We can’t “save” a democracy we’ve already lost. (See yesterday’s post.) The real question is: can we regain it?
Indiana is a case in point. Extreme gerrymandering ensures a Republican legislative supermajority–not simply because lawmakers have distributed voters to ensure GOP dominance, but because that tactic is far and away the most effective form of voter suppression. There’s a reason Indiana’s turnout is one of the lowest in the country; voters deprived of competitive contests see no reason to cast a ballot. (What’s ironic is that several of these districts would actually be competitive if turnout increased…)
Indiana also lacks an initiative or referendum. Hoosiers thus have absolutely no recourse, no way to counter legislation that ignores the preferences of the majority. And our GOP overlords routinely ignore those preferences–polling regularly shows citizen sentiments at odds with the extremism of those we’ve “elected.”
A friend with Hoosiers 4 Democracy looked at Governor-elect Mike Braun’s recently published policy agenda, and shared examples demonstrating that deviance.
She noted that Braun promises to “faithfully execute SEA 1 (2022).” SEA 1 was the draconian abortion ban passed by our legislature immediately after the decision in Dobbs. Polls of Indiana voters consistently demonstrate that a large majority of Hoosiers support access to abortion through at least the first trimester, and narrower majorities support access beyond. Nevertheless, Braun’s policy agenda includes a promise to “Ensure SEA 1 (2022) implementation is in accordance with statute in a way that provides transparency and certainty for the public and medical providers.”
How nice of him to advocate for “transparency” of a measure with which most Hoosiers strongly disagree–a measure that has already created “maternity deserts” as Ob-Gyn practitioners flee the state.
Then there’s Braun’s promise to “protect Hoosier girls from biological males who attempt to compete in girls’ sports.” That language joins a provision to “respect the rights of parents”–language we hear from the extreme Right-wing parents who’ve been trying to ban books and require school officials to “out” children. Here’s the language he uses to beat up on trans youth:
In 2022, the Indiana General Assembly passed HEA 1041 to protect the girls on the field of play. The State should continue to ensure that biological males will not compete against our girls on the court, in the pool, or invade the privacy of their locker rooms.
Require schools to respect and uphold the rights of parents as the decision-makers in their children’s lives, education, and upbringing. This includes directly notifying parents about any physical or mental health concerns that arise at school, such as requests to use a name or pronouns that are inconsistent with biological sex.
In 2023, the Indiana General Assembly passed HEA 1608 to protect this fundamental parental right.
In other parts of the document, Braun inadvertently highlights the logical outcome of Indiana’s regressive legislation. He notes that “Indiana continues to struggle in retaining college graduates as nearly 40% of graduates leave within one year of graduation, and more high school students are choosing to attend university elsewhere (8%).” He also notes that too few Indiana students pursue a college education. “Every year, approximately 75,000 Hoosiers graduate from high school. While half of these students enroll in college the other half pursue other opportunities…. ”
That’s even worse than it sounds. As the friend who sent me Braun’s agenda noted, of the 75,000 who graduate, 32,500 enroll in college. But enrollment isn’t the same thing as completion. Indiana’s college degree completion rate is 66%. Approximately 21,000 students will graduate within 6 years, and of those, 40% leave the state. That means Indiana has approximately 12,500 new college graduates who join the state’s workforce each year (about 140 per county if they were equally spread out–which they aren’t. Most choose to live and work in cities–primarily Indianapolis–where employment opportunities and social amenities are more plentiful.)
The fact that Indiana has fewer educated citizens than other states is a major reason we have trouble luring employers, and the reason that–as Braun’s agenda also notes–“Indiana faces workforce shortages (e.g., additional 5000 nurses needed by 2031), skill mismatches, and struggles to retain college graduates.”
Bottom line: legislators and administrators who gain public office by choosing their voters can–and do–ignore the wishes of their constituents. Citizens stop participating in the political process, believing it’s a waste of time and effort. They tune out. As a result, the only people who cast ballots are the most committed partisans.
We end up “electing” statewide candidates who, like Braun, go along with the current GOP’s extreme, anti-American “agenda,” or the even more extreme (and embarrassing) Christian Nationalists like Beckwith and Banks, or corrupt posturers like Todd Rokita.
Indiana isn’t a democracy, and our overlords want to see to it that we don’t become one.
