Pendulum Swings

So far it seems to be a night in which overreaches on the part of overzealous newly-elected Republicans have been repudiated. Issue 2 in Ohio, the anti-union legislation, has gone down in flames. Same day voter registration here in Maine was restored by the people tonight, after the Republican legislature and Governor eliminated it. Even in ruby-red Mississippi a movement to define personhood as beginning at conception seems to have been handily defeated.

One more example to make the point. Way back in January I posted Dis-integration about the demise of Wake County North Carolina's successful effort to integrate schools along socio-economic lines. Flashback:

IN RALEIGH, N.C. The sprawling Wake County School District has long been a rarity. Some of its best, most diverse schools are in the poorest sections of this capital city. And its suburban schools, rather than being exclusive enclaves, include children whose parents cannot afford a house in the neighborhood.

But over the past year, a new majority-Republican school board backed by national tea party conservatives has set the district on a strikingly different course. Pledging to "say no to the social engineers!" it has abolished the policy behind one of the nation's most celebrated integration efforts.

Remember?

And tonight: Democrats complete sweep of Wake school seats

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Democratic-aligned candidate retained his seat on the Wake County school board Tuesday, completing a sweep of the seats up for grabs this year.

Incumbent Kevin Hill beat challenger Heather Losurdo by nearly 1,000 votes Tuesday. The result means Democrats will have a 5-4 majority on the board governing North Carolina's largest school district.

It could also mean a change in direction for the board that decided last year to scrap a decade-old busing plan aimed at making sure schools didn't become too heavily identified as either poor or rich.

So it looks like working people, women, kids, and everyone entitled to political franchise are the big winners tonight. Smile, Teej.

Back swings the pendulum. Here's hoping that it gains momentum over the next 12 months.