A SurveyUSA poll of the California gubernatorial race, released September 22, shows these results: Democrat Jerry Brown 46%; Republican Meg Whitman 43%; “other” 8%; undecided 3%. The other candidates on the ballot are the nominees of the American Independent, Green, Libertarian, and Peace & Freedom Parties. The poll shows that 11% of the independents, and 9% of the Republicans, are for “other”, whereas only 5% of the Democrats are for “other.”
A Field Poll released on September 23 lumps “other” and “undecided” into the same category, which is not helpful. It shows “undecided/other” at 18%. Brown and Whitman in this poll are each at 41%.
California press has been slow to cover any of the four ballot-listed minor party candidates. Even Chelene Nightingale’s 190-mile trek up the San Joaquin Valley did not get covered in any daily newspaper, even though it was covered in alternate sources. See here. Thanks toIndependentPoliticalReport for that link. UPDATE: apparently the walk did get covered in some daily newspapers; thanks to Gary Odom’s comment for the correction.
This isn’t totally accurate as Chelene received front page coverage for the walk in the Merced Sun-Star (I think that is what it is called) as well as articles in the Sacramento Bee and, I believe, in the Modesto Bee. She was also covered by the electronic media, though much that was covered was not reported on the air. MSNBC apparently carried something on it at some point as I received a comment about it from a friend in New York.
One more plurality/minority winner EXTREMIST coming to power in the CA regime ???
See the EVIL super-dangerous plurality/minority stuff in the U.K., Canada, etc. — as if the gerrymander minority rule is not evil and dangerous enough.
P.R. and App.V.
Regardless of “how much” coverage Ms Nightingale may have received from an isolated or local paper, the major media has “blacked-out” genuine coverage and ignored her candidacy. This is not just coincidence. It is planned. This is what makes the difference of whether the voters learn about her and have opportunity to consider her. Reporters are told who they will and will not cover.
How we can overcome this, I’m not sure. I still say a well-known “entertainment” or “sports” personality – whom the media could not affort to ignore – is the only way to break this deliberate “black-out.” I hope the AIP there will continue looking for such personality for future elections.
Meanwhile, I feel Ms. Nightingale will place no less than “3rd” of all the party and independent candidates for Governor and this is some consolation. I only regret I do not live in California so I could vote for her!
Not only that, but I have come to the conclusion that the faction of the AIP that is recognized by the Secretary of State are GOP agents; they don’t want Nightingale or any of the other AIP candidates running for office so they can help the GOP candidates win- of course they can’t legally do that, thank God.
They also try to purge and push out long-standing members out of the state committee, they also conduct unannounced and secret meetings with only their supporters.
If you want to see the best example of major-party infiltration in a minor party, take a look at the Seidenberg/Robinson faction of the AIP!
Sadly, I have to somewhat agree this may be the case. If they are GOP agents, they need to be exposed and sent packing. Hopefully, the Nightingale group will do this after the election.
I’ve said for years, “so goes the California AIP, so goes the future of the “constitutional/conservative” 3rd party movement in the nation.” This is not to take anything away from you good folks there in Nevada, Cody, but a small state like Nevada, doesn’t get the media attention it might otherwise should. I mean, let’s face it. If you guys there were to through some miracle, elect a Governor on the Nevada IAP ticket, you’d get some national publicity. But if the California AIP elected a Governor, this would be world-wide news. I think your are politically savvy enough to know this.
I remember well the Nixon CREEP gang that infiltrated the 1972 AIP nat’l convention – they tried their best to cover the arena with rumors that Gov. Wallace really did want to run, that’d it’d have to be a genuine draft, and that it could only happen when he got better – and that was going to take just a matter of weeks (despite the unreliable and biased media reports). They wanted the convention to adjourn and do nothing … it took Wallace’s broadcast from his hospital bed to deter any draft movement to settle CREEP’s scuttlebutt once and for all.
I have no doubt that smaller organizations and less professional operatives are still at work and still able to cause trouble in CA – no grand conspiracy mind you – just a few people who think a 2 party system (or, more specifically the GOP) is the answer come hell or high water. Add to that a few more who think one faction is better than another (but who are genuine 3rd party supporters), as well as some really dumb/crazy political activists and there’s where the 3rd party movement is stuck. Take a look at the indecipherable rants from the nut cases who usually post here re: CA AIP, and you have a clue who’s an earnest 3rd party supporter, who’s an agent, who’s just plain old dumb and/or crazy.
Stay tuned for the rants …
Pete speaks of the activities of Tom Turnipseed and Dr. Peter Beter (I kid thee not, these were actually their names)at the American Party National Convention in Louisville, KY at Freedom Hall in 1972. I was there. The idea was to whip the delegates (their were 2,000 delegates there, by the way) up to nominate Wallace who they (Turnipseed and Beter) well knew would not run because of his physical condition–(I had seen the Governor and talked with him in Miami at the Dem. convention a month before and he looked bad–a shell of his former self). With no candidate the party would have gone the way of the Bull Moose Party and died immediately. Our eventual ’72 nominees (Schmitz and Amderson) probably ensured that the party would not survive permanently, but that is another story altogether.
