Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Too little, too late, ftfnyt. fuck all the way off.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Everybody saw this coming.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

We still have time to mess this up!

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2017 / The Significance of the Roem Win

The Significance of the Roem Win

by | 90 Comments

This post is in: 

It’s been talked about here and elsewhere already, but I want to touch on the big win by Danica Roem, the transgender candidate who defeated “Bigot Bob” Marshall:

Virginia’s most socially conservative state lawmaker was ousted from office Tuesday by Danica Roem, a Democrat who will be one of the nation’s first openly transgender elected officials and who embodies much of what Del. Robert G. Marshall fought against in Richmond.

The race focused on traffic and other local issues in suburban Prince William County but also exposed the nation’s fault lines over gender identity. It pitted a 33-year-old former journalist who began her physical gender transition four years ago against a 13-term incumbent who called himself Virginia’s “chief homophobe” and earlier this year introduced a “bathroom bill” that died in committee.

“Discrimination is a disqualifier,” a jubilant Roem said Tuesday night as her margin of victory became clear. “This is about the people of the 13th District disregarding fear tactics, disregarding phobias . . . where we celebrate you because of who you are, not despite it.”

Marshall, 73, who refused to debate Roem and referred to her with male pronouns, declined an interview request but posted a concession message on Facebook.

What’s important here is how she was elected. She wasn’t elected because she was transgender, which would be bad, because that could just as easily swing the other way. She was elected because voters felt she was more competent and capable of fixing the god damned road.

And that’s precisely what LGBTQ, and for that matter, all minorities have wanted from day one- judge me on my character and competence. Because that is what equality means.

That she took down a retrograde scumbag is just the icing on the cake.

Reader Interactions

90Comments

  2. 2.

    Major Major Major Major

    Typical neoliberal focus on things like roads and traffic.

    Seriously though, this is a pretty big deal. But you’re wrong that it would be bad if she was “elected because she was transgender.” That would still be good, just differently so and IMO less so, but that doesn’t mean it would be bad. Just because somebody might do the opposite on account of the same factor doesn’t mean doing something is bad.

  3. 3.

    Mike J

    “I don’t attack my constituents. Bob is my constituent now.” Best answer ever.

    BTW, more votes in from WA 45. Dhingra 17,112 Englund 13,749. No real movement in percentages.

  5. 5.

    Yarrow

    Update on VA close races:

    Canvasses done statewide. Three GOP wins within 0.5% so DEM candidate can request a state funded recount- districts 28 (retiring speaker), 40 and 94.— (((Ben Tribbett))) (@notlarrysabato) November 8, 2017

    As I said earlier to a reporter- it's better than 50-50 that it will be 50-50 in the House next year. @KirkCoxVA trying to claim victory is laughable and pathetic.— (((Ben Tribbett))) (@notlarrysabato) November 8, 2017

    Says recounts won’t be done until December.

  7. 7.

    eclare

    Also a woman ran against an Atlantic County Freeholder (no idea what that is) who said he hoped the Women’s March would be over in time for the wimmens to make dinner. She won.

  8. 8.

    Mike J

    Republicans are now saying they won two of the close races and still hold the VA house, but they’ll almost certainly go for a recount.

  9. 9.

    TenguPhule

    @Baud:

    Too bad competence wasn’t in last year.

    Boring but practical was so 2012. Voters wanted exciting and heart stopping.

  11. 11.

    Yarrow

    @Mike J: Found this observation interesting.

    Dem voters have shown in recount after recount they are much more likely to fill out ballots wrong for optical scans and so Dem candidates pick up many votes.— (((Ben Tribbett))) (@notlarrysabato) November 8, 2017

  16. 16.

    Suzanne

    @Yutsano:

    Shade disguised as class is best shade.

    YES. I love that she knew exactly how to be classy AF and stick that shiv right in.

  17. 17.

    gene108

    @eclare:

    Atlantic County Freeholder (no idea what that is)

    Freeholder is what NJ calls what can be thought of as a county commissioner. Counties have multiple Freeholders, around 5, who run on staggered 3 year terms, ie maybe 2 out of 5 were up for election this year.

    They decide what property taxes will be assessed for county wide issues, budget for parks, county funded health services. etc.

    It can be a springboard for higher office.

  18. 18.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Character and competence was what last year’s Presidential election was all about.

    65 million people chose that, and due to an antiquated electoral college designed to appease slave owners, character and competence was ignored, and deplorable won.

  19. 19.

    lgerard

    LOL

    Fox News star host Sean Hannity on Wednesday announced that the network has hired Sebastian Gorka, formerly deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and a counterterrorism adviser, as a national security strategist.

  20. 20.

    But her emails!!!

    @Yarrow: How does one incorrectly fill in an optical scan? Do they use check marks and x’s instead of filling in the bubble?

  22. 22.

    Trentrunner

    LOL payback is a bitch. Donna Brazile’s chryon during her Fox appearance tonight:

    Sapphic House Negress (D)

    Of course I’m kidding.

    Or am I?

  29. 29.

