“Top Two” elections will make monkeys of us all!
What effects will Prop. 14 have on our electoral politics here in California? The “Top Two” measure passes easily. Starting in 2011, the top two vote-getters in the primary elections will advance to the general, irrespective of their party affiliation.
That sounds like bad news for third party candidates.
Let’s take a look at one race in particular, that just concluded this past Tuesday. Over in the 70th Assembly District, which includes the Cities of Tustin and Irvine and part of Newport Beach, the top two vote getters would be Don Wagner and Melissa Fox. One is a very conservative Republican. The other is a doctrinaire liberal Democrat.
But lost in the mix would be Libertarian candidate Debbie Tharp, who only got 250 votes. She would be absent from the general election ballot, under the “Top Two” election rules.
Do we need Tharp on the ballot in November? Yes! many voters may reject Wagner’s social awkwardness and Fox’s tax-raising schemes. Their only other choice would be Tharp!
The Republicans are threatening to go to a caucus system, which means that the Jerbals and Fleischmans would run wild. No bueno. If anything, that would hasten the end of the GOP in California.
In a caucus system, Jerry Amante would likely win the 70th A.D. GOP primary. But in reality he was not popular with the voters at large. His support came entirely from the OC GOP machine. He had zero grassroots support.
The Democrats should weather this storm, at least until we undo the gerrymandering of our legislative districts.
I have a feeling that this new system will discourage even more people from voting.
sounds like Art is jealous because he could never make it as one of the top two!
Eric,
I came in second in 2008 when I ran against Carlos Bustamante for the Santa Ana City Council.
Prop 14 was nothing but a payoff to Abel Maldonado who knows he can’t win the statewide GOP primary for governor against a more conservative opponent. This Prop encourages candidates to run without even naming a party preference, or misstating their party preference. Its constitutionality is questionable and no one has the right to choose a party’s candidates than the party members themselves. If we can’t get rid of Prop 14 the caucus system is the next best thing.
I agree that this will cause fewer people to vote because third party voters may skip the general election if they can’t vote for their party’s candidates.
It seems that this is a sort of disenfranchisement of a sort for people who don’t want to be part of one of the main parties. It’s a political emasculation.
The Democratic Party was against it as well, largely due to the influence of us progressive Democrats, who see the inevitable result of Dem-on-Dem races leading to more “centrist,” corporate politicians winning election. And that being the likely result in much of California, that’s the biggest effect we’ll see in the state. Maybe some of you wanted that.
A legislature of Correas and Maldonados.
I think you’re right that Amante would have won a GOP “caucus.” They couldn’t have kept Choi and Wagner out of an “open primary” but Amante would have run with the GOP’s official blessing, and money, and GOP voters being such followers, we would be facing Amante vs. Fox right now.
I plan on making this liberty’s last stand. This election means so much more to me now. This could feasibly be the last time that Libertarians in this state see the partisan ballot if we don’t have a decent showing right here, right now. For all those who feel robbed by this proposition, let’s show them what they are missing.
I am actually a very decent and normal person. Just the average returning student, at UCI, married with 3 kids in a blended family. I even get decent grades. I am sporting a B average! (3.0) I don’t think the aliens are going to land soon (rolls eyes), I do have a moral compass, I draw the line at legislating common sense, and I feel that we still live in the best nation in the world, but that can change quickly if we don’t fix the problem of voter apathy.
I am taking on this problem in the belly of the beast, at one of the most politically uninvolved campuses in California. We WILL wake the voters up. I will not let this happen without a fight, and I do have the energy and respectability to take this on. I am throwing myself on the grenade here, as are many third party candidates, not thinking that I can win the battle, but KNOWING that WE can win the war. I wasn’t going to do this, but now I don’t believe I have a choice.
I am starting a committee for fund raising. Mike and I both have campaign managers. We need donations and support here. This is going to be the most professionally run Libertarian candidacy the state of California has ever seen. If you would like to donate, to help in the effort, you will find a link on the CONTACT US part of my website at http://www.debbieforliberty.com . Please keep in mind that donations over $100 require name, address, place of work, etc. I also need volunteers for district walking, blogging (thanks Art), website building, etc. If you would like to help, I can be contacted at votedebbietharp@gmail.com
Thank you for your support in our shared fight for liberty and the right to vote our conscience.
Sincerely,
Debbie Tharp
Libertarian candidate for 70th Assembly District in the great state of California
Debbie, welcome to the blog and good luck! I took the liberty of adding paragraph breaks to your comment – it just makes it easier to read!
You’re right that things are going to be even tougher for third parties now under Prop 14 (if that can even be possible!) I hope we Californians can someday figure out a way to overturn it.
I admire your spirit, and hope a lot of REPUBLICANS vote for you in November! I will personally (though I’m a Fox supporter) make the case that you represent true Republican values better than their nominee.
um… gee thanks Vern, but I’m not sure being anti prop 8 and vehemently against our illicit and unconstitutional drug war counts as being Republican these days, although I agree that at the inception of the party, those might have been their views, way back when they cared more about liberty and freedom than votes.
