This is either a way for the public to screw the politicians who screwed them or for the public to get screwed harder once the big money figures out how to make this work for them. Either way, it’s change we can believe in!
The time for tinkering is done.
That was the message Californians sent when they voted Tuesday to radically rejigger elections in the nation’s most populous state. Under Proposition 14, a measure that easily passed, traditional party primaries will be replaced in 2011 with wide-open elections. The top two vote-getters — whatever their party, or if they have no party at all — will face off in the general election.
Supporters argue that without parties picking candidates for the general election, moderates and independents will move to the fore, and voters will pay more attention to the electoral process.
Critics of the measure say it will give a huge advantage to candidates who have the most money or the widest name recognition.
That no one actually knows what the real effect of Proposition 14 will be seems almost beside the point to frustrated voters. What mattered, supporters said, is that something fundamental about politics — anything fundamental — had been changed.
As supporters celebrated, they promised to bring the so-called “top two” system to a state near you, with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger leading the charge — though his second term, plagued by budget meltdowns and plunging popularity, was, analysts said, one of the leading motivators for the measure.
GregAllen said, “And conservatives have been attacking teachers and defunding schools and colleges for decades.”
Wow! I haven’t seen SO many uninformed posts from a single person in years. The US EDU funding per capita, is amongst the highest in the world. Results aren’t good compared to other 1st world countries. Most of the US K-12 EDU systems are lib/Dem/Union controlled. So, the fact is, funding isn’t the problem. Those who run the schools districts ARE. Try again.
Preferential voting may be a cheaper and more effective implementation of a similar idea.
Faxon #19 “Another excellent reason why I am moving out of the state in which I was born”
Ha! If I could afford it I would be your nearest neighbor 50 miles away.
#31 Anon “Most of the US K-12 EDU systems are lib/Dem/Union controlled. So, the fact is, funding isn’t the problem. Those who run the schools districts ARE.”
Exactly, New Orleans has seen nothing but improvement in it’s schools since it effectively neutered the school board and unions after Katrina and went to charter schools. Now the kids stand a chance.
#31:
“And conservatives have been attacking teachers and defunding schools and colleges for decades.”
The highly-conservative state of Arizona just passed yet another sales tax increase specifically to fund the schools.
It’s an incumbent protection scheme.
#12, Agree completely. Simple majority voting is a dog. I’d much rather have a consensus style voting system, such as borda count, where the most generally acceptable candidate wins instead of just the one who can garner the most support from concentrated pockets in the population.
For what it’s worth, our own experiment (in New Zealand) with proportional representation resulted in some cabinet ministers being hand picked, not elected, by an incumbent leader. This resulted in “lists” of private flunkies being kept ready to fill parliamentary and civil service vacancies. The old two party election, where they sail their fastest candidates in an election, showed the voting electorate exactly “who” was going in “where”.
Change we can believe in? What an empty phrase that has turned out to be. While we were believing the thieves stole our government (again) and this change won’t get it back for us. Politics is a dirty business and it won’t be cleaned up because decent people don’t go into politics. If you think they do, that is part of the problem.
A well organized party will have two guys on the ballot, and get lots of guys on the other party’s side.
I hate to say it, but Benjamin #36 got it right.
#27 Yes, the climate is mild here. So what? Enjoy yourself when you are surrounded by a Hispanic majority, (mostly illegal and fucking stupid), high taxes, a bankrupt economy, business leaving and no jobs, and a shitpile of people on welfare paid for by YOU. Good fucking luck, dumbshit.
#27 And, I WILL leave my water. I will piss in California’s aqueducts on the way out, and fart in it’s general direction all the way to my new home away from the “progressives”.
From an e-mail I got a while ago:
Incidentally, I am now proudly flying the Arizona flag on my front porch.
I somewhat disagree about the advantage for candidates with more money. Take a page from American Idol, provide a medium outlet for all candidates, have debates, have round table issues, and let the people vote. Candidates with more money are able to advertise outside of this outlet, BUT it still gives a large outlet for those who don’t have the money.
27, Spssffan,
Depends on which people you’re referring to. Didn’t California just recently raise income taxes to cover all those free entitlements the illegals are wanting? And thanks to the way California wants to tax its way to prosperity, many tech companies have been leaving Silicon Valley and elsewhere to other states…. which translates into jobs and ultimately tax revenues.
BTW, Texas thanks the state of California for fostering their tech industry prosperity.
California sure knows how to attract the wrong people and repel the good ones.
42, Faxon,
What makes you think the rest of the country won’t be forced to bail out California when it implodes like we’re doing for Greece?
This new law stinks. If the top two vote getters advance to the general election, it could result in Republicans having to choose between two Democrats (or vice versa).
What I would like to see implemented is “instant runoff” voting.
All of this is hilarious to an anarchist like myself. Maybe one day you will all see politics as the joke that it is and decide to live in a voluntary society instead.
SO, Bad Boy==where do you live?
You DESERVE it people!
You leftist idiots and right-wing morons simply don’t get it. Politics is all about POWER TO CONTROL YOUR LIFE!
But that’s not what’s so sad. What’s sad is that the overwhelming majority of Americans CHOOSE to let this happen! The American public CHOOSES to make the fat cats fatter by ignoring Washington and patronizing HOLLYWOOD!
So go ahead and bury your head in the sand and keep watching that TV and believe what they tell you. Everyone knows that the entertainment industry (including all sports) has no desire to MAKE MONEY! (Try looking up “sarcasm”; I DARE YOU!) I’m sure “American Idol” will be on again just as soon as the NBA finals are over with.
You people make me SICK and embarrassed to be an AMERICAN!
Cranky–can you be more specific?
@cranky
I normally don’t vote unless their is a candidate with a amazing track record for telling the truth and following the constitution to the letter (extremely rare these days)
im currently 28 and have voted a grand total of 1 time so far and that was 3rd party , the rest of the time the ballots are packed with 1 bullshitter trying to out bullshit everyone else.
sidenote: i don’t watch tv unless its nova or something educational on pbs and occasionaly discovery channel.
>> brm said, on June 10th, 2010 at 10:31 am
>> The highly-conservative state of Arizona just passed yet another sales tax increase specifically to fund the schools.
Good for them but the exception doesn’t change the trend — conservatives have supported defunding education for decades. They also are the first to attack teachers, too.
Is this even in debate?
@bobbo Freedom is a state of mind. I’d be more free behind bars than most people in their own homes.
BadBoy–so true.
Here is link showing the TRUE enemy of US EDU, unions.
I see that someone is still spewing lies after being brutally owned…
U.D., in the future do you want me to present links as you just did on #57? Wasn’t sure how the admins preferred…
57, Anon, I agree with you that the Unions are dragging a lot of us down… but it seems that Massachusetts is not a “right to work” state (which is why a lot of your foreign auto makers have factories in the South instead).