WEBLOG: Special Election 2005
Find out what you need to know about Schwarzenegger's $50 million power grab.
It might be funny, if it weren't true
November 12, 2005
When I think of Bill O'Reilly, I often think of the entry in McSweeney's Future Dictionary of America, where "O'Reilly" is a verb basically synonymous with lying in public. So it's not surprising that in the aftermath of an election in which his beloved President Bush found out he actually does more harm than good, O'Reilly would lash out at an easy target -- the liberal bastion of San Francisco. For those of you who didn't hear, O'Reilly used his platform on his talk-radio show this week to slander an entire city. But before you dismiss these comments as "silly" or "just hyperbole," take a close look at what he said, in reference to San Francisco's decision to ban military recruiters on public school campuses, as well as the sale and possession of handguns citywide:
"Fine. You want to be your own country? Go right ahead," O'Reilly went on. "And if al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead."
So here's the thing. O'Reilly might have been able to get away with a comment like this, before Katrina. Before the federal government proved that, incredibly, it can fail to respond when a disaster strikes a city, leaving thousands of poor black folks to die in the streets. It's not funny, because people did die. And it's not hyperbole, because it actually happened.
San Francisco officials are right to go after O'Reilly, calling for him to be fired from Fox News. Others should do the same. O'Reilly could have made fun of San Francisco in myriad other ways -- people have been doing it for decades. What he said, it's not OK. And as a country, we should not tolerate it.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Stronger together.
November 09, 2005
There was one moment in this months-long campaign that really sticks in my mind, and that I think is relevant to why progressives were able to defeat Gov. Schwarzenegger and his corporate-backed initiatives on Tuesday.
It was at the training for the Castro precinct walk in San Francisco last Saturday. Organizers were explaining to volunteers that we were targetting and trying to move only those voters who would be voting no all the first six initiatives. One of the volunteers asked, "What if they say they are going to vote No on 73, but yes on 75? Shouldn't we try to get them to the polls?" Nora Dye, one of the chief organizers from Planned Parenthood who was decked out in a "No on 73" T-shirt and buttons, didn't hesitiate. "We're all in this together," she said simply. "A vote for Prop 75 is a vote against all of us."
Each of the initiatives Schwarzenegger backed in this election touched on a piece of the conservative ideology that is failing us as a nation: government intrusion into personal medical decisions, attacking school teachers for problems in public education while at the same time cutting school funding, and the "it's my money" mentality that disregards the notion that we are all in this together, for the greater good.
Progressives are often criticized for infighting; we are too often defined by our inability to agree on anything. But we showed in this special election that on a very basic level, we know that our strength is in working together. A diverse group of public employees, private unions like the United Farm Workers, Planned Parenthood, consumer groups, good-government groups, the Democratic Party and multi-issue progressive groups like MoveOn, PowerPAC, the Courage Campaign and Speak Out California all came together to help in a beautifully coordinated campaign.
We didn't all agree uniformly on the details of absolutely everything, but we agreed to work together. Our voter guide was a great visual example of that. We were proud to be a part of it, and we look forward to the great things we know we can accomplish as we move ahead.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Sweep.
This is probably about how the Governor and his campaign team feel right about now...
The results page from the Secretary of State is here.Thanks for everything you did; we'll have an update tomorrow.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (1)
Live from Castro HQ!
November 08, 2005
The Castro headquarter is cranking. The amazing Nora is doing a training, inspiring us to inspire voters to get out there and wrap things up. (I am paying attention, really!) Check the flickr stream for pics!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Today is the day.
Today is Election Day, which means all of the polls and all of the speculation is over. Unfortunately, no matter what happens in this special election today, "the people" will not have decided it. Only about 7 million Californians are expected to vote, in a state where 13 million are registered to vote, and 22 million are eligible to vote. Turnout is expected to be around 42%, which, no matter what anyone tells you, is not something any of us should be proud of. Special elections are notoriously bad for turnout, which is exactly why Gov. Schwarzenegger is trying to push a set of unpopular policies now, rather than waiting for a general election.
We have to say No. Today, you have the opportunity to say no the the philosophy of governance that is directly responsible for the Katrina disaster, the lies of the racist war in Iraq, decades of economic stagnation and corporate rule and an ever crumbling wall of separation between church and state. We can't directly mount the attack on Washington yet. The time is coming, but voting no here in California today is the first step.
Visit our home page for any last-minute information you might need about how to vote, and for information on campaign headquarters if you'd like to volunteer today. Volunteers are needed all the way until the polls close at 8 p.m.
Below, we have an analysis written by California State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, explaining why the Governor-backed special election initiatives are important to the LGBT community. I will be keeping her thoughts in mind as I help Get Out the Vote today in the Castro.
Why the special election initiatives matter to the LGBT community
By State Sen. Sheila James Kuehl
Proposition 73: Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
- The right to privacy and control of one's body has not only been the basis of protecting a woman's right to choose, but also the basis for protecting the rights of LGBT folks.
- Civil rights should not be stripped by a ballot initiative. This becomes a tyranny of the majority.
- The women's community and LGBT community are natural allies and the women's community has provided significant support on LGBT civil rights issues. We need to stand strongly with them.
- This IS an LGBT issue, because our young women have historically been "punished" for their sexual orientation by rape and, therefore, stand in great risk of being involved in an unintended pregnancy. In addition, discrimination and harassment against our youth can result in LGBT youth engaging in a variety of risk-taking behaviors, including unprotected experimentation with heterosexual sex (often to prove that one is a "real man" or "real woman" or just prove that they are not gay). The ability to choose by discussion with one's physician is important to us, too.
MORE »
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (4)
The Governor needs rest
November 07, 2005
The campaign trail does funny things to people. It's part of what makes politics so entertaining. Even just working in field campaigns, we usually wind up at home with the "thousand yard stare" at the end of the day. The pressure on the Governor must be enormous, because he's still clinging to this belief that his corporate fueled agenda is not in fact a recipe for oligopoly, but "people power," instead. He dropped this rhetoric a few months ago after it was pointed out how ridiculous it was, but it's back now like a bad case of dandruff.
In another slipup, the guy who was - literally, I'm not making this up - doing a campaign event that featured "Cartaxula" a week ago today is accusing the actual people behind the actual people power in this election of using "scare tactics." Mmmhmmm.
Tomorrow is it. Think about how you're going to feel on Wednesday, win or lose: did you do everything you could? Think about how you'll feel if you can answer that questions with an honest yes. The last survey results do seem like they're breaking our way, but they're so close I'm not even going to link to them. It's just too tight to think about. The fact that we've taken on such an incredibly powerful Governor and made a real race out of this thing is truly heartening.
But none of that will matter if nobody shows up tomorrow. If you're near San Francisco and want to help out but aren't sure where to go, call my cell: 415.373.8972. We'll be handing out copies of the voter guide at BART stations in the morning, and doing precinct work in the afternoon with the Alliance. Some of the Harvey Milk/Planned Parenthood/ACLU wing of the armada will be working out of the Castro Center field office (I'll have the address tomorrow), and the main Alliance operations will be working out of the Plumber's Hall Headquarters at 1621 Market, near Gough. Go go go go go.
p.s. There have been a lot of great (and sad) "one year ago" posts floating around the 'sphere over the past week. This is where I was.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Server traffic is a good thing
Thanks to our friends at MoveOn, we kept the server awfully busy today...
