ranged between 49% and 59%.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
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serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 10:16 AM
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