Demographics are changing favorably for Democrats in Royce’s and Issa’s districts, 24% are Latino, and 21% are Asian American. Roughly 80 percent of Latinos and more than half of Asian Americans support Democratic candidates, but there remains the apathy of midterm voters. They don’t turn out. But whoever the Rs are who step forward to run, they have to defend trump’s policies. I’m not ready to go to hair on fire hysteria. Yet.
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Two thoughts. A pre-primary straw poll could clear the field. Also rich dems can look for ways to increase the number of Republican candidates.
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And here we see the results of “democracy” in action. Everybody has an opinion and they all stink.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s a terrible system, but it’s the best one we’ve got.
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But my sister-in-law assures me that “they” won’t dare mess with SS and Medicare. And she’s an educated, otherwise informed person. I’ve heard this complacency over the years and it may be about to bite us on the ass.
They have already proposed a multi million dollar decrease in SSA funds so as to starve the system. That’s killing SS softly by stealth. Where’s Pelosi, Schumer here? A ready made issue and they sit there with thumbs up their asses.
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Why would Dems fret about blowing a golden oppurtunuty? It’s what they do so well.
I kid, I kid. But really. Don’t these people employ strategists that think about plan B’s and ‘what ifs’?
Not exactly a misplaced fear. Snatching defeat out of the jaws victory and all that.
Thanks to Malheur and Bundy, I suggest everyone stop banking on Mueller to apply sort of death blows.
California’s jungle primary was created by a Ballot proposition in 2010. It was opposed by both political party organizations, funded by a millionaire from Texas and supported by Schwarzenegger. It can lead to candidates from the same party running against each other, as it did in my State Representative district where two Republicans ran against each other. Bay Area elections typically have two liberal Democrats running against each other. BTW, the “Issa’s Greatest Hits” article fails to mention the Issa was the instigator, and greatest funder, of the effort to recall Dem Governor Grey Davis. His plan was to run for the position, but bowed out when Schwarzenegger entered the race. More people voted against the recall than voted for Schwarzenegger.
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Not just a problem on the left. IIRC, Donnie averaged something like 30-something percent of the vote in each State primary but over a dozen others split the vote and he kept racking up delegates until his lead was overwhelming.
Shame on all those egotistical morons, who don’t get enough of the blame for the current shitstorm…
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Hey Cameron Joseph, just a suggestion…We really don’t need shit in headlines here that mirror Republican operatives spouting “Oh look, once again, Dems in Disarray”.
Fret? Fuck that. We can do this thing. Let’s try not to be our own worst enemies for a change.
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I see what you mean. I wonder if because it was enacted by a ballot initiative, does that mean that it’s constitutionally impossible for the legislature to reverse it? Probably, but I don’t know that much about California things.
Just think of the disaster of Proposition 13 all those years ago. And then there was the Gray Davis recall. I know that recall initiatives are possible in a lot of states, but the Gray Davis recall was a mind-boggling initiative in how ridiculous that was. People were sold the idea that he was a governor so terrible that he had to be dumped, and instead they got the disaster of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was a total political con job.
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Yeah, all those “meddling upstarts” that ran at the same time and split the vote so that a Democrat wasn’t even on the general ballot are really going to “change the world.” When the GOP is the only party on the general ballot and Dems have no candidate, how is that changing the world working out for you?
This is the exact same stupid sentiment that kept Bernie in the race far after he was mathematically eliminated (the Superdelegate system is broken and favored Clinton we need to scrap it, but that wasn’t going to change during the 2016 primary).
I hope the TPM comments have been invaded by Russian bots and the stupidity of the comments in this thread isn’t actually that real.
I’m so tired of this Susan Sarandon-esque bullshit.
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We did it to avoid having people elected with a plurality of the vote instead of a majority.
However, I agree it should have been dealt with by keeping the existing system, and then holding runoff elections, or allowing people to choose a second candidate in the event their preferred candidate isn’t among the top two.
The perils of having a system that allows for a Democrat, a Republican and a third candidate (Indepnedent, Libertarian, Green, etc) is evidenced by the situation in Maine. A fringe candidate that could have never won 50% of the vote, winds up a two term Governor.
I definitely am for the winner having to get 50% +1
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The Dems can’t “just change the system” It was put on the ballot by republicans as a Proposition and can only be repealed by another ballot measure.
Blame Gov. “Can’t Keep it in His Pants.” And Issa.
What on earth are you even saying here?
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Republicans face the same problem, but that doesn’t solve it for Dems, it’s a terrible situation to be in. Instead of fundraising $10 million for one Democrat, that’s split three ways during the primary, some of the people possibly even donating to multiple dems because they aren’t sure who’ll end up on top!
So even if two dems get the top 2, we’re splitting hairs over usually small policy differences that likely won’t matter anyway as these are freshmen congresspeople that will vote with leadership on consensus legislation once in congress. The expensive media market only expounds the problem. We are spending tons of money on these races that could be allocated to help other races that need it!
I have less faith than you in “local grassroots” and twitter. In this day and age, it seems only worse. Each candidate feels they can uses social media platforms to boost their message and profile and get into the top 2. And what happens when you have 7 candidates? And a bunch of Jill Stein-like fringe dems that won’t budge or get out of the race?
Not saying I have a solution, this is a real problem either way and it’s a gamble in each district on which party gets their shit together.
Maybe because this “problem” is what led to the massive Democratic supermajority in the first place?
I think you saw what you wanted to see and went off. Try rereading what I wrote. It was an honest series of questions from both sides of the Democratic divide…
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IDK. I see what you mean, but I can also see why Ted Lieu and the DCCC would want to get these stories and worries out front early in 2018 so that candidates are aware of the damage they might do if they stubbornly split a ticket 3-10 ways and allow 2 GOP candidates to box a Dem out.
Sort of a PSA.
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Stupid question, since I don’t live in California, but the usual purpose of a primary is for the party to pick its own nominee. And only that choice gets to use the party label.
A jungle primary, though, is for all intents and purposes a general election with a top-tier runoff. Anyone can say they represent any party.
Is there any way a party could hold some selection process (caucus?) first?