Mike Feinstein has this op-ed in the Riverside, California newspaper, the Press Enterprise. The ad mentions that the “Common Sense” Party is trying to qualify for the ballot, and that the party’s leaders, former Republican Congressman Tom Campbell and former independent State Senator Quentin Kopp, believe that it can be a voice for centrists. The op-ed points out, though, that in the top-two primary, having Common Sense Party candidates for Congress and partisan state office on the primary ballot will probably make it even more likely that two Democrats will emerge from the primary, and then that race will have only two Democrats on the November ballot.
Campbell and Kopp have this op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, boosting the Common Sense Party. They seem to feel the top-two system will help the Common Sense Party, if it gets on the ballot. They ignore the fact that in the entire history of top-two in California, there is not one instance of a minor party candidate placing first or second, if both a Democrat and a Republican had also filed for that office.
I presented PLAS as a possible remedy to Top Two to Richard quite some time ago. I am not sure it would work but it is certainly worth a try. We emailed about it for quite some time. I eventually gave up.
I guess the Common Sense Party ain’t too “common”.
Is Feinstein advocating for a return to the old segregated partisan primary system, and its extremely high support levels for independent candidates? Feinstein is expressing the rigid views of the 20th Century that political expression must be rigidly controlled.
Quentin Koop and Tom Campbell have registered with a party preference of Common Sense.
There is no reason if they were to run for a voter-nominated office that their personal party preference should not appear on the ballot.
The California Constitution requires that candidates and voters can freely participate without regard to their personal party preference. If Koop or Campbell wanted to vote for a candidate with the same or similar views, they would be denied that ability under California statute, on the basis that their viewpoint was not popular enough or did not conform to state orthodoxy. Similarly, if they were to seek office, they would be denied the opportunity to have their political beliefs appear on the ballot.
What rationale can Gavin Newsom or Alex Padilla offer? Voters might be exposed to novel or unorthodox or unpopular ideas, and even vote for those who espoused those ideas?
If the GP nd LP cooperated and maximized coordinated their 27% and 13% vote on EACH ballot on EVERY ballot, balancing at about 50/50 on ALL ballots, they would certainly get either first or second place in the Top Two primary %.
The vote on election day would be less decisive. I think the dems and reps are SO polarized, that the remaining ones would not be able to vote for the other against a green or lib. So they would not vote at all, leaving the green or lib with a majority.
But Richard declined to endorse it. And nobody listens to me.
So here we are.
ANY body in CA besides RW heard about —
PR and AppV and TOTSOP ???
to END the EVIL NON-sense of top 2 primaries.
That is, in a Top Two contest between a dem OR rep and a PLAS green/lib, the remaining dems or reps would be in the position of “choosing the lesser of two evils”. LOL!
The remaining 23% dem vote would have to get at least 18% of the remaining 37% of the rep vote.
The remaining 37% rep vote would have to get at least 14% of the remaining 23% of the dem vote.
It would be close and iffy, but I think enough would decline to crossover vote and either vote for the PLAS candidate or not vote at all.
Needless to say, there would have to be a lot of educating and encouragement and GOTV on the part of BOTH GP and LP.
CAN they do it? I say yes. But WILL they do it? So far, no.
At the very least, California should allow write-in votes in both the primary and general elections. The deadlines are too early to take into consideration changes in the issues, and in attitudes toward candidates, important to the voters.
https://cacommonsense.org/
small army of website folks ???
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About 10-15 pct of folks have NOT voted when there are 2D or 2R in the gerrymander districts due to the CA top 2 primary — BOTH hacks deemed evil.
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PR and AppV and TOTSOP
I am so worn out by constant nonsense typing. I’m also very sticky.
Is the resident troll / pre-skoool juvenile a domestic or foreign govt agent ???
barely capable of dreaming up new anon idiot names for itself.
Gee – why are more and more *politics* sites totally censored — due to such trolls/agents/idiots ???
Demo Rep,
Could you do some commenting at Independent Political Report?
Maybe they would wish me back. Lol!
Demo Rep and Robert Milnes are the most insightful people here. They both provide brilliant analysis. Why can’t you two just get along?
How much for the JUNK ads on IPR – infesting the website ???
Internet ratings of BAN vs IPR ???
ALL trolls, juveniles, agents, etc. to IPR please ASAP.
Why can’t we all just get along?
anarchists and mini-govs and morons do NOT mix.
Why did you stop commenting at IPR? Were you banned? Were the conditions at the Veteran’s home ever improved? Do you still have a problem with Space Cadet Coty?
EG, who are you asking about?
Don lake. Hadn’t heard from him in years. Norman is talking to voices in his head, which is not unusual. I know demo reps real name. He’s not don lake. He would not last long at ipr, and it seems he is not interested anywAy which is a ok.
