Monday, November 01, 2004
Signs of Fall, November 1
by Tom Bozzo
After taking my mother and grandmother (that's Mom-Mom and Great Mom-Mom to John) to the airport Sunday morning, I took a spin through a few near-east side wards (33, 34, and 35; mainly down Jenifer and Rutledge Sts.) for a last reading from the sign wars.
Here in the near-west, Kerry signs probably outnumber Bush signs 10:1 or so, in wards that voted for Gore 2:1, and I'd say from what I remember of 2000 that the Kerry numerator is a lot higher and the Bush denominator a bit lower. Even the high-priced streets of old Nakoma are solidly pro-Kerry. This mosly induces warm feelings in this neighborhood Democrat.
The near-easters make us look like Texas. Between East Washington at First St and Williamson St. at John Nolen Dr., I saw more signs for Badnarik than for Bush. Those adorable bungalows on Rutledge just west of the river? A Kerry bloc, thank you.
What was missing was evidence of support for Nader or Cobb (but Nader in particular) in anything approaching the amount of pro-Nader sentiment that could be seen around there in 2000 (though Nader actually polled best in some northeast side wards). The most popular third-party candidate was clearly Green district attorney candidate Sally Stix. There are several examples of her sign out in combination with Kerry-Edwards, so perhaps the group of pragmatic Greens extends beyond the Green for Kerry kid at the rally.
Here's hoping: a less-fragmented progressive vote will make it difficult for Bush to carry the state.
After taking my mother and grandmother (that's Mom-Mom and Great Mom-Mom to John) to the airport Sunday morning, I took a spin through a few near-east side wards (33, 34, and 35; mainly down Jenifer and Rutledge Sts.) for a last reading from the sign wars.
Here in the near-west, Kerry signs probably outnumber Bush signs 10:1 or so, in wards that voted for Gore 2:1, and I'd say from what I remember of 2000 that the Kerry numerator is a lot higher and the Bush denominator a bit lower. Even the high-priced streets of old Nakoma are solidly pro-Kerry. This mosly induces warm feelings in this neighborhood Democrat.
The near-easters make us look like Texas. Between East Washington at First St and Williamson St. at John Nolen Dr., I saw more signs for Badnarik than for Bush. Those adorable bungalows on Rutledge just west of the river? A Kerry bloc, thank you.
What was missing was evidence of support for Nader or Cobb (but Nader in particular) in anything approaching the amount of pro-Nader sentiment that could be seen around there in 2000 (though Nader actually polled best in some northeast side wards). The most popular third-party candidate was clearly Green district attorney candidate Sally Stix. There are several examples of her sign out in combination with Kerry-Edwards, so perhaps the group of pragmatic Greens extends beyond the Green for Kerry kid at the rally.
Here's hoping: a less-fragmented progressive vote will make it difficult for Bush to carry the state.