Nope, I’m not going to split votes from any one party here, Vern, I intend to take votes from BOTH, because I have something that neither of them have… the distinct advantage of caring more about liberty and American values than party affiliation.
Well I’m sure with you on the anti-Prop 8 and anti-drug war. And I think back in the day good Republicans like Barry Goldwater or Pete McCloskey would have agreed with just about all your positions.
I just disagree with Libertarians in that I think there are a lot of things we citizens can only do together through our government, and that we need to use our government to protect us from the excesses and abuses of corporatism. Anyone with eyes sees evidence of that every day.
By the way, do Libertarians (or you specifically) support offshore drilling on our coasts? (I hope not, because that would be another way you’re better than your Republican opponent – although it seems Libertarians would allow oil companies to do anything they want.)
Ms. Tharp,
I, to, admire your enthusiasm and passion. However, could you define what, for you, specifically, “American values” means…or what they are? It’s such a tired, worn out, vague political term at this point. Virtually meaningless without specific examples.
I would allow offshore oil companies to drill under only one circumstance: If they make a mistake, they pay for it 100%, even to the point of bankruptcy. Furthermore, such a catastrophe as is being witnessed today would be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible, up to and including manslaughter charges if the accident were found to be due to negligence.
This leads to your first point. The government does not do its job of controlling corporations because the government itself is not being controlled by its people. Do you honestly think that prop 14 could have passed had a majority of our population showed to the polls rather than a mere record breaking low of 20% ?
The government does not do its job because we do not do our job. One of the most fundamental understandings of the Libertarian party is that “with great freedom comes great responsibility.”
anon, that is an excellent point. I shall endeavor to be more specific. I am for all intents and purposes, a Jeffersonian Democrat. That is to say that I believe that we should be as independent as possible, both as individuals and a population.
I see American values as being fundamentally geared toward personal freedom, as long as it does not infringe upon others’ rights. We should keep our government as small as possible in order to keep it in check. We should have a strong system of checks and balances (which no longer exists due to judicial activism and executive orders). We should all have respect for each other by participating equally in the system and respecting the right to free speech.
I respect the Constitution as a living document that will be my fundamental legislative compass. It is not flawless, but that is why it is a LIVING document. Of course, this incredible document is only as strong as the paper it is written on in the face of voter apathy. I respect all of you who participate in this great process, whether I agree with you or not, as upstanding and fine examples of the patriots our founders had in mind to uphold “A Repulic, if you can keep it.”
Ms Tharp,
All good points…well said. How about the pernicious and growing influence of corporate power in our government? Do you think THAT should be as small as possible as well?
It’s interesting to me that the “small government” folks almost never talk about that.
anon, that is all EVER talk about! I was watching a bit of the questioning Boxer was doing with one of the BP execs a couple of weeks ago. She was trying to look tough, but she let him off the hook too many times. You could tell she was in his back pocket. It was disgusting. I don’t think that corporations should have ANY influence in the government. Only people. Corporations should be viewed as hostile, sociopathic entities and treated as such. We all understand that, but no one seems to be able to put it into the right words.
Here is how it really works: of course corporate growth has to be fostered. Regulations should be set in such a manner that free markets can easily compete with as little constriction as possible. Once a corporation gains so much power that it infringes upon competition in the free market, then the government has some small obligation to provide regulation that will ensure the viability of the free market without damaging the ability of the district to attract new business. That sounds like a very delicate and difficult game, but actually, it isn’t at all.
The problem at hand that we have today with sociopathic corporate entities, exists because corporate lobbyists bought the votes of congressmen and women both current and past in order to grow their own businesses beyond what would be their naturally viable means. This is demonstrated in the healthcare industry, insurance industry, and even real estate. These dirty backroom deals allowed businesses and special interests to sidestep capitalism’s natural checks and balances to the point of acute malignancy in our markets. This is why our current system of capitalism is sick, and it needs to be fixed.
People have tried to do this many ways, for instance by instituting campaign finance reform. But corporations, with their near infinite power always find a way around the road blocks that honest citizens set up for them. The only true answer for this? Elect someone who is immune to special interest. That is a tall order. I would say just vote third party, but even some third party candidate would grasp for such power given the opportunity. The true answer is to get to know your candidates and elect the person that you know is doing this for honor and not for power. These people DO exist.
I can not tell you the motives of my opponents. I don’t know them well enough yet. So I give them both the benefit of the doubt that I think they deserve. They both actually seem like very good people to me, but I can only truthfully tell you about myself. I am doing this because I have three children that I love more that life itself. I do not want them to grow up in the nightmare that I see this country headed in.
Every time someone tries to tell me that our current situation is proof that capitalism doesn’t work, I point out to them that we have not been living in a capitalist society for years. What we exist in today is a corporatocracy; a corporatocracy which is run by the very few elite while the ignorant masses attend to their bread and circus. Our recent record breaking low showing in the primary demonstrates this fact. It’s an uphill battle, and anon, it’s not you against me, it’s you and me and all of us against them. We are on the same side. Lets duke out the semantics after we have dealt with our corporate elite and taken out the trash.