SALON

Saturday, Jun 29, 2013 10:30 AM UTC

You made Wendy Davis possible

Monumental achievements won this week -- from reproductive rights to marriage equality -- prove the power of voters

By

Topics: Wendy Davis, Immigration, Immigration Reform, Marriage equality, Supreme Court, Reproductive Rights, Texas, Filibuster, John McCain, Robert Bork, Anthony Kennedy, Al Franken, Heidi Heitkamp, Michael Bennet, Editor's Picks,

You made Wendy Davis possibleWendy Davis (Credit: AP/Eric Gay)

While most of us, most of the time, can be little more than passive observers to the policy-making portion of politics, landmark achievements this week showed that we can be a lot more than that, by turning the results of elections. Even if it doesn’t feel that way sometimes.

The Wendy Davis filibuster in Texas? The Supreme Court decision on DOMA? The immigration bill passing in the Senate? All of them were achievements by ordinary citizens who got involved and affected elections. These things didn’t just happen. They were the real outcomes of citizens voting, in contests that could have gone the other way just as easily.

The United States is an enormous nation, with an enormously complex political system – one that puts no one in charge, but instead relies on separated institutions sharing powers, federalism, and all sorts of other complications. As a result, it’s very difficult, most of the time, to see obvious links between a specific election and a specific outcome. Yes, every once in a while there’s an obvious consequence: no 2008 Democratic landslide, no Affordable Care Act. But frustration is far more common in the Madisonian system.

Moreover, when action does happen – and this week, wow, did we see action! – it’s not always obvious exactly what any of it had to do with past elections. That’s an illusion, however. I’m going to look at the results that left liberals happy, but the same analysis would be true for the Voting Rights Act case and other results that conservatives celebrated.

To begin with: When it comes to the Supreme Court, the first place to look is presidential elections. If there’s one thing that shows elections matter these days, it’s Supreme Court results; each of the nine Justices, and certainly all of them other than Anthony Kennedy, are usually reliable votes for Republican and Democratic positions. That wasn’t always the case, but the last real “mistake” selection was David Souter, 23 years ago, and it’s not likely there will be another one any time soon. Simply put, John McCain would not have nominated anyone who voted the way that Sonia Sotomayor and Elana Kagan voted on United States v. Windsor. We can’t be sure that Souter and John Paul Stevens would have retired if McCain had won in 2008, but all it would have taken was one of them – and it’s also possible that Kennedy would have retired, replaced by a more reliable conservative.

Which gets us to some other elections. Kennedy is there because Robert Bork was defeated by a lopsided 42-58 vote (that’s 42 yes votes; back then, filibusters were rare and a simple majority is all Bork would have needed). Okay, few of you reading this were involved in the 1986 elections – but some of you might have been. You might have helped Kent Conrad win a close race in North Dakota, or Wyche Fowler win a close one in Georgia, or Terry Sanford in North Carolina, or Tom Daschle in South Dakota, or Brock Adams in Washington, or Tim Wirth in Colorado, or Alan Cranston in California – or Harry Reid in Nevada. All of those were close, the kinds of elections where a handful of activists could feel that what they did really mattered. If those eight all went the other way? Robert Bork would probably have been confirmed. No Lawrence. And probably no Windsor.

Yes, that was long ago. Much more recent are the elections that gave comprehensive immigration reform a chance by getting it through the Senate. Again, a handful of close elections over the last few cycles meant that Democrats remained in the majority – think Al Franken’s tiny margin in 2008, or Michael Bennet in 2010, or Heidi Heitkamp in 2012. There are currently 54 Democrats; it really wouldn’t have taken much to give Republicans a slim majority. And, yes, some Republicans supported the immigration bill, but realistically in a climate in which the Republican-led House may well refuse to allow a vote even though there are enough supporters to pass a bill, immigration reform would have died a quick death if Republicans controlled the agenda in both chambers.

But there’s more to it than that. Just as the complexity of the system means that presidents can’t do very much by themselves, it also means that even a lone legislator can sometimes make a big difference. That’s what happened in Texas this week. Any number of generic Democrats elected to the state legislature there might have voted for choice on abortion. But Wendy Davis, as everyone now knows, was no generic Democrat.

Here’s the thing. Wendy Davis won both her State Senate elections by about 7,000 votes each. That’s nothing! But keep looking: Davis got started by winning a city council seat in Fort Worth by all of 350 votes. 350. That’s a few people working just a little harder – knocking on a few more doors, making a few more phone calls, putting up a few more yard signs. That doesn’t happen, and some guy name David Minor gets the political career that she wound up with. Maybe she rallies back anyway, but maybe not. 350 votes.

Now, no one in that city council election thought that abortion rights in Texas were on the line, but I suspect that her supporters then knew her position – and I suspect that most of them were very happy with what happened in Austin this week. Similarly, I’m sure there are people out there who celebrated Windsor this week who fought for Harry Reid in 1986 and never realized that they were really fighting for marriage equality – and people who fought for Al Franken in 2008 without realizing he would have a key vote for immigration a few years into his term.

And so, yes, a lot of people who worked on that Franken campaign and also supported Barack Obama that year have been frustrated by the ways Obama’s administration has fallen short of what they wanted. Fair enough – this is no argument for just accepting whatever elected officials do, party or not. But just remember that a lot of the frustration with Obama, or any president, is a pure function of the political system – and that the flip side of that complexity is that the resources you devoted to Franken (or Reid, or Bennet, or Heitkamp, or that city council candidate that no one has ever heard of, but may make a difference some day) are actually extremely meaningful.

Jonathan Bernstein

Jonathan Bernstein writes at a Plain Blog About Politics. Follow him at @jbplainblog More Jonathan Bernstein.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

Loading Comments...

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows