Mike the Mad Biologist

One result I haven’t seen discussed much (other than by me…) is how the Free D.C. slate won 3536*** out of 48 party positions (these are not government positions, but party ones). I think that really establishes that the Democratic primaries in D.C., which are the de facto general elections, were, in part, about Democratic voters’ dissatisfaction with the status quo. And unlike New York City where this dissatisfaction is largely represented by the DSA, in D.C., it was boring left-wing Democrats* who were the insurgents (oddly enough, not every urban area is New York City, except smaller).

The galvanizing issue for the slate was the Democratic-controlled D.C. Council’s unwillingness to adopt and support ranked choice voting, in no small part to protect Council member Anita Bonds (and themselves), who should have been forced out a couple of cycles ago. Bonds survived because the progressive anti-Bonds vote split itself, and she would win pluralities**. And now Bonds will be replaced by a much better candidate, Oye Owolewa.

Anyway, change is in the air here in D.C. Or maybe that’s just the stank from the Reflecting Pool.

*It’s always been weird how D.C. arguably has one of the most left-wing, if not the most left-wing, legislature of a major city. And if the mainland colonial territory were a state, it would certainly be the most left-wing legislature. Yet this goes unremarked (there are multiple posts that could be written about why D.C.’s local politics are ignored).

**While Bonds was long in the tooth, I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that she decided not to run once it was clear ranked choice voting would be used.

***MOAR RESULTS, MOAR CHANGE!

And I am referring to the colonial territory known as the District of Columbia, if that’s unclear.

First, and this is minor, there is evidence of a ‘blue shift’: as the counting of first ranked votes proceeded, the more progressive candidates gained votes. Even in Democratic primaries (which are the de facto elections in D.C.), we see this pattern. Second, it’s probably for the best that Trump is experiencing narcissistic break* over the AlgalReflecting Pool, as it means he’s ignoring the sweep of progressive candidates–he had threatened to end Home Rule if the elections did not yield the results he wanted (though there is now a nontrivial chance his deranged mind will conclude that algae have something to do with Algeria, and try to bomb Algeria).

But one thing this election showed is that D.C. has changed a lot. Fifteen or more years ago, I think McDuffie wins this election**. D.C. has changed a lot, and I’m not (just) referring to the standard Black-white story you’ll read about in most punditry. There used to be a far more prominent Black middle class with ties to ‘old Washington’ institutions, especially the parallel institutions first founded in the era of Jim Crow and segregation. That particular iteration of D.C.’s Black middle class*** is waning and has lost significant power (quite simply, it’s aging). While it’s obvious why McDuffie did well in Ward 3 and parts of Ward 4, there is little discussion about why he also did well (or came very close) in the precincts in Wards 7 and 8 where that aging cohort still has some power and clout.

It would take an entire book to describe this phenomenon, but a key factor is that the old political and social institutions of D.C. are declining in power, and that is an important part of why Lewis George did well.

Anyway, now that there is a mayor more in line with the Council, it will be very interesting to see what happens next.

*Trump is now claiming that ‘antifa’ cut a 300 foot slice in the pool coating. Somehow, TEH ANTIFA SOOPERSOLDIERS managed to sneak past all of the National Guardsmen and federal agents stationed at the pool to do this…

**We’ll ignore the question of whether someone identifying as a democratic socialist could win, even though the democratic socialist is often to the right of someone like Elissa Silverman, who, while an independent for technical reasons, has always identified as a Democrat privately.

***There still is a Black middle class, it’s just very different.