Ohio Democrats were roundly defeated in November’s election, because too many Democrats stayed home and simply didn’t vote. A new report from the University of Akron’s Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, “Mapping the Republican Sweep: the 2010 Election Results in Ohio,” shows that of registered Ohio voters, only 49.22% voted in the 2010 election. In the 2006 election, of registered Ohio voters 53.2% voted.

What killed Ohio Democrats is the fact that the decrease in voting from 2006 to 2010 was more severe in Democratic counties. The report notes,

There was, in general, less of a drop in voter turnout in the Republican-leaning western regions of the state as opposed to the Democratic- leaning eastern regions of the state. This indicates that Democratic-leaning counties had less-enthused voters compared to those counties that tend to lean Republican. It helps to explain why Democrats did so well in the 2006 state-wide contests and fared so poorly in the 2010 election.

Particularly important is the fact that young voters failed to vote. In 2008, of voters in the age group 18-29, 51% voted. And in this group 65% voted Democratic. But in 2010, of these young voters, only 20.4% voted.

From the report, "Mapping the Republican Sweep"

As an amazing turn of events unfolds — a Democratic president, with a congress with big Democratic majorities in each house, passing a huge giveaway to the most wealthy — we should take the time to be shocked. This tax agreement outcome is amazing because it is the opposite of what voters who elected Barrack Obama in 2008 would have ever predicted would happen. Let that sink in. The opposite. Amazing. (See what Robert Reich says: The New Tax Deal: Reaganomics Redux.)

Amazing outcomes are seldom accidental. It’s like watching the final moves of a chess game where the player with the weakest pieces and positions suddenly wins — you can’t help but wonder if the stronger player engineered the whole scenario.  What is unfolding in Washington, I’ve got to think, has been well planned and well choreographed for some time. I’ve got to think things in Washington are unfolding according to the wishes of the party in power — the Party of Money. I’ve always liked that speech Dennis Kucinich gave that ended:  “Wake up America.  Wake up America. Wake up America.”  (The video is posted below and is well worth watching.)

The following is from a post I noted over three years ago:  “The Money Party,” by Michael Collins as it appeared Scoop in September, 2007:

The Money Party is a small group of enterprises and individuals who have most of the money in this country. They use that money to make more money. Controlling who gets elected to public office is the key to more money for them and less for us. As 2008 approaches, The Money Party is working hard to maintain its perfect record.

It is not about Republicans versus Democrats. Right now, the Republicans do a better job taking money than the Democrats. But The Money Party is an equal opportunity employer. They have no permanent friends or enemies, just permanent interests. Democrats are as welcome as Republicans to this party. It’s all good when you’re on the take and the take is legal.

This is not a conspiracy theory. There are no secret societies or sinister operators. This party is up front and in your face. Just follow the money. One percent of Americans hold 33% of the nation’s wealth. The top 10% hold 72% of the total wealth. The bottom 40% of Americans control only 0.3% (three tenths of one percent). And that was before “pay day loans.”

The story is as old as civilization but the stakes have never been higher than they are right now.

In every campaign for major office, the party passes out money and buys candidates from both parties. Thanks to the candidates who get elected, this pay to play system remains perfectly legal. Those elected get luxury trips, sweet jobs for family members, and more campaign contributions for the next round of elections. What they do is perfectly legal even though it looks like bribery.

In return for contributions, the election winners come through by fixing the laws so that The Money Party cleans up. Lower taxes, highly favorable business regulations, laws that shield their businesses from real competition all start with the nonstop flow of Money Party funds. Cost is no object, because in the end it’s all paid for with our tax dollars.

The Money Party gets no-bid contracts as well as the ability to lay off their employees and dump their pension plans just about any time they want. It doesn’t get much better than that. It’s welfare for big money and survival of the fittest for the rest of us.

We are nothing to them.

When the White House and Congress ignore the health care crisis year after year, why be surprised? They’re not in office to serve you. The drug companies and hospitals had their bid in first.

When our public servants fail to get us out of Iraq, don’t take it personally. That will happen when The Money Party says so.

When citizens suffer and starve for days after a hurricane, we’re told they should have been better prepared. When levees and bridges collapse, it’s an act of God. But when the fat no-bid contracts show up, The Money Party takes it all.

Unreliable election systems, citizens excluded from the vote on the basis of race and class, and questionable results don’t matter as long as the right candidates get in. We pretend to vote, they pretend to get elected, but there’s no doubt who is in charge – The Money Party.

It’s nothing personal. The party is just doing its job. Why be surprised or disappointed? It’s been happening for centuries. The more some have, the more they want, the harder they fight to keep it. Spread some around so they can get even more. It’s a rigged game from top to bottom.

We let this happen. We can change it. The first step is to name it, and we just did.

The Irish fought for 800 years to win their independence from the world’s most powerful empire. Generations came and went before the goal even seemed possible. They never gave up.

Now it’s our turn.

The Money Party: The Essence of our Political Troubles
Michael Collins “Scoop” Independent News: Washington, D.C.