In California, the year before(71),CREEP gave disgruntled former Wallace operative, Bob Walters, $10,000 as part of a hairbrained scheme to re-register folks out of the AIP in California. It couldn’t have worked anyway, for technical legal reasons which I won’t bother with here, but in fact AIP registration went up during the time of this “effort.” Walters had recruited Nazi Joe Tomasi to help with this plan. It wasn’t long before these two characters were at each other’s throats and suing each other.
Now, with Brown and Whitman tied at 41% and 18% (a growing number) reported as undecided or favoring other candidates [Field Poll] you will continue to see “my old buddy”–who apparently now views himself to be “AIP Vice-Chairman for life”–feverishly working on behalf of his real alliegence–the GOP–to try to undercut the Nightingale Campaign. I guess he has finally given up on trying to convince people that she wouldn’t be on the General Election ballot or that she wouldn’t have the AIP designation on the ballot, but it is always something. I bet there will be a veritable whirlwind of disinformation out there on the blogs over the next month. Fortunately nobody other than us “sick political junkies” read these blogs anyway, so it is really an exercise in futility.
Richard, I find it interesting that at the top of the Field Poll, registration is reported as Democrat 44%, Republican 35% and Nonpartisan/Other 21%. Which is very curious since the latest update from the California Sec. of State Office lists the Republicans at 31% and Non-partisan at 20% which ignores the 5% registered in the 4 small and other miscellaneous parties. This is far too great of an error to be left unchallenged. Are they trying to be subtle and indirectly help out one of the major parties?
The Field Poll is probably reporting the breakdown of the people who participated in the poll, which is not the same as the state total breakdown of all voters.
Nevertheless, it is the bourgeois establishment news media that is strongly helping to keep the Republican Party afloat. If it were not for that, the GOP would be under 30% nationwide by now.
Gary – Turnipseed went on to have a successful career in politics, serving 2-3 terms in the State Sen. in So. Car., and scoring a respectable 46-48% as the Dem. nominee for Att’y Gen’l. Peter Beter did some writing for the John Birch Society for a short time until they realized is was certifiably nuts – he claimed people like Rockefeller, Kissinger, and Jimmy Carter were dead and were being impersonated by robots. I remember the Bob Walters stuff – Bill Shearer wrote extensively about him. Third party politics could be fun if the stakes weren’t so high.
BTW, it’s Peter, not Pete
Peter. I hope you don’t classify me as one of the “crazies,” but I suspect the GOP would love to destroy the AIP in California – whether those who claim they are the legitimate officers have the GOP blessings or not.
I would never be content within the GOP. As long as it is a party which favors the Rich, big business, and looks down it nose at the common blue-color working people, I would never be happy with them. I feel the same toward the Democratic Party but for different reasons. I.E. Abortion is Murder.
I am a “populist” with a Christian flavor. Therefore, I find the “Independent” label as one to best facilitate under. If I lived in California, I’d most likely be an AIP member, even though I’m sure many of the AIPers would oppose my support for Social Security, for Labor Unions, and for some type of “national heath care.”
I hope one day we will have a party in Alabama similar to the AIP in California.
#10: So NBC, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN are pro-Republican? Gimme a break!
There was a good example of the media’s bias on today’s ‘Meet the Press’ on NBC. David Gregory constantly interrupted Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana), but I didn’t hear Gregory interrupt the Democratic congressman from Maryland at all (his first name is Chris, and I’m not sure about the spelling of his last name).
#12: The big majority of the Wall Street bigwigs supported Obama in 2008, as Warren Buffet and Bill Gates also did.
You haven’t answered my question as to whether you vote in Democratic or Republican primaries.
Gary Odem,
Did not state that Joe Tomasi placed his associate in charge of the re-register program a Nazi that later joined the Foreign Service officer.
The central valley press looked on the Nightingale “waddle and roll” as a non-story. Alternative activities went on while Nightingale went
on that trek.
Just yesterday in Mill Valley, AIP officers joined other
events just Southeast of the Tea Party event. I was
at the event at the Mill Valley Public Library.
In the A.M. I was with Elliot Graham at an event in
Burlingame, CA.
Sikncerely, Mark Seidenberg, Vice Chairman, American
Independent Party
To Steve Rankin: The fact “the big majority of the Wall Street bigwigs supported Obama in 2008, as Warren Buffet and Bill Gates also did” is not relevant. In the average election, the GOP supports the Rich and Big Business. At least Warren Buffet agrees the wealthy should pay more taxes. You won’t hear from the typical “fatcat” Republican. They want the average Joe to pay the brunt of taxes so they can “invest.” Well, we all know who wins that game.
