Hi FR gang,
I thought I’d knock a little rust off my FR password in honor of Flash’s new arrival [Congrats!]
The race for the 12 county 4th Senate District up here is nearing its conclusion and what a ride its been. I’ve got a good feeling about it, with great thanks to my team…more on that later.
Just a bit on Prop 14, as I’ve seen very good commentary on here already. As vows are being made to have intra-party conventions in response to a possible passage of Prop 14, I have to wonder how that will be a better process than what we have now. The smoke-filled room way of doing business is the exact turn off to voters that will be perpetuated by PASSING 14, when, potentially a few hundred party people can be wined and dined to favoring a candidate vs. having to make the case to all the electorate in a party primary.
With the "goal" of 14 to cause more moderate candidates, you instead get more bought and paid for ones answering to a few party bosses. The freedom of people that choose to affiliate with a particular party ideal are left to choose an annointed one, post the party convention, not their own choice. Why are the Pro 14 crowd so afraid of choosing by comparing a candidate to a party platform’s policy that anyone can read? It may be liberal on one side, or conservative in another party’s camp, very green in one, very keep-government-out-of-our-lives in another.
In the big marketplace of ideas which is the November ballot of even numbered years, when voters pay the most attention, Prop 14 will destroy the open arena of all those ideas with a "top 2" choice or, an end-around with the party boss system. At this time of Tea Party patriots and so many other Americans asking and demanding better accountability of the whole process, I can’t imagine why Prop 14 is even close to passing. No On 14 today.
June 8th, 2010 at 12:00 am
The radio ads are spoken in double speak for the pro 14 side and that is why people are likely to support 14. They say it will give people more choice, but it is going to remove choice (kicking out the third parties) (removing the write in vote).
Doug when you get elected please write a bill to restore the write-in vote so voters would be given a choice if 14 passes.
And having two general elections is going to put more money in politics not less.
It would of been nice if the CRP and CDP worked together to make radio ads to counter Abel and Arnold.
I may be as divergent as Abel and Arnold, but I am voting NO on 14 as well.