So, what is it with Hoosiers and Texans and all the other red states whose citizens seem to have a mental block against voting FOR their best interests? How do they justify saying to each other: “Yep. I voted for that scoundrel who is trying to screw me out of my farm that’s been in my family for generations. And boy, did it feel good. Well, it’s better to vote for getting screwed than to vote for one of them damned Democrats who want to feed our children at schools, stabilize the price of soy beans and making sure our light bills don’t go up too much. Why would I vote for somebody who says he wants to help me? And those damned trannies they support. Why there must be more than a dozen of them in the whole state. Can’t vote for anybody who wants to be fair with them.”
Voting against one’s own best interests as a cultural phenomenon is what destroys democracy. It’s the tar baby of our politics, and the Republican voter, like Br’er Fox, is up to his armpits in fighting an imaginary foe.
1. Default, universal voting registration (birthright; naturalization)
2. Mandatory voting
3. Legislative district reform alternatives:
– Alt A: Blinded, public mapping alternatives decided by ranked choice voting by a total-state-normed citizen commission
– Alt B: Eliminate all districts; all seats to be at-large, allocated by statewide party vote%, and seats assigned by partywide vote
NOTE: One major Alt B benefit is that partywide votes on seat assignments would reduce kook-candidate seats and their oversized influence on party leadership
I would like to tag onto Vernon’s comment which I 100% agree with. A specific example I can give is here in Southern Indiana there is a proposed new terrain highway project, the Mid-Stares Corridor, a pet project of Braun and his cronies. It will destroy Homestead farms, several homes and add to our pollution problem, yet individuals whose land will be taken still voted for him. The reasoning varies from – there is no way I will vote for those liberal, commie Democrats, to I had to vote for him since he is from Jasper or Dubois County. Then there are the ones that have no clue what his policy positions are, they just hit the R button. At the same time I fault the number of Democrats that don’t show up to vote because “we are in a Red state so what is the sense of wasting my time to go vote.”
Cults are inherently scary, and zombies make wonderful movie fare. Threatening mindless people motivated by what? Not life, but…….what? There is no way to know.
Trump has found a way to create zombies that seem centered in some regions of the country. I don’t know why.
I’m sorry, Hoosiers, but you are one area infested by homegrown zombies.
As someone fully settled in NYS, I welcome you to migrate here, where liberty still predominates.
thank you, Shelia. Right on target.
Sorry, Mark, but I fully understand why Democrat voters don’t show up, and Sheila outlined why. Our district in East Central Indiana had way too many uncontested races. Gerrymandering has destroyed the reason to vote in red states. And, as Sheila also pointed out, Hoosiers can only demand changes with access to ballot initiatives.
AI could carve up districts for both parties. This should be demanded by the people nationwide. Maybe Elon Musk and his Tech Bros will make that recommendation! Elon has threatened Republicans not to get in his and Donald’s way in Washington. This should be fun!
The “Brain Drain” in Indiana has been studied for decades in Indiana, and they rarely publish the results. I wonder why? Lilly Foundation dished out millions to universities to study why educated kids leave Indiana and the uneducated stay close to home. It’s truly a rhetorical study because they know why kids leave for progressive states and those states with more amenities and warmer climates.
Indiana has always been a flyover country. It’s flat and boring. There aren’t a lot of outdoor activities unless you like killing animals, and despite all our neighbors allowing marijuana sales, Indiana can’t get out of the starting gate. We take pride in being backward.
We also cater to big business as expected and treat workers like shit. Mitch Daniels sealed that deal for Republicans after he lined up his job at Purdue. Kids are starting to understand that college is a waste of money – you don’t need a degree to work in retail or at the local Starbucks. Unless you move to larger cities like Indianapolis, a degree will strap you with $30,000 in debt, which you can’t repay because you have a low-paying job, rent, and a car payment.
By the way, Braun’s proposals were cooked up by a nonprofit that redacted the donor names from their IRS Form 990. Why did they do that? 😉
Did Mitch Daniels’ I 69 ever get to Evansville and was the destruction of beautiful southern Indiana ever repaired?
Which state is trying to build its college-educated workforce?
California Polytechnic Institute, Pomona, CA
In-state tuition, plus expenses, without room & board: $7,439
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
In-state tuition, plus expenses, without room & board: $12,782
Here’s an idea some might like. If you’re in a district that has no Democratic candidate think about running yourselves. If you take the time to read this blog, you obviously have an interest in policy and governance, which sets you apart from any Republican you might face.
Be prepared to work like the devil. Have a brochure made up that explains why their vote matters, using charts that are easy to read and understand. Make sure you have a few pairs of comfortable walking shoes. Mr. Smith didn’t just go to Washington. He had to get elected first.