As an Alabama Independent, I am free to vote in which ever primary – Democratic or Republican – I desire.
#15: I’ve got plenty of problems with the Republicans, but I think they have taken a bum rap on being “anti-little people.” That’s certainly the image presented by the lamestream media, and you’ve evidently fallen for it.
Look at the US Senate. Most of the millionaires are Democrats, even after the death of Ted Kennedy.
Government could confiscate 100% of the money and property of the EVIL rich people, and it would only run the government for a short time (by the way, what’s your definition of a “rich” person?).
How many poor people have you ever asked for a job?
You keep sidestepping my question about you voting in Democratic and Republican primaries, so the answer is obviously “yes.”
Since you despise the two major parties, why do you participate in their candidate-selection process(es)?
Steve Rankin. If you think the GOP has taken a bum rap on being “anti-little people,” then pray tell me why the Republicans keep wanting to destroy Social Security and Medicare, for examples? If this is not being “anti-little people” I don’t know what is. Again the fact “Most of the millionaires are Democrats,” is not relevant, although I think you meant most “Democrats in the U.S. Senate.”
It is obvious you do not understand our money system in this country. If we had a genuine Constitutional money system where Our Founding Fathers wanted “we the people” through Congress and Congress only, to create (coin) money, it would never be necessary for “Government [to]could confiscate 100% of the money and property of the EVIL rich people, and it would only run the government for a short time.” Our Founding Fathers did not want a private central bank such as we have today. If we would get back to a genuine Constitutional money system, there would be adequate circulation of interest-free money for all (created as supply and demand called for it) and the blood-suckers who control it today would not have the stranglehold over us. We wouldn’t even be needing to have this debate about the Rich Republicans.
When I do vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries, I vote for specific individual candidates – and I don’t vote in those primaries as often as you may think. Most of my voting is reserved for the General Election.
Steve Rankin. I did forget to answer directly one question you asked. My definition of a rich person is someone who makes at least $150,000 a year. If a person – even a family of 4 – bringing in this amount of money annually cannot live in economic dignity, something is wrong with their lifestyle.
I have just never understood these people who make a million dollars a year and don’t think they should have to pay more than 10% in taxes. If I made $1,000,000 a year, I’d gladly give Uncle Sam 50% because I would know that every other year, I’d still make a million dollars a year. In 20 years, I’d have 10 million dollars. Someone who can’t be satisfied with this is in danger of being caught up in, as Jesus said, “For the LOVE of money, is the root of all evil.”
#17: You sound like a good liberal Democrat! Whenever the Democrats run out of something to accuse the Republicans of, they always fall back on their favorite: “Republicans want to destroy Social Security and Medicare!”
In the late ’60s, Lyndon Johnson and the Dems began putting Social Security taxes into the general fund instead of in a separate account. By the early ’80s, S. S. was almost broke, and Speaker Tip O’Neill (D) kept accusing Reagan of wanting to destroy S. S. Reagan joined the Dems in naming a bipartisan S. S. commission, which recommended “saving” S. S. with a big tax increase, which Congress passed (1982) and Reagan signed.
Social Security– the biggest Ponzi Scheme in world history– cannot be sustained in its current form (the oldest Baby Boomers will turn 65 next January). To prevent its collapse, younger taxpayers must be given the option to privately invest part of their payments. Otherwise, NOBODY will receive S. S. checks.
The Obama/Democrat socialized medicine scheme takes money OUT of Medicare, which is one reason so many senior citizens want to repeal the Democrats’ scheme.
Alexander Hamilton– the first Treasury secretary– favored a national bank, while Jefferson was strongly opposed. Congress abandoned its power to coin money when it created the Federal Reserve during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency. By “interest-free money,” I assume you mean “inflation-free.” We’ve certainly had awful inflation in the years since the Fed was created.
In the early ’80s, three south Texas county governments were among those who took advantage of a “window of opportunity” to opt out of Social Security. I strongly suggest that you google “Galveston County, Texas.” You’ll see the difference between a federally-run system and a system that invests the money privately.
Speaking of the Founding Fathers: They obviously overlooked the need for a Federal Reserve (1913), Social Security (1935), Medicare (1965), and Medicaid (1965).
#18: A family of four would have a hard time making it on $150,000 a year in certain parts of the US– New York city, Connecticut, New Jersey, parts of California, for example. Such a family would not be considered “rich” in those places.
The income tax, which was also adopted under Woodrow Wilson (1913?), is another one that the Founding Fathers overlooked. You make it sound as though government is ENTITLED to the money of citizens, especially those EVIL rich people.
When taxes at all levels of government are totalled, some Americans are now paying MORE THAN 50% in taxes. Even God only asks 10%!
Haven’t you heard about all the waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs, particularly federal programs? Doesn’t it bother you just a little bit to send your hard-earned money down such a RATHOLE?