(time moves to the right in that graph, so the red triangle on the left is the most recent state) Welcome to everyone! A truly enormous number of voter guides have been downloaded. Thanks to everyone who contributed to our blogad campaign and forwarded the link to your friends - you've really made a difference in this election!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
LAT telling the truth
The LA Times has started a new, somewhat weblog-like feature called Golden State. They haven't quite figured out comments or convenient blog-style formatting, but they do seem to have the telling the truth part down...
Most of the initiatives on Tuesday's ballot have something in common: They're facile solutions to complex problems. By "facile," by the way, I don't mean "simple": Proposition 77, which would alter the redistricting process, has 36 provisions and runs to nearly 3,000 words. I mean they're easily reduced to sound bites and slogans to conceal the agendas of their promoters and distract attention from their potential to unleash unintended consequences down the line.
Nice to see something to balance the mistakes their editorial page has been making.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (1)
Why California progressives must stand with organized labor on November 8
By California Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg
Labor unions have become enemy No. 1 in this California special election battle waged by Gov. Schwarzenegger and his right-wing, Bush Administration allies. But one need only recall a little bit of labor history to realize just how off-base these attacks are, and to understand why we must defeat the Governor's initiatives on November 8.
MORE »
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (3)
In search of the disgusted non-voter
November 06, 2005
I spent my afternoon walking around Twin Peaks - in the rain. This sounds like it would be less than fun, but it was, for a variety of reasons. For one thing, San Francisco in the rain up in the hills has a particular kind of haunting and quiet vertical beauty that I find really appealing.
But there was also the hunt. I was after a very certain subspecies of voter - those who were so disgusted with this special election that they couldn't bring themselves to dignify it by showing up on Tuesday. As it turns out, these folks had almost thought this strategy all the way through, and they just needed to be asked to vote. Beyond distributing a bunch of lit, I bagged a couple of these this afternoon. Beyond having the perfect excuse to wander around one of the city's most beautiful and diverse neighborhoods, this made it worth it.
We've had some particularly aimless trolls come by here. Differing opinions are more than welcome, but a lack of politeness just isn't. We've cleaned up after them and posted a new comments policy. Not sure if that will help, but it's worth a try.
Less than 48 hours left! If you want to help somewhere, get in touch with any of us, the emails are on our about page.
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Phil Ting on the trail, and flickr
November 04, 2005
It's politics season: SF Assessor candidate Phil Ting with his nice staff (whose name I forgot!) and wife Susan (hiding behind them and holding the signs) campaigning outside the 24th St. BART station this morning.
You may have noticed the flickr stream on the left side, down below the blogroll. I just updated that to show any flickr picture tagged with "speakoutca." There's also a special election photo pool which includes some nice discussion groups about the props. If you're a flickr user and you take any picture over the weekend, toss them into the pool or tag them and they'll show up here automagically!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Pacific Edge.
November 02, 2005
Beyond reading The Killer Angels, Homage to Catalonia and, say, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I am not much a student of military strategy. Nor have I studied social movements from any perspective much beyond that of a ground-level observer, nor much political history beyond the American 20th century histories I've been consuming voraciously since I got involved in the process in 2002.
But the events of the past forty eight hours, on this dark anniversy no less, feel like the beginnings of some kind of shift. We are watching an ideology crumble before us. Perhaps every generation gets this opportunity, but nothing like it has happened in my lifetime. The moorings of the philosophy of governance that has given us the lies of the Iraq war, decades of economic stagnation, private affluence and public squalor, and the Katrina disaster are pulling loose from the bottom.
MORE »
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Why should I care?
This is a question that has been asked quite a lot during this special election campaign. We thought it would be useful to break it down.
The bottom line: This special election is about a small minority of people trying to undermine our progressive values in California during an off-year with a conservative wedge issue on the ballot. It is the Bush agenda, coming to California.
Aside from the arguments we have made against each of the measures baced by Gov. Schwarzenegger in our voter guide, here are four big reasons why on November 8, you should vote No on Props 73 through 78, or Nix the first six:
- If we don't show up and vote, we lose. This is basic, but true.
- If we lose, we will be handing the right wing movement, led by President Bush, major ideological victories. These victories would have large implications because they are on issues that progressives are fighting and will continue to fight across the country: a woman's right to choose (prop 73), taxes (Prop 76) and attacks on organized labor (Props 74, 75 and 76).
- It's anti-democratic. Gov. Schwarzenegger called this special election, months before a regularly scheduled election, in a blatant attempt to push through hostile ballot measures when he hoped most Californians wouldn't be paying attention. The initiative campaigns are being funded by a small group of very wealthy conservative business interests. We have to show we are paying attention, and we say: No.
- The progressive movement in California is in broad agreement about Schwarzenegger's agenda. As you can see in our voter guide, old-school good-government groups like the League of Women Voters came to the same conclusions as MoveOn.org, which polled its members via email to produce their recommendations.
Deep down, underneath the cynicism that exists for so many about this special election in particular and even politics in general, Californians do care about their state, and about its future. That's what this election is about. That's why you should care enough to vote on Tuesday, and to get involved beyond Tuesday to make sure nothing like this happens again in California.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (3)
It's going to be close...and you can help!
Today is Election Day! There are two main things you, as a progressive, can do to make sure none of the six destructive and right-wing initiatives on the ballot (Props 73-78) pass in California.
1) VOTE!
If you have not mailed your absentee ballot yet, you can bring it to any polling place today. To find your polling place, look up your county here.
2) HELP OUT!
The Alliance for a Better California, which is working on Props 74 through 80, has field offices throughout the state that will be hosting volunteers to help get our voters out to the polls.
Look up the one nearest you by region here:
Northern California
Southern California
Los Angeles County
The Campaign for Teen Safety, working against Prop 73, also has field offices around the state. For a list of contacts, click here!
MORE »
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
You are the best.
November 01, 2005
Late last night we got a few more donations, and they put us up just enough to buy some great positioning on a few of the sites. You should see our ads popping up on a weblog near you today, and they'll be up for the rest of the week. Infinite thanks to all who contributed!
Today the latest Field Poll is out, and the numbers are looking good. None of 74-78 are winning (they're going to have the lowdown on 73 tomorrow), and the momentum looks like it's all in the right direction. The word is getting out, people are frustrated, and when people know the Governor is behind any of the propositions they're less likely to vote for it. This matches very well with the feel of things I've been getting on the phone. People are not happy with this bizarre package of nonreforms and a lot of them have voted already. It feels like people are making the connections.
But before anyone starts doing the happy poll numbers dance, remember that there's still a lot more work to do, and the only poll that matters happens a week from today. Anything could happen. Who knows, maybe the Governor's latest tactics, even this sadly pathetic and misleading one, are going to have some effect.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Blogad update
October 31, 2005
Our blogad fundraising campaign is doing well enough that we've expanded our list of targets a bit. But we need to raise more to get it out on all of the sites we've come up with! If you didn't spend a few hours this weekend out talking to people about this thing, you in particular really need to contribute.
This morning, in two sentences, the SF Chron sums up the big problem with this election: that it doesn't do a single thing to answer the real problems facing the state...
But as they tick off concerns about the future here -- growth, traffic and jobs -- Cervantez throws up his hands."Why," he asked, "are we having a special election again?"
That's about as pithy a summation as my Dad's reaction: "I can't believe you have to vote on this stuff. A lot of these are really stupid." Unfortunately we have to, so channel some of your irritation at this whole mess and contribute to our blogad run!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
motivation
October 30, 2005
An intersection with a nice view, from yesterday's Noe Valley Democratic Club doorhanger run.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (3)
Let's get this voter guide out!