Growing up in West Lafayette in the 50’s and 60’s our Congressman Charles Halleck was the leader of the Republicans in the U.S. House. Until the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed it in the 1960’s, regular state employees had mandatory payroll deductions supporting “their” political party, and lost their jobs, when the governorship changed political parties. I was most happy to escape in 1969 as an 18 year old to The University of Wisconsin, Madison, a much more liberal environment. Indiana has a strong Klan history. My “homes” are Richmond, California where I now live, and Chicago, where I lived twice in my past. I’m totally content to have left Indiana (permanently). I can work more effectively for systemic change (Reproductive Justice, Racism and Justice for the Palestinian People) where my friends and allies aren’t – “the weirdos”. As a privileged white man partnered with a Black, Queer Identified Female – the diversity here – and the ability to “breathe” makes it much easier for me. The work needs to be done everywhere!
Over the past 15-20 years our gop dominant legislature has proudly moved further to the right. They chose to both embrace religious fanaticism and to increase their dominance by indoctrinating future generations. They legalized the theft of tax revenue meant for public school systems and fully intend to financially gut our public schools.
I believe it is our duty to financially support the education of future generations through the collection of taxes. However, I do not believe it is my duty to financially support the religious indoctrination of young minds. The legislature’s decision to ignore our state constitution by robbing the tax revenue collected for public schools is not just theft – it is pure evil.
If I had both the time and the financial means, I would figure out a way to educate the general public/current voters/potential voters that they are being forced to financially support someone else’s religion with their tax dollars. Most people are completely unaware that they are being forced to send their hard-earned money to not only someone else’s church, but to churches that are located all around the state – not just in their own community.
Does anyone have any ideas for how spread this information to all voters? It will take a massive uprising against the legislature and the recipient churches to stop this theft.
Peggy –
I and several other local Democrats have run for office in the past and we spent a lot of time and energy attempting to educate the voters. In the end, the Rs always win by at least 75% and the religious fanatics continue to gain power.
In my rural area of the state, running for office as a D is worse than if we just banged our heads against a brick wall for a few months. A couple decades ago the county Ds that were employed in the city or court house had to switch to the R party just to keep their jobs. That includes judges.
Hey Peggy, what Nancy said!
Ditto in ECI, where numerous Ds have switched to Rs to run for public office. Some even switched while in office. It didn’t help that the last D administration was as corrupt as they get, and we had the FBI in town for nearly two years. I ran twice for city council but will not waste my time or money running again.
In the last city election, turnout was like 26%, with most democrats staying home sitting on their asses. They are also the loudest complainers when the Rs cut their much-needed programs.
As I always say, we get the government we deserve!
In a street fight, no holds are barred. This is a street fight for the soul of the United States, the Constitution, the Republic, liberal democracy, and freedom.
What are they worth to us?
Can we stand to down in history as the generation that gave them away? MAGA is trying to rewrite history.
I have said for a very long time that Indiana education has been used as a guinea pig to see how much can be destroyed while parents think they are getting their say without questioning the results.
The current high school graduation requirements will sunset for students graduating 2029, they will have the option of a college ready diploma or a skill/trades diploma of varying specifics. This will only make Indiana dumber and who is all in, the dipshit himself, as he said in his interview “I think Iowa, and I think Indiana, and a lot of these states that are well-run states. We have a lot of them that are very well run. When they run their own educational program, I think it’s going to, I think they’ll be able to compete with anybody,” he said. “Then you’re going to have the badly run states, like a guy like Gavin Newscum [sic] in California,” he obviously like being at the bottom of those lists.
People with degrees leave because they have the means to secure employment with a starting date of their choosing (most times) and housing before they ever leave the job they have.
My daughter is a first generation graduate with an associates, she’s a surgical tech assistant. Before she had even completed her certification she had multiple offers, accepted one with huge sign on bonus, had a second one secured for after the first installment of the bonus. Now she’s ready to do the travel health just to get out of Indiana. The only reason she’s hesitant is our family is here and very small.
It’s only going to get worse every day.
Switch to Rs run, then do what they have done. That is give yourself a little time to be a familiar name, then tell them how abhorrent you found it to work with these “insiders” then announce your conversion to D.
Gordon, 100% agree. The US DOE has a very useful website with cost data by university. Cal Poly has an average all-in cost of $12k, Purdue $14k. This is net of any grants and scholarships received, in state students. Collegescorecard.ed.gov