Red tide drowns Democrats

Pulaski County Daily News ^ | 11/3/2010 | Darrell Todd Maurina

[darrellmaurina]

PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. (Nov. 3, 2010) — A red tide of Republicans swept out Pulaski County Presiding Commissioner Don McCulloch, State Sen. Frank Barnitz, and Congressman Ike Skelton Tuesday night. While Pulaski County was once a Democratic stronghold, last night’s election results showed that most Republicans won by large margins, in some cases by a three-to-one split.“What we’re seeing across the county is not just a wave but a tsunami,” said Andy Bobbitt, president of the Pulaski County Democratic Club. Only Circuit Court Clerk Rachelle Beasley, a Waynesville Democrat, escaped the deluge and won re-election. The other Democrat to gain a majority of Pulaski County votes was Skelton, who had 5,148 votes or 56.52 percent compared to 3,618 or 39.72 percent for his Republican challenger, Vicky Hartzler of Harrisonville near Kansas City, but lost statewide. Skelton had campaigned on his record of work for Fort Leonard Wood as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and warned of serious consequences if a newcomer were to take the seat.

[goldstategop]

Pulaski County is now the reddest county in MO!

[fungoking]

Grew up in Waynesville...every county official was a democrat. Whoever won the dim primary won the general election.

[greeneyes]

Been living in Washington County for more than 40 years, never had more than 2 Republicans at a time (county collector, and county assessor). Now we have 5 or 6. Only 1 or 2 dems re-elected. Circuit clerk, and county clerk. Both women who are well liked, conservative, and sort of non-political.

[darrellmaurina]

greeneyes wrote: “women who are well liked, conservative, and sort of non-political”

You just described the one and only Democrat who got re-elected in our bloodbath this week. I asked the circuit court clerk what she felt like to be the “last Democrat left standing” and her answer is in my article.

Our party switch began a few years ago when conservative local Democrats started getting seriously fed up with the national Democratic Party agenda. Republicans were all but unelectable until a few years ago, apart from unusual circumstances. Now, a Democrat has a great deal of difficulty getting elected apart from unusual circumstances.

Apart from the judges who almost never have a contested race, we have only three other Democratic elected officials left in the county, the assessor, the surveyor, and the county coroner. Two are very much part-time jobs, and none of the three were on the ballot this year.

[greeneyes]

Well, it did not start here until this election cycle. The more zero, pelosi, and reid pushed their agenda, the madder everyone I know got, but a lot of it had to do with an audit critical of procedures, and the pubbies fielding some good, likable candidates for a change.

I personally have never understood this county. Demographically they are all social conservatives, who swing back and forth in national elections, but mostly dem at the state level, and almost without exception dem in the local.

Yet when you talk to them, they sound like they should be Republican. The Democratic county commissioner always runs on no new taxes, for example, and taxes aren't raised etc. etc. I don't think they realize the national party has left them and their values.

Every time I run into the Democratic Mayor, I ask him when are you conservative Democrats going to take back your party and clean house to get rid of all the radicals Washington with un-American ideas? He never has a good answer.