Maybe they’ll wish you back? No.
I wouldn’t be so sure, paulie. Banning me was not unanimous. Far from it. More like a coalition of the willing. LOL!
That would put you in the role of George Bush. LOL!
But getting past Warren Solomon Redlich, owner Fuhrer would be difficult I grant you.
I remember Don Lake. Please do not confuse me with him, Nathan.
Once I poked fun at Cody’s last name Quirk and he was…well, not happy. I offered my endless apologies.
Well, what about Sinai? You have had some time to think about it.
Smarty pants paulie, you do realize the 82nd Airborne has been deployed to a place where they could easily drop in on Israel, if they so chose?
You know, the theocratic terrorist state? Kinda like ISIS/ISIL?
Richard Winger,
The first top two race was a special election in Los Angeles County. The DEM and REP leadership believe at the time was that two DEM would only make it to top two, viz., one being the SOS. AIP gave an endorsement of a REP over a former AIPer for that race. That REP make it to top two without the REP County Central Committee help.
“But getting past Warren Solomon Redlich, ” Ain’t gonna happen. Whine all you want. You have access here and more people are commenting here these days so why are you still whining anyway?
“I remember Don Lake. Please do not confuse me with him, Nathan.” He wouldn’t confuse you with Don Lake. But it appears he did confuse Demo Rep with Don Lake. They are however two different disturbed individuals. You are yet a third one.
“Well, what about Sinai?” I’m semiretired in Alabama and will be spending almost all of my time there. A few short trips to nearby states in the next few months, including the one I am on through tomorrow in Tennessee, and then I’m home in Alabama for whatever remains of my life. I may also be done with politics after May, or at least after August or September when the ballot drives are done this year.
“82nd Airborne has been deployed to a place where they could easily drop in on Israel,” That’s about as likely as the rest of your fantasies.
“theocratic terrorist state? Kinda like ISIS/ISIL?” I’m not in the least bit a fan of the Israeli state or any other state/regime. You are as always delusional. I’d say get help, but I know you won’t. Neither the kind you want nor the kind you actually need.
@MS,
California permits election by majority in special elections for voter-nominated offices. The first Top 2 election was to fill the vacancy in SD-28 resulting from the death of Jenny Oropeza. SD-28 had been the seat held by Debra Bowen before she was term-limited and ran for SOS. Oropeza died before the 2010 general election and was elected posthumously. Some believed that Bowen had intervened in that race. She had sent a letter noting that votes for Oropeza would be counted. This was presented in a way that could indicate endorsement by Bowen in a district which she would be better known and where an endorsement would have special cachet.
For that first election Debra Bowen issued a diktat that overrode the clear mandate of SB 6 that a candidate’s voter preference would be that which he had expressed on his affidavit of voter registration. Michael Chamness had expressed his preference for the Coffee Party. Bizarrely, his lawyer insisted that Chamness should have “Independent” next to his name. He was eventually admonished by a federal judge who stated that he was misreading case law.
Hopefully, discovery in the Soltysik case will provide the reasoning for Bowen’s decision. It is possible that it was sabotage by the unionized SOS staff. Labor unions were the prime opponents of Proposition 14, because it reduced their influence in Democratic primaries.
If Demo Rep isn’t Don Lake, then what happened to Don Lake?
IDK.
Demo Rep is not Don Lake. I know Demo rep’s real name, but I don’t see any reason to post it if he chooses not to. I don’t know what happened to Don Lake. He had serious health issues, both mental and physical. He may have passed away, not be in any condition to post online, or just found other hobbies. Whatever it is, it has nothing to do with Demo rep.
How about some of the pre-skoooool folks be useful and work on breaking Russia/ China/ N Korea/ Iran war codes and plans ???
Might get a few $$$ Trillion reward from Western Civilization regimes ???
I confirm –
Demo Rep is not ANY OF THE OTHER FOLKS ON THIS LIST.
The EVIL rotted statist monsters from Hell have subverted both the Demo and Rep since 1776
— and have produced the now LAWLESS monarch/tyrant CRISIS in the USA – and in related regimes – UK, France, Canada, India, etc.
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PR and AppV and TOTSOP
Can you post Demo Rep age? Gender.
You already mentioned 2028 which would make him/her about 27.
Demo Rep makes a good point. Washington had a mandate, so didn’t need a party. Since then Duverger’s Law has just made politics slowly worse. More polarized, corrupt, gridlocked.
Speaking of Don Lake, does anyone remember Joffre Stuart? SRAF?
Just saw his obit from last March.
OK, my bad.
The 2028 estimate age 27 would refer to Nathan.
Juvenile M or F would refer to Demo Rep.