Good, But Not Great

In the key races yesterday, things worked out just fine for Democrats: Kaine won in Virginia, Corzine won in New Jersey, and the Governator lost in California.

I'm especially happy with the Kaine win, and not only because he ran a good race and I used to live in the state. I'm also glad because this race gives us a preview of the serious problems Bush might have mobilizing voters in the mid-term elections next year. His much publicized, last minute visit to Virginia didn't effect the outcome, and his appeal was crucial for GOP candidates in 2002.

In Charlotte, however, the results were decidedly mixed. While Democrats maintained their 7-4 advantage on City Council, Republican Pat McCrory won his sixth term as Mayor. As Republicans go, McCrory isn't bad, but I'd still like to see a (D) next to the mayor's name two years from now.

Most disappointing, though, was the defeat of the school bond issue. In hindsight, it appears that the proposal was a compromise which pleased nobody — not the voters in suburban areas that need more new schools, nor the voters in urban areas that need existing facilities renovated. The need for both expansion and renovation is clear, but what comes next is anyone's guess.

The school board got two new members, Tom Tate and Ken Gjertsen. Here's how Tate answered the local paper's question of whether intelligent design should be taught alongside evolution:

No. "I don't see it simply as an alternative theory to Darwin. I know people have attempted to say it is really not a religious theory, but it does not appear to me to be a scientific theory, either."

And here's how Gjertsen answered the same question:

"Sure. It's true, isn't it? I just don't see how what exists here could be done by chance."

Tate's a Presbyterian Pastor, too. These should be some interesting meetings.