| Author |
Message |
    
Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 1890
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, August 1, 2003 - 4:59 pm: |     |
While any election is serious business, this one may be turning into a farce. People can debate whether the recall law should have been used in this instance, but like it or not the election is going forward.
And the ballot of candidates is going to make the cantina scene in Star Wars look tame ...
Ex. A - Hustler publisher Larry Flynt will run in recall election
quote:Porn king Larry Flynt wants to rule California.
The Hustler magazine publisher has filed initial paperwork to run in the gubernatorial recall election and says he may spend a large amount of his own money if people take his candidacy seriously.
The registered Democrat, civil libertarian and free speech advocate said he'd solve California's budget woes by expanding slot machine gambling. His holdings include several casinos.
***
More than 250 people statewide have taken the very first step of filing the paperwork with county registrars, according to the site. Other quirky candidates include several men named Gray Davis and Angelyne, the blonde, buxom artist made famous by her depiction on numerous Hollywood billboards.
To get on the Oct. 7 ballot, declared candidates also need at least 65 signatures from voters registered in their party.
|
John Davenport
Citizen
Username: Jjd
Post Number: 85
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 1, 2003 - 6:16 pm: | |
George Will published a column saying that this recall election will hurt the Republicans for 2004. I hope he is right. After all, it was Republican refusal to countenance ANY tax increases, no matter how desperate the fiscal crisis, that (as usual) has caused California's predicament. Well, their mouth-frothing frenzied ideological anti-tax libertarianism along with a really stupid clause in the California constitution requiring a 2/3 vote for tax increases (thereby assuring libertarians that even when they are in the minority they can always destroy the common good for their own self-interest). Of course California has lots of other problems -- a flood of immigrants, water supply difficulties, electricity gougers etc. But its biggest problem has been, and remains, libertarian ideology itself. |
lumpyhead
Citizen
Username: Lumpyhead
Post Number: 354
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Friday, August 1, 2003 - 7:03 pm: | |
Umm, last time I checked, California was the most liberal Democratic state in the country. Lord knows where some people get their ideas. |
Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 1911
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 12:28 pm: | |
Flynt's in, and the list of candidates is growing. According to the San Jose Mercury News:
quote:Fear not, you California voters seeking a celebrity fix come Oct. 7. Should the Terminator take a pass on the state's top job, there's still an opportunity to restore some Hollywood grandeur to the governor's mansion:
Gary Coleman.
While Californians await Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement tonight of whether he's in or out, a coalition of Coleman supporters said they are filing papers this morning in Alameda County to make the diminutive star of the '80s sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" the first Hollywood personality on the Oct. 7 ballot.
|
zoe
Citizen
Username: Zoe
Post Number: 297
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 1:03 pm: | |
California is going down the drain, and something must be done. John Davenport, please move to California. We need sane people living there. You could save it.
|
JJC
Citizen
Username: Mercury
Post Number: 78
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 1:28 pm: | |
California will be OK - this is their own system of checks and balances - wacky as it may seem. The recall election is just as bug a joke - and a political move by the opposition party. I see a pattern from Florida to Colorado to Texas to California. I don't think anyone from NJ can point a finger at California - this state may have a semi-balanced budget but it is a shameful mess. |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 697
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 4:51 pm: | |
If Jesse Ventura can be Gov. of Minnesota, Fred Grandy (Gopher from "Love Boat") can be in the House of Representatives, and a dead guy can win an office (forget which state) why can't Larry Flynt run for office?
Gray Davis is one of the boneheads who helped partially deregulate the power industry in California. Why would you let power producers charge any price they want and restrict what power suppliers can charge the consumer? Duh. |
JJC
Citizen
Username: Mercury
Post Number: 79
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 5:52 pm: | |
I lived on the west coast when the energy markets were being 'gamed' by Enron, Dynegy, etc. Although California did have some holes in their system, it was the energy companies that colluded to create a crisis. We all know what was going on then - Davis included - and we tried to make noise about it. California was forced into high-cost long-term electricity contracts and had to borrow $$$ to pay for energy and support some of the in-state power companies. Not good choices - but there were not good options then either. It was a complete ripoff. But with Enron's backers in the White House (Cheney, Bush etc), no action was taken. A substantial amount of money moved from west coast states to Texas. Now we have Republicans blaming him for the crisis? He-llo! I am suprised this has not happened here - there seems to be an even greater lack of accountability. |
Dave Ross
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4979
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 5:53 pm: | |
(the dead guy actually beat Ashcroft, btw) |
Iaowks Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 343
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 6:03 pm: | |
The New Yorker had an article explaining that degregulation of power isn't necessarily bad. It can be done badly, as it was in California, and it can be done well, and they claimed that it was done well in Pennsylvania. I don't remember the details. I probably didn't manage to read the article before the next issue arrives, which happens often: that magazine has so much to read, in just one week!