    Jacel

    Earlier last night I wondered why an openly transgendered legislator hadn’t already been elected here in California. After hearing Danica speak, I was struck that she was an exceptionally effective campaigner and likely to prove as effective a legislator. Whatever state a person that gifted lives is where it will happen first.

  30. 30.

    aimai

    @Major Major Major Major: Agreed. Transgender, acceptance, equality, generosity, freedom of choice–these were all on the ballot with this wonderful woman representing them. She could just as easily have run as a transgender conservative, you know. And that will be next, by the way–transgender “fuck you I’ve got mine” will be on the ballot one day. Its not accidental that at this point in time she is also a good government democrat.

  32. 32.

    Thoughtful David

    @But her emails!!!:
    Yes.
    Optical scanners don’t always read x and checkmarks correctly, but if the voter’s intent is clear ( to a human reviewing the ballot), it counts.

  36. 36.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @But her emails!!!: Probably. Oregon’s vote by mail shows the x in the box as WRONG. You’d think after years of standardized testing with the same trope (fill in the bubble) that people would get this…

  37. 37.

    Yarrow

    @Major Major Major Major: Does anyone know if there’s any update on Peter Thiel’s New Zealand citizenship? I thought that was getting some scrutiny. Maybe Five Eyes will come into play and he won’t be able to hide in NZ.

  39. 39.

    NotMax

    @Igerard

    Not analyst, not reporter, not commentator, not even the intemperately overused term expert.

    FOX openly admits they are creating strategy now?

    Good to know.

  42. 42.

    Thoughtful David

    @Mike J:
    Yes, that’s good, but in the running, and also related to Roem’s win, was the response to some talibangical who asked, “What will Christian parents tell your children (about Roem)?”
    Answer: “To watch out for pretend ‘Christians’ like you.”

  45. 45.

    Punchy

    Sorry if this has been mentioned but Maine approved Medicaid expansion. And the Gubbnah just announced he is going to say Fuck You to all those voters and refuse to expand it because reasons.

  47. 47.

    Yarrow

    @Punchy: I hope David Anderson does a post on this issue tomorrow. I’ve seen it discussed on health wonks’ twitter feeds. Seems like the Governor can’t really do this, but it’s kind of unprecedented, so they’re trying to figure it out.

  48. 48.

    NotMax

    @Villago Delenda Est

    The little bubbles in use here are oval, not round, and teeny tiny to boot. Problematic for those of us with arthritis or rheumatism coupled with older eyes; going much outside the lines causes a misread.

  49. 49.

    Sister Golden Bear

    that’s precisely what LGBTQ, and for that matter, all minorities have wanted from day one- judge me on my character and competence. Because that is what equality means.

    This. So much this.

  50. 50.

    Amaranthine RBG

    She wasn’t elected because she was transgender, which would be bad, because that could just as easily swing the other way.

    Phrasing?

  52. 52.

    Baud

    And that’s precisely what LGBTQ, and for that matter, all minorities have wanted from day one- judge me on my character and competence.

    That does not bode well for me.

  55. 55.

    Jumbo76

    She was elected because voters felt she was more competent and capable of fixing the god damned road.

    I kind of think this is the lesson for all democrats. We have to talk about things that really impact people’s lives, and we have to know our people—our neighbors, our community, our states. This is the problem with our technocrats. They think they can find the right policy to fix problems without actually talking to people. Obama’s really failed in this regard, I think.

  56. 56.

    Ohio Mom

    @NotMax: In Ohio, our boxes are nice and big — I’m guessing a quarter of an inch long and an eighth of an inch high. It takes a few seconds to fill them in but such a sense of satisfaction when you’re done.

    I think we are long overdue for some national standards on voting methods and procedures. Remember the butterfly ballot fiasco? Not to mention all the vulnerabilities to hacking.

  61. 61.

    Corner Stone

    @Jumbo76:

    They think they can find the right policy to fix problems without actually talking to people. Obama’s really failed in this regard, I think.

    It seems like you’re trying to get somewhere here…but I am not exactly sure where.

  62. 62.

    Jack the Second

    @Jacel: I’d give two answers.

    The first is what you pointed out – your votes will basically be “people who will vote for your party” + “people who will vote for you personally” (your pre-existing base) + “people you can win over while campaigning”. You can win some elections on the first (in a very red or blue district) or the second (especially the local elections where a substantial fraction of the voters can know you personally) but once you hit a large enough swing-y district you really need to be a good campaigner.

    The second is that you can take a helluva lot of abuse running as a straight white cis-gendered Christian male, and that abuse will go up the less you are of that. I know I can barely almost-sort-of handle running for office on easy mode; I can’t imagine how strong you have to be to run for office on difficult mode.

  63. 63.

    aimai

    @Jumbo76: Oh bullshit–both Obama and Hillary talked endlessly about specific, local, policies. Hillary was literally famous for it. The idea that “the democrats” are pie in the sky, out of touch, out of town liberal elitists is just right wing propaganda and slander.

  65. 65.

    Roger Moore

    @But her emails!!!:

    How does one incorrectly fill in an optical scan? Do they use check marks and x’s instead of filling in the bubble?

