Mayors lost because they were Republican

I will try to explain why Republican mayors and village presidents were defeated in the April election.

No. 1: Eight years of Bush, who was anti health care; anti environment; anti education; anti infrastructure; anti middle class; anti good, provable science like stem cell research; anti diplomacy and anti cooperating with other countries. At the same time Bush was pro war, pro destroying our federal government; pro far right religious zealots; pro completely deregulating the corporate elite; pro tax reductions, especially for the very richest Americans; pro appointing far right crazy guys to the Supreme Court; and pro allowing government spying on its citizens; and torture of rendered people whom he and his friends didn't like.

No. 2: It was not the size of the turnout to vote as much as it was payback by folks who still have the foul taste of Bush and Co. in their mouths, and no matter how much mouthwash they use it won't go away.

No. 3: The crippled, clueless Republican Party still clings to issues like the three G's (guns, gays and God); as more and more Americans are paying attention to the really relevant issues like health care; jobs; education; infrastructure; the environment; rebuilding the middle class; reinstating unions and a progressive tax structure; getting out of Iraq; and passing strong laws to regulate corporate monopoly and greed. Americans are still "mad as hell and won't take it anymore." While Republicans think they can use their same old scare tactics to get voters back in line with them on limiting health care, continuing to ship our jobs overseas, destroying Earth's environment, etc.

Groups I belong to are already hard at work analyzing the 2010 elections for the Senate. I hope Republicans continue to bang away in their rigid, unyielding circular firing squad until November 2010 elections.

James Peterson

Hoffman Estates