Tom Reingold
|
JJC
Citizen
Username: Mercury
Post Number: 80
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 7:49 pm: | |
I am not convinced that it can be done well - where there is money, there is corruption. Yes - in theory it sounds OK but govt managing energy for a common purpose and private industry managing energy for profit are two very different things. |
anon
Citizen
Username: Anon
Post Number: 747
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 8:58 pm: | |
Is Fred Profeta considering relocating so he can run? |
Dave Ross
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4981
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 10:32 pm: | |
Arnold's in the race. |
Sylvester De Lilac
Citizen
Username: Delilac
Post Number: 6
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 10:44 pm: | |
So am I |
ml1
Citizen
Username: Ml1
Post Number: 1176
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2003 - 8:07 am: | |
Looking forward to hearing the debates. When Huffington, Arnold, and the others start speaking, you'll need subtitles to understand what they're talking about. |
ajc
Citizen
Username: Ajc
Post Number: 1686
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2003 - 9:28 am: | |
Excuse me Dave, Arnold's the Republican in the race... |
Dave Ross
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4984
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2003 - 10:07 am: | |
Sure, but he's been married to a Kennedy so long I'm sure he's quite moderate. |
dgm
Citizen
Username: Dgm
Post Number: 129
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2003 - 10:07 am: | |
1>Power deregulation is a farce. Check your July power bill vs. your august or september bill. there will be 15% increase in rates after a 3 year mandated freeze.
2> John Davenport is right, the polarization of the California Legislature, accentuated by safe districts, and term limits almost guaranty that no consensus can be reached on fiscal policy. |
steel
Citizen
Username: Steel
Post Number: 321
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2003 - 10:18 am: | |
I would love to see Ariana and Arnold in a debate. I've enjoyed Arnold's movies but I think she would rip him into little pieces. She has been living, thinking and writing about issues for a very long time and knows all the players in politics and the media. She also has a razor-sharp mind for details and the sheer volume of her columns from which she can recall is staggering, (http://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/). Arnold would be standing there looking for a script and glancing at his handlers for clues. |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 699
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2003 - 12:59 pm: | |
Just when you thought it couldn't get any stranger.....
Gary Coleman (Different Strokes) has entered the race for Governor of California, and apparently Gallagher (the "comedian") is collecting signatures to enter the race.
I can't wait to find out who will enter next. |
Dave Ross
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4987
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2003 - 3:00 pm: | |
Looks like publicists figured it's an easy way to get your client's name in front of millions. I'd like to see Gallagher in the Senate smashing watermellons as a filiBUSTER. |
tjohn
Citizen
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 1631
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 11, 2003 - 10:05 am: | |
Beware of politicians of Austrian birth - old German proverb. |
steel
Citizen
Username: Steel
Post Number: 327
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Monday, August 11, 2003 - 5:31 pm: | |
I have to say that I am very much looking forward to how this election shakes-out.
-How well will the image icon of Arnold work and hold up under real scrutiny of issues and credentials?
-Will there even be real scrutiny of issues and credentials?
-Will the very sharp candidate/pundit Ariana score points or be a non-starter?
-Will Davis be able to defend himself by attacking with the help of the national Dem party as they realize that California with all it's electoral votes could very possibly soon have a Republican Gov?
-Will Gary Coleman get a booster seat at the debates? |
Dave Ross
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4996
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 11, 2003 - 6:13 pm: | |
Coleman already announced he's voting for Ahnold. |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 702
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 1:39 pm: | |
This is the ultimate reality TV show. How can the winner ever be taken seriously? If Gray Davis wins he still will have absolutely no credibility with the public. He is being humiliated on a daily basis.
If Ahnold wins it will be a total farce. Has anyone heard him speak about the issues?