October 28, 2005
We've had really amazingly positive feedback to our voter guide (in english and in spanish), and we'd like to get it in front of as many people in the few days left before the election. To do this, we're planning on running these blogads...
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On a few political and some non-political ones, too. Click on the ad to go to our donations page. The nice thing about blogad buys is that (for now at least), they really scale on the low end: you can almost do an ad buy with the change you find in the back seat of your car. But we'd like to go up on some high traffic blogs with good placement - the more you contribute, the more we can do.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (5)
Blast from the past
October 27, 2005
From an American Prospect article on framing from a long, long time ago...
"[Strategic Framing Institute president Susan Bales] shows two slides. First she displays a cover of the children's book Chicken Little. When greens sound like Chicken Little, she says, the message is that the sky is falling, it's your fault and you have to lower your living standards. Not surprisingly, that message attracts only true believers. Then she puts up a second slide of The Little Engine That Could. A far better message is that good old American technology can solve environmental problems, and that citizens can hold government and business accountable if only they have the political will."
That's still probably the single most succinct description of framing that's out there; something to think about while you're talking to people about the special election. If the topic of how negative things seem right now comes up, point people towards our (very, very positive) progressive values pledge for California!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Another widly successful No on Prop 73 phone bank
October 25, 2005
This is Nora Dye, she is doing an amazing job coordinating the No on Prop 73 phone banks for Planned Parenthood in San Francisco. Behind her is an adorable poster showing all the happy volunteers who have been coming in week after week to get the word out about this dangerous initiative.
Statewide, Planned Parenthood's goal is to contact 50,000 voters about Prop 73, and with two weeks left they still need to contact about 20,000. My experience tonight proved again that people are receptive to voting the right way on this one, once they hear a coherent argument. If you haven't given your time to phone bank on Prop 73, call your local Planned Parenthood affiliate and get involved!
If you're in San Francisco, it happens at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 815 Eddy Street, and Thursdays at 1635 Mission.
They had Thai food. It was so great.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Even the corporate media ain't buying it.
Last night's performance by the Governor was exactly as expected: more style over substance. His performance threw new light on what Orwellian masterpieces these six propositions are. They sound great - it's just that when you dig into them and realize what's going on that you see that none of them will move this state in a remotely positive direction. From imposing tyranny on teenagers to shifting the balance even further towards private affluence and public squalor, all these propositions are as bad for the state today as they were before his slick sales pitch.
But they sound vaguely reasonable, especially when as talented a politician as Governor Schwarzenegger is leading the show. As good as he is, even the corporate media doesn't seem to be buying it. The first headline here is the SF Chronicle's, but the media elsewhere in the state seems to be getting it closer to right:
Governor on game in live forum
Governor's Forum Shows Rifts
Governor: Prop. 76 not a grab for power
Schwarzenegger fields a few hostile questions
Governor gets defensive at election forum
`Showdown' debate misses the mark
Sparks fly over event's format
We have to keep the backdrop of what the real problems in this state are and the complete lack of impact anything that's on the ballot will have...
Nothing in these will do anything to secure the environment.
Nothing in these will help a single uninsured child get health care.
Nothing in these will help relieve our dependence on cars and foreign oil.
Nothing in these will build stronger communities in California.
Nothing in these will help working families make ends meet.
Nothing in these will encourage long-term growth.
Nothing in these will help early childhood, K-12, or higher education.
Nothing in these will limit corporate power.
These are the wants and aspirations of the majority of the people in this state. We heard nothing about them last night, just another snow job attempt at making the case for government based on failed conservative principles.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Turnout is the core dynamic
October 23, 2005
The Bee has a story this morning that really zeroes in on the core dynamic of this race: turnout. The sense that you get of how things are going is one of the best byproducts of particpating in a ground campaign. (the number one best thing is the interaction: every time you go out it's like your own little private focus group.) Of course you can't overgeneralize - you may be talking to a universe of voters (campaign-speak for a targeted group) that isn't remotely representative of the whole, your sample size is typically pretty small, etc. But it's suprising how often the ground-feel of a campaign turns out to be pretty right on.
WIth the above caveats in mind, based on the walk I did near my neighborhood in San Francisco yesterday, things aren't bad. People are starting to realize that although we can't yet move our own agenda, we do have a chance to say no, things are going the wrong direction. There's a lot of anger about both President Bush and the Governor, but this election is about saying no to the whole regressive conservative agenda, not just them personally.
There is still quite a bit of confusion though, as the anecdotal evidence in the Bee story indicates. Along with the really funny and good lit that the Alliance had for the walk, I brought along copies of our voter guide. The response to it has been just overwhelmingly positive - even just the printed out summary version that I was handing out seemed like it was really helpful to people. So keep getting that sucker out there!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Hope
October 21, 2005
Last night at the ACLU & Planned Parenthood Campaign for Teen Saftey phone bank, I had maybe the single nicest and most hopeful voter contact I've ever had. I called the very first name on my list, and the woman who answered the phone gave me the direct line of who I was trying to reach - and said I'd called a convent! Given the sensitive topic I was calling about, I was a little worried about what was coming next.
I dialed the direct number, and the woman who picked up said she was indeed following the special election, and that she was glad I called. She listened patiently to the whole schpiel, and then told me that while she was indeed Catholic and she firmly believes in the sanctitiy of life, she was voting no on 73. The reason? She works at one of the largest homeless shelters in the city, and she's seen the effect that laws like this have firsthand. She said this will absolutely increase the number of teens who end up with no option but the streets, and although this was a difficult issue she could not do that.
This one short conversation spoke volumes to me about the interplay of faith and works. The church I grew up in taught that works aren't required for salvation. As Martin Luther put it, sola fide, or "faith alone" is. Grace isn't something that gets racked up like stock options; it's poured out onto everyone by a loving and just God. This is a very different way of thinking about God than the fundamentalist caricature of Christianity that's so prevalent in our culture.
Of course, they also told us that sola fide doesn't mean "take it easy!" It's the awareness of grace that moves progressives, not the fear of wrath. This idea lies at the heart of the perennial wisdom that all religions (and for that matter, most humanist philosophies) share and it still seems revolutionary today. It's easy to see why Martin Luther got in as much trouble as he did for suggesting it five hundred years ago!
My hope is that this call was part of a pattern of re-awakening to a basic truth: if we really want fewer abortions, criminalization is not the answer. The right answer is making a real committment to building a just and moral society.
I grumble a lot about phone banking, and I'm really looking forward to the day when our side knows they have to vote as consistently as the conservative blocs that always, always turn out. Then maybe we won't have to do it so much. But calls like this are a good reminder of what it's all about. There are a lot more to make between now and the election - it's easy to sign up at NoOnProposition73.org if you'd rather just talk about this issue than "nix the first six."
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (2)
Despicable!
October 20, 2005
The Alliance is breaking news that one of the Governor's front groups has been engaging in nothing less than mail fraud and putting fake union bugs on their mail. Charming. The question now: will the corporate media jump on this, or give the Governor a pass?
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
New SUSA poll numbers
New poll numbers from Survey USA are out, and while the numbers still don't look so good, there is some positive movement in the trendlines. Via DavidNYC at the SwingStateProject (the early October numbers are in parentheses):
Proposition 73 requires that physicians notify the parent of a pregnant minor at least 48 hours before performing an abortion.