    This is why my area uses InkaVote. It uses an optical scan ballot with a special pen that’s designed to neatly and completely fill in the dots with one push. Using it is similar to the old punch card ballots, but it doesn’t have a problem with hanging chads.

  66. 66.

    lgerard

    @Gravenstone: @NotMax:

    Evidently this is how it works in the new order.
    Fox develops “strategy” which is then communicated to trump via Hannity and the Fox Friends.
    trump then tweets it out to the rest of the wingnuts.

    I was going to say I am surprised Fox didn’t hire Mike Flynn, but then I realized that the Russians pay better and they probably couldn’t afford him.

  67. 67.

    woodrowfan

    the loser repub bigot was also know as “Sideshow Bob” No one in Richmond took him seriously for anything but keeping the seat in the “R” column….

  69. 69.

    Ohio Mom

    @Roger Moore: That sounds like it would be fun to use.

    And faster than filling in the boxes, and probably less likely to lead to marks that aren’t scanned and therefore not counted.

  70. 70.

    woodrowfan

    @But her emails!!!: we use them in our northern Virginia precinct so I help voters with them. the most common problems are
    1. making a check mark instead of filling in the circle. The system should read it but does not always
    2. accidentally marking the wrong person so they want a new ballot
    3. voting for more than one candidate. We get a lot of these, especially from new voters who are also new citizens. We had a bit less this time because the ballot was in multiple languages: English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

    not everyone grew up with standardized tests using bubble sheets so they are relatively new to some voters….

  71. 71.

    Roger Moore

    @aimai:

    Oh bullshit–both Obama and Hillary talked endlessly about specific, local, policies.

    And many of those policies Hillary was pushing were ones she came up with after going on a much mocked listening tour whose whole point was to talk to as many ordinary people as possible to see what issues they cared about.

  72. 72.

    woodrowfan

    @aimai: yeah, but she did not even TRY to force the press to talk about those issues instead of her emails!!!! Golly.

  73. 73.

    different-church-lady

    @Jumbo76:

    We have to talk about things that really impact people’s lives… [snip] Obama’s really failed in this regard, I think.

    The ACA has impacted my life rather significantly.

  74. 74.

    The Thin Black Duke

    The ACA has impacted my life rather significantly.

    And different-church-lady drops the mic.

  75. 75.

    burnspbesq

    The Maine Lege already tried once to impeach LePetomane, and failed. Not sure what Plan B is.

  78. 78.

    J R in WV

    @Jumbo76:

    OK, I read this comment an hour ago, and didn’t say anything. Now I’m ready, I think.

    “Obama’s really failed in this regard, I think.” This is just wrong. Obama spent more time with just plain people than any president in my memory, which runs back to Ike Eisenhower.

    So are you a Republican troll, or a Russian troll, or just a butthole who is wrong?

    One of those, almost for sure.

  83. 83.

    Corner Stone

    @NorthLeft12: The guy proudly called himself the “Homophobe in Chief”. But news kept calling him “the most socially conservative”. Just call the guy a fucking hateful bigoted piece of shit.

  85. 85.

    HinTN

    @Punchy: I expect the legislature to find programs he likes and axe them to make the will of the people work within the strictures he laid out.

  86. 86.

    LanceThruster

    As George Stephanopoulis once observed about homosexuality, the old attitudes will die off. Slowly but surely, people being free to be themselves will not be so threatening to those who shouldn’t be so distressed.

    I think what needs to at least be discussed rationally is things I’ve read such as gender reassignment and hormonal therapy for children (one child was as young as three if I’m not mistaken). The right creates a lot of fear claiming ‘anything goes’ is the ultimate purpose of moves towards equality.

  88. 88.

    Jumbo76

    @J R in WV:

    Probably just an asshole who’s wrong. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Don’t really care if you agree with me or not. Here’s the point: Republicans have been engaged in a series of Big Lies for a long time. One is that Tax Cuts! will make the economy better. Another is that abortion is murder and they have to put an end to it. Another is that the magic of the free market improves everything. They told all these lies, used them repeatedly to get votes. But most of the time their policies couldn’t even be implemented. They were just wedge issues. In short, the Republican Big Lie was that they had policies that were going to make your life better, when in reality they couldn’t pass those policies. The problem was that people came to believe in the policies, and when they didn’t get the policies, they became angry.

    Democrats have done something similar but different. Democrats largely convinced themselves that their policy solutions are good overall without considering the distributional effects of those policies. You can find this in any discussion of free trade. Someone will eventually say, well, sure, we might lose some jobs but “we” don’t want those jobs anyway. And “those jobs” are usually low skilled manufacturing work. I’m pretty sure that the people who had those jobs wanted them. For me, this is a Big Lie—that we “knew” the best policies. We weren’t actually paying attention.

    The Obama Adminstration, for all the good it did, also singularly failed to change the policy path we were on. There are real problems in this country with the distribution of wealth. Obama did nothing to address that. It’s part of the reason we wound up with Trump.

  89. 89.

    Jake the antisoshul soshulist

    @chris:

    You know what kind of skeletons a Nazi has in his closet.
    If he doesn’t sexually harass the help he’ll be fine.

Comments are closed.