In this Tuesday's California primary election, there is a very bad proposition on the ballot that should be called the incumbent protection law.
But, Proposition 14 is being touted as an "open" primary law.
It is not an open primary, but a way to allow multiple Democrats and Republicans to run in general elections. Oh, and they do not have to even say they are Democrats and or Republicans.
Well, they sort of do, but if one lives in a gerrymandered legislative district, the end result will be two Democrats running against each other in general elections. Same for Republicans.
And, it totally disenfranchises voters that do not belong to the Democrat or Republican parties.
In California, there are several small parties that generally end up in primaries and general election ballots. They are Peace and Freedom, Libertarians, Greens and American Independent.
Granted, none of these parties can fill a phone booth. But, they generally can garner anywhere from 50,000 to over 100,000 votes each in elections.
This diagram shows what the ballot generally looks like now. And how it will generally look like if, God forbid, this monstrosity passes. Oh, and trust me, there will NOT be a Democrat running against a Republican in many of these elections. It will be members of the same party running in a general election.
Can you say disenfranchisement?
That is what this abomination will do. It is a backdoor way of trying to take the rights of political parties away from the parties.
In other words, each party can and should decide how they will nominate candidates in the general election.
Occasionally, the Democrat party has opened their primary. Republicans have generally kept theirs closed. And I will admit, I do not know how the minor political parties hold their primaries. The myth being perpetuated by supporters of Prop. 14 is that it will elect more moderate people from both political parties. Notice that they leave out the minor parties. Hell, they are so minor they are just a nuisance any way.
And that somehow voter participation will increase in both primary and general elections.
This election format is done in Washington state. And, surprise! It has not worked out the way it was touted. This article in The Sacramento Bee pointed out that there have been some one-party general elections. And that both Democrats and Republicans try to discourage many candidates so that it can in the end determine the outcome. Oh, and voter participation has not increased. In fact, the California Republican party will switch to a caucus system according to this article in the Oakland Tribune.
What is not pointed out is that the real power will probably be in state Democrat and Republican conventions as to who the favored candidate will be in any given election.
This is another bone to the most weasel of voters.
Moderates.
People who have no backbone to belong to any political party.
These people think that they are so above the process. Yet these same voters complain about the quality of candidates.
Hey, guess what moderates? JOIN A PARTY! BECOME AN ACTIVIST!
If moderates really think that the Democrat and Republican parties in California are being run by extremists, get involved in the one that fits closest to what you believe.
No party is perfect.
I am a Republican because it is the party that I believe best advances a conservative agenda. But often times, I am writing about the shortcomings of my party. Because I care. Because I want to see good candidates. Those that can win with articulating a conservative message. I do not just sit a bitch about the candidates. I back one in the primary and if he or she does not win, I generally will back the one that does.
But moderates just can not seem to make up their minds.
And they want the main political parties in the United States to be as mixed-up as they are.
My fellow Californians, please do not be fooled. Prop. 14 will do nothing to moderate the process. It will protect a lot of politicians always finding new ways to screw the will of the voters.
VOTE NO ON PROP. 14!
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