Yes: 60 (59)
No: 38 (39)
(MoE: ±4.0%)Proposition 74 extends the probationary period for new teachers from 2 years to 5 years, and makes it easier to dismiss teachers with unsatisfactory performance evaluations.
Yes: 53 (55)
No: 45 (44)
(MoE: ±4.0%)Proposition 75 prohibits public employee unions from using union dues for political purposes without the written consent of union members.
Yes: 56 (60)
No: 42 (37)
(MoE: ±4.0%)Proposition 76 limits growth in state spending so that it does not exceed recent growth in state revenues.
Yes: 58 (58)
No: 41 (36)
(MoE: ±4.1%)Proposition 77 changes the way California draws boundaries for Congressional and legislative districts. District boundaries would be drawn by a panel of retired judges and approved by voters in a statewide election.
Yes: 54 (59)
No: 41 (36)
(MoE: ±4.1%)
Keep in mind this poll uses robocallers and questions that sound a whole lot like the Governor's talking points. Both the Field and PPIC polls use more neutral language and show a lot more folks nixing the first six. There's a much more detailed and nicely organized analysis over at BetterCA and even more at dailykos.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
All the propaganda that's fit to print
October 17, 2005
Unbelievably, the LA Times has come out this morning with an endorsement of Prop 75.
This is yet another example of an increasingly disturbing trend that has liberals turning their backs on organized labor - without whom the causes in which liberals believe would be that much worse off: education, health care, the environment.
In their argument, the Times admits that Prop 75 is being pushed by right-wing partisans in an attempt to weaken Democrats, while at the same time asserting that this measure won't "take public unions out of the political game."
Oh yeah?
Take a look at what has happened in other states where right-wingers aligned with Bush have pushed similar initiatives:
"Unions all over the country have an investment in this fight because they know that if they can no longer raise money for Democratic candidates and causes, there is no other group on the left that can amass the kind of political war chests that Republicans raise," says Elizabeth Garrett, a law professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, who tracks state initiatives.Such has been the case in the state of Washington, where passage of a similar law in 1992 - by 72 percent of voters - led to a precipitous drop in political contributions from teacher union members in the first year: from 48,000 contributors to 8,000. When Utah passed a similar law in 2001, only 6.8 percent of teacher union members allowed their dues to be spent on politics.
The Times also naively states that they can endorse this measure because it's public employee unions, and that if the right were going after private unions, as they did in 1998 in California, the Times would oppose that. The obvious reason being that it is ludicrous to say you are going to restrict how unions can raise money but not corporations. But the point here is that once Prop 75 is in effect, those fighting for the public interest will be so weakened that any number of unfair and right-wing initiatives will be able to pass in California with much greater ease.
Make no mistake about it, Prop 75 is dangerous. We must defeat it. We must not buy into the same conservative arguments of "it's my money." Those are the same arguments that produced tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans while millions of people suffer in poverty, and millions more struggle to make ends meet.
It's not *just* your money. It's your share of the wealth our society has created - wealth that wouldn't exist if we didn't all work together.
So while we can often count on the L.A. Times to get things right, there are plenty of occasions in which we can't. Remember, they also endorsed Pete Wilson in 1994.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (1)
If you're still tempted to vote for 77...
October 16, 2005
...please, read this entire post (from dailykos) very carefully. It's the compactness criteria that would really cause the problems; this thing is a power grab, plain and simple. It's every bit as bad as what Rep. Tom DeLay did in Texas, it's just much more carefully dressed up to look reasonable.
There's an interesting intersection with land use policies here. One of the most remarkable aspects of the 2004 election was just how incredibly blue the cities were and just how red everywhere else was, which was best illustrated by this map...
Not much has been written about why this is, but one theory is the almost complete elimination of interaction with the public realm in the suburbs. It's possible to walk into the garage, hop in the car, drop the kids off at school, go to work, and then repeat this process in reverse at night without ever having any kind of interaction with the public sphere that you're aware of. (of course the roads and the schools wouldn't exist without the government, but it's easy to not think about this) Alternatively, most city dwellers interact with the public sphere from the moment they set foot out the door. This may be part of what gives rise to these two very distinct worldviews.
So if California were to suddenly start building walkable and transit-friendly new urbanist type neighborhoods - instead of sprawl - this might not matter as much. Pockets of this are happening locally, but since there's been no statewide initiative, it's certainly not widespread. We will get there, but since this is really nothing less than a realignment of the American dream, it's going to take a few years. In the meantime, the sly gerrymandering they're trying to make happen here will further cement their majority in congress.
However, it is possible that the when the true hideousness of Republican economic principles starts to settle in, the results are going to turn out to be so incredibly bad for so very many people that it won't matter whether you take the bus to work in the morning or hop in the SUV. This is already happening, and the SF Chronicle has another excellent story on it in today's paper. The political ramifications of this middle class squeeze could end being very far reaching. The authors only touch on it, but the fact is that the Republicans don't have a single answer for this problem. Shoveling more money at rich people really isn't cutting the mustard, and people are starting to wake up to that.
In an act of perhaps intentional editorial irony, the Chron also chose to run this incredibly frustrating and lengthy interview with Bush apologist and economist Michael Boskin. Like most right wing economists, this guy comes off like a complete tool. He sounds so out of touch that he must've conducted this interview from mars. He's certainly missing the story that the Chron ran on the front page of the same edition he's in the business section of.
The only thread that ties all of the initiatives together is Governor Schwarzenegger and the Republican-coporate machine's overall objective, which is to consolidate his freak victory of 2003, structurally realign politics in this state and flip it permanently to the right - regardless of how many more lefties there are and where they live. 77 is part of that. Nix the first six - and that includes a big old NO on 77.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Special election ground work and Howard in Hayward
October 15, 2005
Dan and I spent much of the day handing out copies of Speak Out California's 2005 special election voter guide to shoppers at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market.
We hooked up with the folks at San Francisco for Democracy, who have been tabling there every Saturday for months helping to register voters and get the word out.
Voters we ran into seem to be just starting to pay attention to this election. On several occasions, people passed us by, but then when they registered what we had said - "special election voter guide," they came back to take one.
We handed out a couple hundred copies. In this election, which Schwarzenegger is counting on being low turnout for our side, it seems any amount of effort will help!
Meanwhile, Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean will be in the Bay Area tomorrow, speaking to a crowd at the UFCW 870 Union Hall in Hayward, 28870 Mission Blvd. in Hayward, starting at 4:00 p.m. Visit the Hayward Democratic Club
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
More JoinArnold lameness
October 14, 2005
The Alliance covers more just brilliant writing over at the JoinArnold weblog. We know they've had problems raising money for this dog of an election, but the lack of even rudimentary adult supervision over there is a joke. They don't seem to understand that a campaign weblog is an official statement of the campaign, as well being fun and giving people a chance to connect with the process more easily (although it's a lot harder to make that connection when comments are turned off and it's just one-way, as there's is).
So it's the official policy of the Schwarzenegger campaign that we should have a wet t-shirt contest for nurses. Why any woman in this state would vote for this guy or anything he's connected to, even beyond how it's all taking this state exactly in the wrong direction, is practically unfathomable. You've got to love the comment from Mike Murphy on their post, too. Yet another instance of someone whining about "PC" when they're really just looking for an excuse to keep being an #$(&*hole. Mike: if you're going to be a jerk, at least own it.
