Author Topic: Post-CA Primaries  (Read 586 times)

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sirs

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Post-CA Primaries
« on: June 09, 2010, 07:06:07 PM »
OK, CA has chosen a pair of well rounded, financially endowed, fiscally conservative women to run for Governor vs Brown and Senator vs Boxer.  That was the big news, and though I did support Whitman over Poizner, it was a damned if i do, damned if I don't, since each had its baggage.  I supported Devore, but he just never had the financial foothold to get any traction, without some major slip-up from Fiorina.  She should have no problem beating Boxer.

That said, let's address the unfortunate situation with the Propositions.  In particular 14, which now has been passed by a scarce majority, but passed it did.  Now the state is to run open primaries, where anyone and everyone can jump in 1 big blob of candidates.  My wife and I took time to educate ourselves, and noted just how bad a proposition this was.  It ran on the pretense that Government is broken, and we needed to change the way we send people to Sacramento...that this will facilitate a "different type of candidate".  Strange that the only other states, 2 I believe, that have already passed such open primaries, have seen voter turnout DROP, and incumbency reign supreme, as the ones who manage to stay in power are the ones with the money & name recognition.

So much for changing the status quo   :-\

But I think I understand why it did pass.  People are SO FED UP with Government, and the way its run California into the debt-ridden economic black hole we currently find ourselves in, they wanted to think they were doing something to change that...which is how the commercials ran.  Unfortunately, it's not so much Government in general that ran this state into the gutter, but 3 things.
1) The Democrats in control, in the legislature, that have passed program after program after program, not caring where the money was going to come from, so long as it "helped" the less fortunate.  As long as the economy was doing well, no problem.  No plan, outside of higher taxes, in the event the economy goes belly up
2) The Unions, which were brought into play, by no other than the current Dem candidate for Governor, Jerry Brown, who managed to unionize all the State Government Employees, with then Governor Davis, slapping on increased pension after increasing pension, all on the taxpayer's dime.  As long as the economy was doing well, no problem.  No plan, outside of higher taxes, in the event the economy goes belly up
3) The people of California.....or should I qualify that, the ignorant people of California, who not only keep voting the same Democrat controlled legislature into majority power every election cycle, but also vote for propositions that are very clear in the need for increased revenue to pay for X, like Stem Cell research.

I wish Meg & Carly well, though I'm not going to hold my breath for any substantive improvements, in either the near or distant future.  Especially now with the passing of Proposition 14.  And so endeth my rant

« Last Edit: June 09, 2010, 07:15:09 PM by sirs »
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle

sirs

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Re: Post-CA Primaries
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2010, 07:09:36 PM »
A Few Observations on California 
Posted by: Carol Platt Liebau 

Having spent yesterday traveling to San Jose and then attending Tom Campbell's concession before returning to LA this morning, I had plenty of time to track the results of California's elections.  Here are a few observations:

First, I've never been a fan of "bean counting" -- but those who have long castigated Republicans for insufficient "diversity" should note that the GOP's statewide nominees are two women (Whitman and Fiorina), a Latino (Abel Maldonado/Lieutenant Governor) and an African-American (Damon Dunn/Secretary of State). 

And while it's all to the good that Californians defeated an initiative that would have permitted public funding of campaigns, unfortunately, Californians approved an "open primary" initiative.  Under it, all primaries will be "open" (in other words, Republicans can vote for Democrats and vice-versa) -- and the top two vote getters will go head to head in a run-off, regardless of party affiliation.

I'm not a big fan of third parties, so from my perspective, the problem with the open primary isn't the (undoubted) damage it will do to third parties.  Rather, the disadvantages of the new system are that it allows political adversaries to work mischief by helping to select candidates for the party they oppose; even worse, it would permit two Democrats or two Republicans to run against each other.

In theory, that system would, perhaps, work to elect more centrists (as the more ideologically "extreme" candidate would cede the opposition and the middle to the other candidate).  But in a state as large and liberal as California, where lots of money is needed to fund a viable campaign, what's more likely to happen is the absence of choice in statewide candidates for those who don't believe in Democrat/union big government.  Here, the unions are so powerful that they may well be able to hand-pick two candidate, fund them, and ensure that they effectively "control" whoever wins.

In addition, especially in state Senate and assembly districts, it means more -- not less -- political polarization.  California is so heavily gerrymandered that one is likely to see Democrat-Democrat races in San Francisco-area districts, and Republican-Republican races in places like Orange County.  There, the more likely outcome will be that the more ideologically "extreme" candidate wins -- hardly a recipe for more effective bipartisan cooperation in Sacramento.

Finally, elections are supposed to be about exposing voters to a marketplace of ideas so that they may make a meaningful choice.  A system that creates one huge open field and then allows two candidates from the same party to advance to the general election fails to fulfill that objective.

There are some serious constitutional problems, I believe, with the new open primary law.  Let's hope it never goes into effect.


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"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle

Amianthus

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Re: Post-CA Primaries
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2010, 07:12:00 PM »
OK, CA has chosen a pair of well rounded, financially endowed, fiscally conservative women

That just sounds... dirty...
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. (Benjamin Franklin)