The NOTA Voter’s Guide

By
Gabriel San Roman
– October 30, 2010Posted in: "The OC", 2010 elections, Fresh Juice

“If voting ever changed anything, they’d make it illegal” – Emma Goldman

As author/lecturer Chris Hedges notes, the Liberal Class is dead. It’s the latest victim of a quickening corporate takeover of our politics. I vote mostly in the name of damage control – which the Liberal class is really not capable of these days, at least in terms of the magnitude of the crisis we face of which they have their hands soiled. And where there is no viable option in that estimation, I leave the ballot blank. Some of you may think the lesser of the two evils is the way to go. Sometimes, especially if there is a Republican hater so odious that they must be defeated, but not always. We keep lurching further center-right politically within the electoral spectrum anyway so that lesser evil is going to get pretty evil if we keep doing it! Voting Green or for Peace and Freedom within a corporate duopoly can also be understood as a protest vote in the NOTA spirit. Do so if you wish.

Therefore, I offer this voter’s guide/list as no guide at all. I’m not a political organization, just a citizen. If you really believe in a candidate, and think they will really change things, that’s your pedo! On the most rare occasion, there can be a confluence between your political conscious and what presents itself before you on that ballot. In any case, I encourage all of you who have read this blog and other places of political commentary to make up your own minds. If you find this an amusing read or even like my picks (and non-picks) God bless you! Just remember, pulling a lever every few years is only a slice of the rapidly decaying pizza pie of democracy. It ain’t the whole shebang. What I really encourage is democratic participation in your communities between elections (and even beyond candidates – certainly don’t be co-opted by them!)

For what it’s worth (and I’d never expect you to be copy & paste) I offer the following:

I endorse Duane Roberts for U.S. Senate.

California Governor: I recently read a passionate plea from a union organizer of government employees/service workers saying Nut Meg would be a disaster. She would. Jerry Brown looks comfortable enough in the polls, however, to vote Laura Wells if you want to. I will.

47th Congressional District: NOTA/Blanco

Anaheim Mayoral Race: NOTA/ Blanco

Santa Ana Mayoral Race: NOTA/Blanco

Anaheim City Council: I’ll probably vote for Bill Dalati and Dustin Apodaca. (This doesn’t mean I fully agree with their politics and vice versa shouldn’t be taken as such. If Apodaca wasn’t on the ballot as an ‘outsider’ who has lived all his life in Anaheim proper – go figure – I’d go Blanco)

Anaheim City School Board: Jose F. Moreno. I do believe in dual language immersion and culturally responsive education (and critical pedagogy — I don’t know if Dr. Moreno does, but 2 out of 3 ain’t bad) We need more than Moreno though. It takes more than one person and there is really no one like him on the AUHSD sadly.

Propositions are little tricksters aren’t they? I don’t really believe in Prop. 19 as it’s written – it’s flawed as hell – but better it symbolically represent an anti-prohibitionist sentiment before it’s crushed by the Feds than be defeated at the polls and be taken as the popular will of continued prohibition! (See how this voting thing goes?)

Therefore:

Prop 19: YES

Prop 20: YES

Prop 21: YES

Prop 22: NO

Prop 23: NO

Prop 24: YES

Prop 25: YES

Prop 26: NO

Prop 27: NO

About Gabriel San Roman