In other news, Schwarzenegger agrees to real town hall forum to be aired Oct. 24. That should be interesting. And if you missed the story about how Schwarzenneger is bringing in GOP ringleaders to try and turn out the evangelical vote, check out PowerPac's analysis. Yep, the reason 73 is on the ballot and our not-so-pro-choice waffler of a Governor is supporting it is so they can do exactly what they did to re-elect the President. GOP hardball tactics come to California.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (1)
Get Involved!
October 13, 2005
With the special election just weeks away, now is the time to mobilize the troops and get involved! We must get the word out about these dangerous propositions, especially because Schwarzenegger is doing everything he can to mobilize a small right-wing minority of loyal voters who will decide our future for us in California.
The California Democratic Party has a list of field offices throughout the state where folks are contacting voters by phone and out walking in neighborhoods.
Please, if you haven't done so already, give a little of your time and help us send a strong message to Schwarzenegger and the Republicans that we will not stand for this conservative takeover.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Santa Barbara welcomes the Governor
I have serious doubts regarding the efficacy of protests as a choice of tactic in the current political moment, but looking at these pics from Santa Barbara today...
It just seems right, somehow. When you think about the incredibly small number of people driving the agenda that the Governor is pushing, you can't help but come to the conclusion that our democracy has been overrun by an oligarchy of corporate interests. Maybe those pictures are what democracy looks like as it's being pulled back from the brink. As long as protests aren't all we do (and it certainly isn't in Santa Barbara, those people are organizing like crazy), we'll be OK.
Via Erik Love's The Most Important Blog...Ever, this post over at dailykos and over at the Courage Campaign.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (1)
We love Maria!
October 12, 2005
The Chron is running this above the fold this morning, Maria to keep mum on Oprah. She's going on the show to talk about - I am not making this up - "America's Invisible Poor":
With the special election less than a month away, Shriver is facing scrutiny from critics who say the initiatives pushed by her husband in the bitterly partisan election -- particularly one aimed at curbing the power of labor unions -- are abhorrent to the ideals of the Democratic Party her family has supported for generations.
I caught part of the Sean Hannity interview with the Governor the other night. Between that fawning and worshipful yet still smug look that Hannity gets and the Governor's fundamental mendacity, I almost threw the television out the window. The Governor went on at length at one point about how excited he is about infrastructure, about all he wants to do for schools and how many roads he wants to build. (he never seems to mention transit)
The past five years of politics in the United State have been a tour through the entire taxonomy of dishonesty. He makes it sound like he's all for schools and roads, but look at the reality: his first priority after his coronation was a tax cut that mostly helped the wealthy, and now he's pushing this spending limit crap on the ballot. It just doesn't make any sense, none at all. Sure, we all want infrastructure. Infrastructure is great! But somebody has to pay for it, and that's what makes actual leadership - not this namby-pamby whining about taxes crap that Schwarzenegger and Bush are constantly, relentlessly peddling - so difficult. Funny that these kinds of big lies, the really gargantuan ones, somehow always escape the attention of the corporate media.
So Maria is going on Oprah to talk about poor people, while her husband is on the other channel campaigning like crazy trying to make more of them. What a country!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (2)
Money, money, money
Today we get the exciting news that this special election, which a vast majority of Californians do not want, is shaping up to be most expensive ballot fight in California history.
Employee unions may get most of the attention, with headlines like "Unions Spending Lavishly," as in this L.A. Times piece. But let us not forget that the giant pharmeceutical companies have already raked in $88 million to push one bogus measure, versus the unions which are fending off a broad and direct attack on their very livelihoods, not to mention the public interest they are fighting to protect.
Corporations are still the big spenders nationally, outdoing unions by a factor of 24-1. It's a testament to the strength of the public interest in California that labor can outpace the King of Fundraising himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
A little humor on Props 78 and 79
October 11, 2005
The folks over at Alliance for a Better California have a funny flash piece on the two dueling prescription drug measures, Props 78 and 79.
I have been waiting for someone to poke fun at the drug companies for their silly, and obviously expensive, given how often one sees them in the course of a television-watching evening, advertisements!
Prop 79 is the real prescription drug reform initiative. Don't be fooled by the cheap imitations! Spread the word by forwarding this link to the flash piece so others can be educated!
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (2)
Even McCain can't deal with Schwarzenegger's photo ops
October 10, 2005
Reuters has a great nugget about the McCain visit today. Apparently in a news briefing after the staged "town hall" - the only type of event Schwarzenegger has thrown thus far in the election - McCain mentioned that he hates those sorts of things. You know, the thing he just happily participated in. So very McCain.
"The benefit of an open town hall meeting is one that you get to hear a lot of different views, and two it has credibility," said McCain. At the Oakland event, the crowd appeared as enthusiastic as an audience at a game show, frequently nodding their head in agreement, applauding at all the right spots, and chanting "four more years" as Schwarzenegger arrived. "Thank you, how huge of you to be stepping out," one woman told Schwarzenegger. "You have other things to do." Such remarks prompted McCain to quip, "The governor is going to take you wherever he goes."
So. Schwarzenegger's town hall meetings involve neither a town, nor a hall: discuss.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Why we need to show up
George Skelton outlines the exact problem today: Sitting Out This Election Could Backfire:
That's what the governor and Republicans are banking on: disgusted Democrats so repulsed by the special election that they'll refuse to take part, thinking, this'll show him.
The only way to really show him is to show up!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (1)
League of Cities to endorse 76?
October 07, 2005
Well this is disturbing. It's widely reported this morning (see rtumble) that the Governor is trying to get the CA League of Cities on board with Proposition 76, the school budget limits and imperial Governorship initiative, even though it would obviously be completely insane for them to do so. He's trying to play off the same fears that drove support for last year's Proposition 1A, namely that the state will raid local budgets at will when times are bad.
For better or for worse, Prop 1A passed, so the Governor isn't exactly being straight with the league here. Beyond that, the main reason the cities would be insane to support this is that it's going to lock in austerity budgets (like what we're experiencing now), for the entire state, forever. (or at least until we overturn it, like Colorado is having to do with TABOR, a similar bill passed by Republican extremists in their state ten years ago).
It's complicated, but think for a second about how national, state and local budgets are all chained together. Money is constantly going back and forth between all of them. So with the national fiscal picture a complete shambles due to President Bush's "bash,break and borrow" strategy, it has cascading effects all the way down to individual cities. Now the Governor wants to lock that policy in place in this state, and he's trying to get the league of cities to vote against their best interests by scaring them and playing to their parochial interests. It should be interesting to see how this gambit of his turns out.
Addendum: Jen's got an even better post on this over at PowerPac today. This was a case of unpremeditated coordination; sometimes one look at rough & tumble is all either of us needs!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
USC proposition info
October 06, 2005
USC's California Policy Institute has some great background material on the propositions up. If you're looking for good summaries of all the gory details, click on the .pdfs linked off each summary page. Also, TomPaine.com is running Al Gore's take on broadcast politics. He expresses a little healthy skepticism about the potential for network based politics, which is the driving force behind his foray in TV.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Polling confusion
October 04, 2005
The Alliance for a Better California has another great summary of the propostions up in a diary on dailykos today. Worth a read, but if you're still confused on why to vote no on 77 when we do, in fact, need redistricting, check out Kevin Drum's analysis.
