“Cindy, I can’t wait to vote
for you in November.”
"Sigh," these are nine
words I have heard much more than once since I came in 7th when I competed for Governor in June in
California’s Top Two, or Jungle, Primary.
Yes, I did run for
Governor of California this year as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party;
the strange part (maybe not so "strange" as "predictable") is very little attention was paid as I also ran with 14 other people vying to be one of the Top Two
vote receivers to be able to “advance” to the general election in November.
My campaign felt that
one of our biggest obstacles was to overcome the apparent lack of understanding
of this anti-democratic law (that every political party in California opposed
in 2010, even the Democrats and Republicans) that the voters themselves passed
because, even though we have the ability to get initiatives on the ballot here
in California, more often than not, those initiatives favor the 1% and the
voters here consistently vote against their own interests being easily
influenced by expensive, yet effective, mass-marketing techniques.
As of this writing, it has been 57 days
since my defeat on June 3rd and I am just now getting some energy
back to even care about what is happening around me beyond playing with my
grandchildren or swimming at my gym. It was a horrific campaign, but not
because my team wasn’t great or didn’t care about what we were doing or about our
platform and vision, but because very few people in the State even realized or
cared that if they didn’t vote for whomever they really wanted in June, there was
slim to no chance they would get a second opportunity in November.
 |
| Fracky Brown |
Now, in the Governor’s
race the voters of California will get to choose between
Jerry Brown, a very right-wing Democrat who has proven his bona fides to such institutions as the
prison industrial complex and big oil and Neel Kashkari (R, but left of Brown
on some issues. I.e. after Brown announced his 2014 budget Kashkari was quoted as saying "Brown just threw poor people under the bus") a former Goldman Sachs executive who admits
to voting for Obama and managed Obama’s
“Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP)" that really only "relieved" the "troubled assets" of Goldman Sachs
and other members of the 1% Club.
 |
| Sacky Kashkari |
The LA Times reported
that the June 3rd primary was the worst voter turnout in California
state history, and being the newspaper of record for the establishment,
attributed that to a general feeling of “content” with the way things are going
here in the once Golden State.
I, however, attribute
the profound voter apathy to a lack of voter knowledge of the Top Two Primary
and the very fact that the incumbent, Brown, kept a profile lower than a
professional Limbo dancer during the primary when he actually faced some
polar-opposition, but is now obviously being a governor only for press attention.
Top Two was designed to destroy democracy and kill choice.
Maybe candidates from 3rd parties or
independents had little chance anyway, but now we are doomed to spending a
lot of time, money and energy to compete in elections that have little
bearing or affect on the actual outcomes. So, California, congratulations in
November you have the “choice” between Fracky Brown or Sacky Kashkari.
Me, absent a bubble on
my ballot for “No Way in Hell, None of the Above” I am leaving that spot blank.
Sometimes voting is like participating in their charade.
ReplyDeleteCindy, what you just described couldn't have been said any better or clearer, even for the most politically naive person of sound mind.
ReplyDeleteAs a Green, we knew back then, that if the voters were gullible and misled to vote for the "Open Primary -Top Two" Initiative, it would be the end of elective democracy in California at the "State" level.
As you know, Green Party and Peace and Freedom Party candidates for state office received more votes during the June Primary then are registered voters of both parties, which showed that more people are fed up with the Republican/Democrat obeisance to the big corporate and super-rich contributors and favor-seekers, and were finally willing to vote for alternative party candidates.
In the Primary, voters were able to "write-in" a candidate's name who wasn't on the ballot on the blank space added for that purpose, but during the General Election in November, that blank space won't be on the ballot, and if anyone writes something in, the "whole ballot" will be voided. So - those of us who don't want to vote for the "Top Two" candidates must not connect the line and go on to the next voting selection.
The good news, though. Two separate lawsuits have been filed to overturn the Top Two ruling. We'll know more about it later on this year.
At the very least, the primary should be for the top half, not the top two. Of course, instant runnoff is better still, and we should try that for a time.
ReplyDelete