Some of the Democrats running in California need to take one for the team and drop out. Is their any prohibition about holding a Democratic straw poll with all but the two winners agreeing to drop out if they lose? Can they do an actual straw poll with the short straws pulling out?
Totally agree. This would be a travesty. And the team isn’t the democratic party. It’s the country. The planet.
I believe that part of what got us Trump was selfishness on the part of the other Republican candidates. Who knew Scott Walker would be the good guy who took one for the team. The Democrats need to be realistic about their chances and not follow in the Republican footsteps there.
The jungle primary system was not a good idea. That is why I voted against it when it was on the ballot.
Why the hell do they have that kind of a primary system? Change it so one Republican winner can run against one Democratic winner. What the fuck. They’re not only shooting themselves in the foot, they’re shooting the rest of us in the head.
What the fuck? Here’s the answer
Guys, don’t fuck this up. Seriously, the republic is hanging on by its finger nails…
I’d like to think that if I were one of the Dem candidates, I would say look, there are more important things involved, it is essential to have a Dem on the ticket, and so I will be a team player. I’d know that if I did that, there would also be opportunities in the future and I’d have made some friends. Maybe that’s why I would never run for office though.
As someone who has followed the CA House primaries closely, the Dems have been cleaning up their act over the last month, and I don’t think there will be any nightmare scenarios, with a reasonable chance that Dems win one of the house seats outright (CA 49 (Issa’s seat) is my bet).
What has been happening is that some candidates are dropping out, but more importantly, as of last week, the CA Dems have started overwhelming the airwaves with ads. If you look at the financials of the various candidates, the GOPers do not have enough to compete with the Dems. The money is hitting the street to ignite the enthusiasm that is already there while the GOP energy is lagging. So the DCCC looking to rip apart a few GOPers is actually a very good strategy. Not only will it make sure that at least 1 Dem makes it to the GE, it raises the probability that Dems could take both top spots in some races.
The other thing is that in the Senate and Gov races, there are latino candidates running statewide who will drive up the general level of turnout on the D side. I personally hope that Villaraigosa gets into the top 2 and wins the Governor’s race. On the Senate side, I’m not a fan of De Leon but we can’t have a Nazi GOPer finish in the top two. De Leon should be able to inspire enough voters to get into the top 2.
Well, the whole point of even having a primary used to be so that the party could chose its own candidate for the actual, general election. (Which is why cheaper caucuses made sense in many areas.)
California’s system takes the primaries away from the parties and frankly, they aren’t more democratic that way. On the balance they may benefit the Democrats more than the Republicans because of the way the state is balanced, but situations like this, where the will of a vast majority may be thwarted precisely because there is so much interest from the majority side, is going to lead back to the storied smoke-filled rooms of yore. Primaries are theoretically something that pours sunshine onto the process, but jungle primaries seem designed to produce perverse results.
This keeps happening in California. Why don’t they change to party primaries like most states use? This jungle primary seems to cause more turmoil than anything else. Is it in the state constitution?
Maybe a jungle primary makes sense if there are more than two parties to narrow down. Maybe. But in what’s functionally a two party system it’s senseless.
A primarily Dem state put this in, in the mistaken belief that Rs would be shut out. However, it has worked against the Ds in many cases.
You clearly are not a politician. Each D candidate would say to the others: “Please guys, be reasonable. I am the better candidate. You drop out.”
This is my District
My Gawd it’s hard work saving the country.
I keep reading how the Dems are dominant in Calif., am I mis-informed? if not, CHANGE THIS FUCKING RULE!
Aside from the ego boost, campaigns are important tools for creating a cash flow.
Too bad Alison Hartson hasn’t gotten more traction. Love her!