There's some controversy over whether this poll or the PPIC one released a few days ago is more accurate. Given that the two polls say essentially the opposite things on every single question, this confusion is understandable. My hunch is that reality is probably somewhere in the middle, but I do get the feeling we're going to be in trouble. It's going to be a turnout game. Their side may be smaller in numbers, but they're motivated in a way that I'm just not seeing from our side. They're deliberately playing on and feeding people's irritation with this whole thing and thinking that will keep people home. It's a disgusting strategy.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
How to spin REALLY bad poll numbers
October 03, 2005
Governor Schwarzenegger may have been a nearly complete disaster as a pro-environment Republican, but the JoinArnlod blog knows a thing or two about recycling spin. Just a few weeks ago they tried the same tactic they tried yesterday, and we gave them a hard time about this approach then, too. If they're going to try the same spin over again, there's just nothing else we can do. Go read their post, go read our post, yadda yadda yadda.
This time though, Mr. Stutzman mentioned "Union Democracy." Interesting choice of topic for them to bring up: how exactly does JoinArnold imagine that having people from outside their organizations making decisions for them constitute greater democracy? Keep in mind that unions are already democratic organizations, and should absolutely be able to make their own decisions about how they choose to run their political operations. There is nothing at all preventing unions from enacting a rule like this themselves, or for that matter from sending donations to Republicans. Having people outside these organizations make decisions for them isn't democracy, it's meddling and a power grab.
Besides the fact that it's just wrong for the Governor to be attacking any democratic institution like this, union dues are one of the last meager lines of defense keeping Sacramento from being completely overrun with the corporate special interests that are motivating the Governor's attacks. This initiative was up in the polls, but it's going to drop once people figure out what a terrible idea it is and who is pushing it.
Here's the summary of the other results. They look good for us, but this election is going to hinge on base turnout for both sides. Given that this is all happening against a backdrop of understandably widespread dissatisfaction with the special election altogether, this is still a complete tossup:
* Proposition 74 (teacher tenure), 43% yes, 47% no
* Proposition 76 (school spending limits), 26% yes, 63% no
* Proposition 77 (redistricting), 33% yes, 50% no
* Proposition 78 (big pharma scam), 43% yes, 38% no
* Proposition 79 (real rx discounts), 34% yes, 40% no
One other quick hint to Mr. Stutzman: if you flip through the .pdf of the whole report, you'll see that PPIC only polled on the initiatives that the Governor was actively supporting at the time. This was right before the state Republican convention where, in a gambit designed to motivate his base, the Governor announced that (of course) he was backing Prop 75, too. Now that the Gov's in, maybe the numbers will go down!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Welcome to the redesign!
September 29, 2005
Today, with the announcement to our membership, our redesign is officially live! We hope you'll check out all the features of the new site, and we've posted about this before but again, many thanks to James Home of jameshome.com for his help with everything.
You may want to check out the new blogroll in particular; it is in the column to the left and it's dynamically updated, so the most recently posted to weblogs are at the top. There are 130 some odd sites on there now, and every time I've taken a tour through them I've been impressed by not just the quantity (which is certainly impressive!) but the quality, too. We have a bunch of smart people in this state and we're going to do great things: we're going to beat back the Governor's agenda forty days from now and then go on to even better things in 2006. Thanks for visiting, keep coming back, and enjoy the new site!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (2)
P.S. If you can, please send more money.
September 28, 2005
The JoinArnold weblog is either a treasure trove of warped thinking, or today is a particularly good day. There's so much to take apart in just this post that the mind boggles, completely. They're celebrating a guy with a million bucks to spare whose top priority in life is putting a harder squeeze on those so clearly overpaid and underworked teachers and nurses. What planet are these people from?
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (1)
GENUINE CORRUPT GOVERNOR!!!!***
So the nurses put Governor Schwarzenegger up on the auction block yesterday - literally. The Murky News has the story...
``GENUINE CORRUPT CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER NOT AN IMITATION!!!!!!**********,'' read the listing, which included a sepia-toned photograph of Schwarzenegger with dollar signs replacing his eyes...Bidding started at $12 and peaked at more than $3.6 million before eBay yanked the posting.
If you haven't already, give their petition your John Hancock (remember, these things actually work!). They've also got a generally pretty good but currently not completely up to date weblog.
In more serious news, you'll be shocked to learn that after two decades of conservative economics, the rich are indeed getting richer, the poor are indeed getting poorer, and the noose is tightening around the middle class. A bunch of groups have been working together on crunching census data and the SF Chronicle has a pretty good summary of the bad news. We need an alternative!
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
The expectations game
September 26, 2005
This little gem in the L.A. Business Journal today gives a glimpse into what the Republican strategy is for the upcoming special election and beyond into 2006. It's only an excerpt of the article without a subscription, but in it we hear from conservative strategist Arnold Steinberg, who supports the theory of the article that Republicans are "worried" Schwarzenegger might become another Jesse Ventura.
The Republicans, and to some extent even the Schwarzenegger campaign, are trying to set the Governor up as an underdog, in order to lower expectations about his performance in the special election. This is a classic Republican strategy, and we have seen it played out numerous times. Here's the real clue:
Furthermore, Schwarzenegger and his allies will likely be outspent in the Nov. 8 election by a margin of at least 3-1. Public employee unions, which have been airing a series of hard-hitting ads opposing the governor's special ballot initiatives, have already raised more than $50 million and are likely to collect millions more.
It always amuses me when people with the kind of money the Republicans and their corporate backers have try to play the underdog card. It's especially funny in Schwarznegger's case, because he clearly could have had access to a heck of a lot more money than the unions have if his ideas weren't so horrifyingly bad that the public has been rejecting them early on in opinion polls. Meanwhile, the California Teachers Assn. had to refinance its San Francisco headquarters in order to raise the funds necessary to fight off Schwarzenegger's attacks.
Until Schwarzenegger has to sell one of his Hummers, or one of his corportate CEOs has to refinance a vacation home or two, the underdog approach just isn't going to work!
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
A case study in corporate media failure
September 25, 2005
This week, the San Jose Mercury News ran this reality-defying headline: "Governor battling 'Goliath' on Nov. 8." Memo to the Murky News headline-writing staff: next time you're tempted to copy and paste the Governor's spin, head over to Arnold Watch and click on the cash register first. As of last Thursday, he'd raised just a hare under $57 million from the corporate special interest Goliaths he's got lined up behind him.
This was a statewide phenomenon, and this story in the Capitol Weekly tells us why: after two plus years of Bush administration (or maybe Kremlin?) style strict access control, the Gov's political team made the call and threw reporters a few scraps last week. A few papers didn't buy it and made the fact that they were finally given some access the story, as they should have, but there were far too many headlines like the Murky's.
The lede in the Oakland Tribune's coverage today, "Embattled Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually allowed to talk freely to the public, through the media, this week," is another example of the shockwave of confusion this sent rippling through the Capitol press corps. "[F]reely to the public" and "through the media" are not the same thing!
This situation is a mini-clinic in just how blithely antidemocratic corporate media can be. Whether headlines like this are ordinary failures to think critically about or deliberate pro-corporate bias, remember: while we'd never recommend you believe everything you read on the internet, you sure can't believe everything in "trusted" print media either. Keep thinking critically, it's going to be a long campaign season.
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Schwarzenegger's foibles national news
September 20, 2005
Harold Meyerson at the American Prospect weighs in on Schwarzenegger's popularity freefall in the lead-up to the special election.
