Big Dog Returns to RI for Final Push

Clinton will be returning to Rhode Island today, after two new polls put the Rhode Island senate election in the “toss-up” category at Realclearpolitics.com.

My daughter and I spent the afternoon canvassing our neighborhood yesterday after I saw the Mason-Dixon poll. At a local fundraiser last night, most people expressed surprise at the tightening of the race. From my novice perspective in analyzing elections, it seems likely that a higher percentage of the undecideds will choose Chafee. My reasoning: these voters are probably undecided because they lack hope and confidence in change, so rather than do something risky when they get in the voting booth, they’re more likely to revert to what they know and what seems “safe,” even if they are not happy with that candidate.

So Get Out the Vote!

3 thoughts on “Big Dog Returns to RI for Final Push”

  2. I hope I’m wrong as well, Pat, but even moreso, I hope my comments will provoke people reading this blog to get out there and work to prove me wrong. It’s a little psychological trick we social workers like to play — works well with some teenagers, as few things are more gratifying than proving your stinking social worker is wrong!

  3. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    November 8, 2006

    Contact:

    Andy Jones

    202-822-5105

    Dramatic Shift in Catholic Vote Driven by Corruption, Iraq

    Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good shows 47-point swing in Ohio Senate Race, 22 points in Pennsylvania

    Washington, DC – Early results from this year’s National Election Poll (NEP) show a dramatic shift among Catholic voters. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good credits the swing to the increasing concern among Catholics with ‘kitchen table’ moral issues like the Iraq War and political corruption. High turnout among mainstream Catholics suggests these concerns were taken seriously throughout the Catholic community.

    “Catholic voters clearly wanted to restore American’s commitment to the common good, and leaders who spoke with conviction to that core principle tended to fare well with mainstream Catholics,� said Alexia Kelley, Executive Director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. “There was a strong sense that our leaders had gotten off the moral path at home and in Iraq.�

    Details of the Catholics in Alliance NEP analysis, which will be continuously updated at http://www.thecatholicalliance.org include:

    · OHIO – A 42-point shift among all Catholics from Mike DeWine (R) in 2000 to those voting for Sherrod Brown (D) in 2006. A 19-point swing to Brown compared to Bush’s 11-point margin on the Catholic vote in 2004.

    · PENNSYLVANIA – A 25-point Catholic shift from Rick Santorum (R) in 2000 to Bob Casey, Jr. (D) in 2006 and swing of 19 points from President Bush’s 2-point edge on the Catholic vote in 2000.

    · VIRGINIA – A 16-point Catholic shift from George Allen (R) in 2000 to Jim Webb (D) in 2006, and 25 points from President Bush in 2004.

    · MONTANA – An 11-point Catholic shift from Conrad Burns (R) in 2000 to John Tester in 2006, and 15 points from President Bush in 2004.

    · MINIMUM WAGE – In 6 states across the nation, initiatives to increase the state minimum wage were on the ballot. All 6 proposals were accepted – by an average margin of 31 points. No details on Catholic support for these measures are available at this time.

    While the Catholic vote had been trending to Republicans over the past 12 years, many Catholics in 2006 appeared disillusioned. Exit polls (AP) found that corruption was “very important� to 75% of all voters, and a Pew Forum poll conducted just before the Rep. Foley page scandal found a 15-point swing among Catholics towards the Democrats on “which party governs in the most honest and ethical way�.

    “The Democrats clearly won the Catholic vote this year, but if they want to keep it, they need to lead a Congress for the Common Good. A serious common good agenda should include the minimum wage, health care, a negotiated peace in Iraq, and comprehensive lobbying and ethics reform,� said Sister Sharon Dillon, Executive Director of the Franciscan Federation of the U.S. “What Catholics want to see from leaders of both parties is a restoration of the moral principle that our government should serve the public interest, not the interests of the few.�

    Catholics in Alliance has actively promoted the fullness of Catholic teaching through non-partisan voter education, including extensive work in Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as Virginia, Missouri, and Michigan. This effort has included full-time grassroots organizers in Pennsylvania and Ohio, distribution of 1 million voting guides, ad campaigns in Ohio, Virginia, Missouri and Pennsylvania, and get-out-the-vote efforts.

    Expert commentators are available in Columbus (OH), New York and Washington DC to analyze and comment on the Catholic vote. To book an interview, contact Andy Jones at 202-822-5105.

    ###

    About Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good

    Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good engages Catholics, the media, and Americans of all faiths in dialogue about the Catholic social tradition and its core values of justice, human dignity, and the common good. Through communications, grassroots outreach, and strategic coordination, Catholics in Alliance supports Catholic organizations that work to advance the call to faithful citizenship and the common good. It is a non-profit, non-partisan organization with offices in Washington, DC, Columbus, OH, and Boston, MA. For more information, visit http://www.thecatholicalliance.org.

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