This has the potential of being a better sideshow than the Presidential voting fiasco in Florida. |
-af
Citizen
Username: Java_drinker
Post Number: 264
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 2:04 pm: | |
how many signatures do I need to recall Bush? |
tjohn
Citizen
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 1641
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 2:09 pm: | |
I assume that the California Board of Elections is planning to sell news coverage rights for this election. If you must host a media circus, the least you can do is turn a profit. |
ashear
Citizen
Username: Ashear
Post Number: 664
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 3:30 pm: | |
johhny - Micky Kaus stole your idea! http://slate.msn.com/id/2086905/ |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 4:19 pm: | |
The real fault for the energy crisis is misguided liberalism trying to 'deregulate' by capping prices to consumer, but not on what suppliers have to pay. You had a drought which slashed imports from the NW's hydro-power plants by over 20%, an explosion in a major pipeline of natural gas from TX, and CA never allowed plants to build enough capacity to increase supply (more liberalism) -- leaving CA at the mercy of import prices. As FERC said -- "supply-demand imbalance, flawed market design and inconsistent rules made possible significant market manipulation as delineated in the final report. Without underlying market dysfunction, attempts to manipulate would not be successful."
|
woodstock
Citizen
Username: Woodstock
Post Number: 296
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 4:50 pm: | |
cjc,
I think there's blame to go around. While I wouldn't blame "liberalism" (that's a code-word that doesn't even make sense in this context), there was definitely not enough local capacity, which California should have developed.
But companies exploited the situation and, as the FERC said, manipulated the market.
Were forces beyond the control of anyone responsible? Partially. Was the CA government responsible? Partially. Were pseudo-energy companies like Enron responsible? Partially. Was the average CA resident responsible? Partially. They wanted to have their cake and eat it too (I never quite understood that phrase). They wanted to keep their environment clean, not have nuke plants, but still have lots of power capacity.
Waiting For The Electrician, Or Someone Like Him |
JJC
Citizen
Username: Mercury
Post Number: 82
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 5:43 pm: | |
cjc - you should check your facts on this one. Having lived thru this, the crisis was not created by 'liberalism' but by fraud and criminal activity. Enron and their co-hort gamed the system (granted, a somewhat flawed system) - and colluded with California power producers to withhold generating capacity from the system. Can you explain why there have not been a power crunch in the west since Enron went out of business? The fact is, there is sufficient power capacity in CA. As far as the FERC - whose pocket do you think they were/are in? Connect the dots - Dick Cheney, Texas, oil...all goes together. Even the 'deregulation' in NJ is now coming into the light of day. Where are the lower prices? Where is the choice? |
anon
Citizen
Username: Anon
Post Number: 758
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 8:14 pm: | |
How many signatures do I need to recall California?
Kidding aside, I think it is an insult to democracy, and I think the media is a principal culprit. By giving Arnold S. millions of dollars worth of free coverage and all but ignoring any other candidate they are annointing him. CNN covered a speech he gave yesterday in New York! Would they cover a speech 3000 miles from California by Peter Uberoth, or Bill Simon or Bustamonte or Arrington
With over 150 candidates there will not be any debates. And contrary to what the pundits say, Arnold does not have to take a stand on any issue. All he does by taking any position is alienate some voters. The way it is going, by election day a majority of voters will not even be able to identify any candidate other than Schwarzenegger.
It becomes a race between Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, except that if Davis gets 49% and Arnold gets 25%, Arnold wins!
The race for the Democratic nomination for President is another insult to Democracy. Not one vote has yet been cast and there are "front runners". It's all about media attention and raising money. How many candidates will be left by the time of the Iowa caucuses? And once those are held and the New Hampshire Primary takes place, the race is all over. And think about it: Iowa and New Hampshire? Do they represent the country?
New Jersey is totally disenfranchised. By the time of our Primary, the contest will be decided. And considering how the State tilts Democratic, there will be no real contest in the General Election. Bush might not even campaign here. |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 2
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 9:08 am: | |
Woodstock and JJC:
What I meant by liberalism is either a basic or willful misunderstanding of how markets work in that deregulation scheme (see having your cake and eat it too on consumer prices). As well, the liberal environmentalism which harms any upgrade and construction of capacity. I put the blame right there. You can choose not to. No conservative (or even a Goldman Sachs liberal with a clue) would have proposed that half-assed dereg scheme.
JJC, I didn't "live through this" as you ostensibly have, but facts are facts whether I'm hot an angry or air-conditioned and amused. You couldn't manipulate the market on simple atmosphere in this country simply because the supply is so vast. You increase supply and choice, and prices tend to go down. The manipulation was minor, not non-existant, but minor. As for deregulation in NJ, prices have only started to be market based. I'm not at all shocked that prices will go up at first. Given the political climate of NJ, I won't be surprised if we find ourselves in a CA squeeze at some point, but I'm not entirely familiar with the dereg plans here. As for why no power crunch in the West since Enron evaporated, you can point to the 20% of power from the NW again being imported to CA, as well as not nearly as severe temperatures in CA, the gas pipeline hasn't blown up out of TX (see: "supply").
And if you want to connect some dots on Enron, you really have to start with the Clinton Admin. But that's a very long and detailed post. Businesses play both sides of the political coin, and the cliche that business equals republicans is hooey., |
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page