This is a good sign. The progressive backlash against Schwarzenegger is now in full force. Californians now just need to go to the polls on Nov. 8 and send a very strong signal that we just won't stand for this in our state.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
More of the same: Schwarzenegger supports Prop 75
September 18, 2005
So big surprise, Gov. Schwarzenegger is running for re-election next year. And big surprise, while addressing his party faithful at the GOP convention in Anaheim this weekend, he came out in favor of Prop 75, the anti-union initiative. Prop 75 just happens to be the only big business-backed initiative that is not failing miserably at the moment in the polls. Coincidence? We think not. So again, Schwarzenegger's actions are not motivated by his convictions or beliefs, but come out of pure political calculation.
An Orange County teacher that Schwarzenegger trotted out at the convention was quoted in the press today in support of Prop 75, saying it is an "employee rights issue." From the L.A. Times:
At the GOP convention, Schwarzenegger allies dispatched Sandra Crandall, a teacher at Moiola Elementary School.
"This is a freedom-of-choice issue," she said. "The issue is so simple, my kindergarten children understand it. Ask permission. Ask permission on how to use my hard-earned money."
This is completely flawed logic. Sure, it's her money, but the reason she has 20 5-year-olds in that classroom and not 30 or 40 is because of the union-led initiatives for class-size reduction. The state can pay her salary because of education funding protections in Proposition 98, which would never have happened without the union. So you just can't on the one hand, reap the benefits of the union and the political clout it has built up over the years, and on the other hand strip away the money that enables that work because "it's mine."
That is the crux of the difference between conservatives and progressives. Conservatives live in this fantasy world where they have somehow achieved everything "on their own," while progressives recognize that we all contribute to the well being of each other, and thus to the greater good.
We're glad Schwarzenegger has come out publicly in favor of Prop 75. It will make it that much more difficult to keep a straight face when he tells the public that this special election is about anything other than right-wing Republican-led partisan attacks.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (1)
Two weeks?! That's ancient history!
August 27, 2005
We had to laugh at the latest spin coming out of Team Arnold. For those of you not lucky enough to be on his email list, we share the information below. The Public Policy Institute of California poll that Todd Harris references can be found here. Among other things, it notes that about 1/3 of Californians approve of the job Schwarzenegger is doing. No wonder "Team Arnold" had to come up with something to say! Oh boy is it funny:
MORE »
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
The importance of down-ticket
August 01, 2005
Today's news focuses on just how we got to where we are today, with the once seemingly untouchable Schwarzenegger in free-fall, his ill-conceived special election right along with it.
Both the L.A. Times and the San Jose Mercury take a look at the role State Attorney General Bill Lockyer has played, which has been quite significant. Experts say Lockyer has not even come close to stepping outside the bounds of his elected office. But that doesn't mean Republicans aren't trying to stymie him.
Lockyer - who under state law is required to review voter initiatives - has prompted complaints about what Republicans see as a liberal bias in his actions on four initiative efforts this year.In the most recent case, a judge ordered a Schwarzenegger-backed redistricting measure off the ballot after Lockyer sued over a procedural flaw. His actions also have prompted the governor to delay his planned overhaul of the pension system for public employees and spurred the threat of another lawsuit by backers of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.
In accusing him of bias, Republicans say Lockyer all but conceded the point last week by agreeing to rewrite a legal summary of the governor's budget spending cap initiative. GOP lawyers had complained that Lockyer's original summary of Proposition 76 contained errors and misrepresentations.
Lockyer said he is just doing his job: giving factual information to voters, enforcing the law and removing "propaganda" from the initiative process.
But while the mainstream press is focusing on how this fits in with Lockyer's recently announced plans to drop his bid for Governor in '06, progressives should take it as a lesson in the importance of all of our statewide officers, who don't always get the attention they deserve around election time. We should have learned this lesson as we watched in horror at what happened in Ohio during the 2004 presidential election, or in Florida during 2000. But still, statistics show a sizable drop-off in statewide elections between the votes cast for Governor and votes cast for what are called "down-ticket" races.
While Lockyer really is just doing his job, one can honestly question whether someone who didn't share our values would be taking these issues so seriously or pursuing justice so aggressively.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Unions strike back
July 29, 2005
A coalition of labor groups has begun collecting signatures for an initiative that would bar corporations from spending on political campaigns without first consulting shareholders. The initiative, which would not come before voters until next June, is in direct response to the "Paycheck Deception" measure on this year's special election ballot. If passed, it will restrict public employee unions from donating to election campaigns without prior approval from individual union members.
It seems unfortunate that our side didn't have this all ready to go for the special election, in which case it would have provided a lot more bargaining power. And it seems as though a real clean money law, for instance this one by Assemblymember Loni Hancock that died this year, is the true solution to the problem of big corporations buying elected leaders and influence.
Still, this analysis from the California Chamber of Commerce is enough to make anyone's blood boil:
Allan Zaremberg, president and chief executive of the California Chamber of Commerce, said it would stifle corporations trying to fight ballot measures that could "put them out of business.""It would be inappropriate to deny them the ability to participate in the political process," he said.
Right. But groups representing working families shouldn't be able to participate in the political process in order to ensure they can PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE. Two words: unmitigated gall.
Meanwhile, in other election news, Randy Riddle over at California Election Law points to this story about Secretary of State Bruce McPherson rejecting Diebold's flagship touch-screen voting machine.
The news leaves many counties scrambling for alternatives to meet at January 2006 requirement, but also allows fair election advocates to breathe a sigh of relief - in California, anyway. The good folks in Ohio, home of Diebold corporate headquarters, say their machines are going to be just fine.
After all, they helped deliver another term for George W. Bush!
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Initiative yo-yo
July 28, 2005
In the last week and a half, two of the initiatives on the special election, Prop 77 and Prop 80, have been both removed and placed back on the ballot. Here at Speak Out California, we have to agree with the L.A. Times' Michael Hiltzik that all of this madness points to a larger underlying problem: California's initiative process is a mess. He sums it up well:
Certainly, reform is urgently needed. At least 65 initiatives are currently circulating for signatures. Many propose crude or self-interested nostrums for complicated problems, raising the specter of a California governed by laws and constitutional amendments written by bozos and billionaires.As initiatives have proliferated, they also have become more complex. It used to be rare for an initiative to run to more than 1,000 words. Last year's stem cell initiative, Proposition 71, comprised nearly 11,000, which explains why the public continues to be unpleasantly surprised by what it voted for.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Call it off or not - it's time to fight
July 25, 2005
So it's well known now that the Governor's advisors have been talking amongst themselves about canceling the special election. They seem to have floated the idea just to see what the reaction would be, not because they just decided to start telling the truth. From Democrats, the reaction was not very encouraging for the Governor:
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said in a conference call with reporters on Friday that he opposes the idea - unless Schwarzenegger makes two major concessions.Nunez said he'd want the Republican governor to promise that his so-called "Live Within Our Means" budget initiative, Proposition 76, would be "dispensed with." It's already qualified for the ballot, so Schwarzenegger would have to reach a compromise with Democrats who say it cuts school funding too deeply and would give the governor too much power to make spending cuts without legislative approval.
The initiative would give governors broad new powers to make spending cuts without legislative approval in times of fiscal crisis.
Nunez said he'd also want Schwarzenegger's commitment that he would disavow the union dues initiative, Proposition 75.
"Unless we have a guarantee that this stuff's not going to come back to haunt us in June of next year, I say we may as well get the thing over with now and send a message," Nunez said.
"What you're talking about here is making a clear indication that you can't govern by initiatives, and I think it ought to be a lesson for all of us."
Oh, and in related news, Republicans don't want to go there either:
Sen. Dick Ackerman, R-Irvine, said Schwarzenegger wouldn't even get Republican votes if he asked the Legislature to call off the election."We would not support it," he said. "There are still significant issues on the ballot, and we think the people should be allowed to vote on them."
It is clear that without the Legislature's cooperation, Schwarzenegger does not have the power to simply call off the special election he called.
These three things together equal no way is Schwarzenegger is going to risk trying to cancel this election:
"I will continue moving forward exactly as I have been," Schwarzenegger said at an event in the Capitol that encouraged children to eat healthy foods. "We need reform."
For progressives, it's time to stop wondering whether there will be a special election and just start fighting these bad ideas. This is the agenda being pushed by our political opponents, and they will continue pushing it, special election or no special election.
The bottom line is that none of the initiatives that have been placed on the ballot by Schwarzenegger will do anything to move our state in a positive direction. As progressives, we have to start asking ourselves what kind of California we want, and what we are willing to do to get there.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
What did they know and when did they know it?
July 22, 2005
These have become the questions of the hour, on the political playing fields of both the state and the nation. While the White House continues trying to squirm out of holding Karl Rove responsible for his reprehensible actions, Democrats in California are aiming some heat at the Republican-controlled Secretary of State and Governor's offices for their role in the Prop. 77 flap. Here's a quick primer:
The legal and political wrangling over Proposition 77 stems from discovery that the text submitted to the attorney general to launch the initiative campaign was different from the version used to solicit voter signatures.Adding to the controversy, proponents of the measure and the Republican governor's legal affairs secretary, Peter Siggins, have conceded that they knew of the glitch at least a week before they reported it to the secretary of state's office.
The matter was brought to the attention of the secretary of state's office June 13 - three days after Proposition 77 was certified for the Nov. 8 ballot.
Opponents say they suspect that Siggins and Daniel Kolkey, an attorney for the proponents, intentionally delayed notification because it would be harder to keep the initiative off the ballot once it was certified.
Of course, Rove's actions which endangered our national security and God knows how many individual lives, can hardly be compared with any fishy behavior that might have gone on between the Governor's office, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson and Prop 77 proponents. Still, it doesn't mean that what is being alleged isn't serious. This entire special election is enough of a waste of taxpayer dollars that any deception resulting in more unecessary expenditures is offensive and wrong. It is also a dangerous precedent to allow the measures that are ciruclated to the public to differ from those that are put on the ballot. Proponents argue the differences were "technical," but that is too slippery of a slope even for technicalities to be forgiven.
And just because Prop 77 has been kicked off the ballot doesn't mean that the Democrats should back off from the planned Elections Committee oversight hearings. After all, proponents say they are going full speed ahead with an appeal.
Meanwhile, any sort of compromise on the special election seems increasinly unlikely. On that topic, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez's spokesperson Steve Maviglio has the quote of the day:
"There are two flat tires on the reform Hummer," said Maviglio, referring to the governor's fondness for the large sport utility vehicles. "We are not going to be there to pump them back up."
Heh.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
One down, five to go!
July 21, 2005
The Sac Bee reports that a Sacramento judge has tossed out Prop 77, the initiative backed by Gov. Schwarzenegger that would have hijacked the way political districts are drawn in California. It would have resulted in a new redistricting plan before the next Census, which is why critics, Speak Out California included, called it a power grab.
The judge ruled that the two versions of the initiative -- the one circulated to voters and the one submitted to the Attorney General's Office -- were different enough that the proponents of Prop 77 will have to go back to the drawing board. From the AP story:
"The differences are not simply typographical errors," Judge Gail Ohanesian said. "They're not merely about the format of the measure. They are not simply technical. Instead they go to the substantive terms of the measure."
This is great news. It's one less bad idea we have to fight in November. It's a huge defeat for Schwarzenegger, who counted Prop 77 among the three big non-reform "reforms" he's pushing in this special election. And it's validation of the standards we have in California for following the rules when it comes to the critically important process of making law -- the same argument would apply to any measure pushed by our side.
Prop 77 is one of the six measures on the Nov. 8 special election ballot that Speak Out California has recommended voting against. Check out our Preliminary Voter Guide for more information.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
2005 Special Election Voter Guide
July 17, 2005
Speak Out California's special election voter guide includes our recommendations on the eight ballot measures, as well as those of other statewide progressive groups. In our summary arguments below, we also provide links to the various campaigns.
We hope you will use this guide when you vote on Nov. 8, 2005, and as you talk to others about the special election. If you need more motivation as to why you should care, read this.
You can help us by making a donation, or by joining Speak Out California and forwarding this voter guide to your friends! You can also join us in fighting for a positive vision for California by signing our Progressive Values Pledge.
DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE PDF VERSION »
Posted by Dan Ancona - Comments (0)
Where California needs to go
July 13, 2005
I saw this on the street the other day while walking to lunch. It might be implying secession, but I am interpreting it as an illustration of our current struggle to renew the progressive dream in California!
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
I'm crushing your head!
July 12, 2005
This is what we will do to the Governor's bad ideas in the November special election!
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Strap in, kids!
July 11, 2005
In today's Capitol Journal, George Skelton points out that, according to the Governor's legal secretary, the special election now scheduled for Nov. 8 could be called off if Schwarzenegger signed an "urgency bill" passed by two-thirds of the Legislature.
It is hard to imagine, even given the steady stream of dismal poll numbers showing Schwarzenegger is in for an uphill fight this fall, that he would accept such a pathetic defeat even before he begins spending the millions in special-interest money he has raised.
Schwarzenegger's advisors have confirmed that by consistently repeating the Governor is not considering that option. One has to wonder whether -- given their lack of cooperation lately -- enough of the Republicans in the Legislature would actually agree to it even if he did!
Meanwhile, the Legislature has less than a week to negotiate any compromise ballot measures before they are scheduled to adjourn for summer recess. Mind you, this is a luxury they haven't enjoyed for the last five years, as they have been locked in protracted budget battles that often continued well into August and September. It's not likely that the Democratic majority will give that up to stay in Sacramento and hammer out some kind of deal on the special election.
So, for now anyway, it looks like we are in for a ballot-box fight this fall.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0)
Welcome to the blog of Speak Out California!
July 10, 2005
We are a statewide progressive advocacy organization, built on a foundation of values that we know most Californians share. Our goal is to keep people informed of what's happening in state politics from a progressive perspective, and to organize them into actions that both connect them to the current political system and enable them to begin changing it for the better.
Here at Speak Out California, we know that progressives are hard at work doing amazing things every day - in their jobs, in their homes and in their communities. We hope this blog will become a place for us all to connect. Not only will we share news stories and other valuable information we dig up on a regular basis, we hope you will engage with us in lively discussions about the political happenings of our state, as they happen.
Right now, Speak Out California is working on educating voters about the November 8, 2005, Special Election, and what it means for the future of California. Check out our Preliminary Voter Guide - which includes summaries of the eight initiatives on the ballot from a progressive perspective, as well as links to the full text of the measures - and let us know what you think!
Thank you for visiting, and for being a part of this struggle for real progressive change in California.
Posted by Jenifer Fernandez Ancona - Comments (0) - TrackBack (0)
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