Election

A Few Election 2012 Winners and Losers

November 13, 2012 by Jim Miller

This just in: we’re not the Wisconsin of the West. There were some big winners and losers in last week’s election and the principal players themselves have gotten the bulk of the attention. Here are a few of the most noteworthy victors and flops besides the candidates themselves. Let’s start with the triumphs:

1) Labor-Community Alliances:San Diego elected the first genuinely progressive mayor in its history even though the Filner forces were outspent.

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Letter to a Future Republican Strategist Regarding White People

November 13, 2012 by Source

To whom it may concern regarding the United States federal elections of 2014, 2016 and beyond:

Allow me to introduce myself to you, the existing (or aspiring!) strategist for the Republican Party. My name is Eric Arnold Garland and I am a White Man. Boy, am I ever – you need sunglasses just to look at my photo!

If I read the news correctly, I fit a profile that is of extreme importance to the GOP, as I embody the archetype that fits your narrative of Real Americans. Just how much should my profile interest you? Are you sitting down?

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Ocean Beach Went for Filner for Mayor Big Time – Giving Filner Almost 20 Points Over DeMaio

November 9, 2012 by Frank Gormlie

Voters in Ocean Beach went for Bob Filner big time on Tuesday, Election Day 2012. Filner beat DeMaio by a margin of 19 and a half points, with Filner getting 53.9% and DeMaio obtaining 34.4%.

This is compared to the overall City vote where Filner won 51.5 ^% of the vote to DeMaio’s 48.5 %.

This was no surprise, as OBceans voted en masse for Filner during the June Primary as well.

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The Dawning of the New Progressive Era in San Diego

November 8, 2012 by Frank Gormlie

The Most Liberal Administration in San Diego History Is About to Take Its Seat

With the election of Congressman Bob Filner to fill San Diego’s mayoral seat, coupled with a now 5 to 4 Democratic majority on the city’s Council as Sheri Lightner has defeated Ray Ellis – we can now claim the dawning of San Diego’s New Progressive Era.

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Obama, Filner, Peters … Elizabeth Warren? OMG! Is this the New Progressive Era?

November 7, 2012 by Frank Gormlie

Election day was a progressive’s dream come true, wasn’t it? Well, almost, and well – in some ways, not really. But progressives did win some big ones yesterday – and yes, at this moment, there’s almost 10,000 votes between Bob Filner and Carl DeMaio – so, that race is really too close to call, and even though Scott Peters leads Bilbray – he only has about 700 votes over him – so, that one will certainly go to a re-count.

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Election 2012: Live Blogging at the OB Rag

November 6, 2012 by Frank Gormlie

8:37pm FOUR MORE YEARS! 5:17pm – pst ……….  More voting irregularities NEVADA — Minor issues so far. Two voting machines were taken out of service because of malfunctions and one touchscreen did not reflect the proper choice, officials said. Authorities corrected the issues, reported Catherine Lu, spokeswoman for the secretary of state. VIRGINIA — Long [...]

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Do I need a California ID to vote? Where is my Polling Place? The Quick and Easy Guide to Election Day

November 5, 2012 by Anna Daniels

Here are some frequently asked questions about election day voting in San Diego County. The source for all of the information below is provided by the League of Women Voters at smartvoter.org unless otherwise specified. Information in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and Filipino here.

When are the polls open?

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OBcean Gregg Robinson: Candidate for County Board of Education

November 5, 2012 by Source
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By Mel Freilicher/ San Diego Free Press

Gregg Robinson is running as a candidate for the County Board of Education. He has dedicated his life to addressing, and working toward redressing, the growing inaccessibility of educational opportunities due to poverty. This is reflected in his scholarly research and publications, his career as a teacher as well as his ongoing involvement in community organizations.

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End Shadow Government in San Diego and California: Elect Bob Filner and Frustrate Charles Munger and Company

November 5, 2012 by Jim Miller
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If you can get past the multi-million dollar glut of garbage that Carl DeMaio and his sleazy allies are throwing at Bob Filner in the closing days of the election, the choice San Diegans face is a simple one: do you want the same old moneyed interests running San Diego or do you want to take a step toward a more democratic city government that listens to the voices of ordinary citizens more than to the pleas of the plutocrats?

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Why Election Day Marks the Beginning of the End of Marijuana Prohibition

November 5, 2012 by Source

By Paul Armentano / Alternet / Nov. 2, 2012

Colorado and Washington – are poised to make history.

In Colorado, voters will decide on Amendment 64, a Constitutional amendment that allows for those age 21 or older to legally possess up to one ounce of cannabis and cultivate up to six cannabis plants in the privacy of their home. …

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The Continued Economic Woes of Colleges in California

November 2, 2012 by Source

By Rachel Higgins / San Diego Politico / Nov. 2, 2012

While college students nationwide have contended with skyrocketing tuition prices in recent years, the growth of these costs has been particularly substantial in California. The increases have been primarily attributed to the state budget, and in response, many California congressmen have enacted various prescriptions intended to control costs more effectively.

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Ryan invites feminist to phone for Romney — oops!

November 2, 2012 by Source

By Kit-Bacon Gressitt / Excuse Me, I’m Writing / Nov. 1, 2012

Last Tuesday, one day after the worst of Hurricane Sandy and one week before Election Day, I received an email from Republican VP candidate Rep. Paul Ryan, inviting me to phone bank for the Romney-Ryan ticket.

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SeaWorld Gave GOP More Money than It Spent on Conservation

November 2, 2012 by Source

An Update on SeaWorld’s Conservation Efforts: SeaWorld Supports the GOP  From A Grand Passion “SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has spent about $160,000 so far this cycle. Eighty percent of its money has gone to GOP candidates and causes.” If you are at all interested in SeaWorld’s financial state regarding the upcoming election I urge you [...]

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Elect Bob Filner Mayor of San Diego

November 2, 2012 by Staff
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The 2012 San Diego mayoral race is quite possibly the most important in this city’s history. It is a choice between two very different candidates with two near completely divergent visions of what this city’s future looks like.

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A Progressive’s Guide to 2012 California Ballot Propositions

November 2, 2012 by Doug Porter

We’ve Changed Our Minds about Prop 35, but NOT about Sex Trafficking

Over the past six weeks or so we’ve had lots to say about the various propositions that voters will be looking at for the fall elections. Rather than make you look up each article (and in some cases there have been multiple articles) I’ve put together a handy cheat sheet.

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Scott Peters for Congress

November 2, 2012 by Staff
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On Nov. 6, San Diego voters will have the opportunity to choose between Republican incumbent Congressman Brian Bilbray, or his Democratic challenger, Port Commissioner and former City Council President Scott Peters. The differences between the candidates are stark, and their leadership will no doubt have a profound effect on San Diego’s future.

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New Poll: Filner Ahead by 7 Points Over DeMaio

November 1, 2012 by Staff

A brand new poll by Pharos Research Group just out shows Congressman Bob Filner ahead of Councilman Carl DeMaio by 7 points.

According to the polling, 47.5% of likely voters in San Diego would vote for Filner and 40.7% are for DeMaio, with 11.9% undecided.

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Why Carl DeMaio Has Made San Diego the “Battleground City” for his Radical Privatization Agenda

October 31, 2012 by Frank Gormlie
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DeMaio Carries the Radical Right’s Agenda of the Private Ownership of (Our) Government

It was in the middle of April back in 2011, and a couple hundred local Republican bigwigs were holding a gala “unity night” at the Kona Kai on Shelter Island. Mayor Jerry Sanders was joining Republican Councilman Kevin Faulconer, other honchos and establishment types from the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln Club, the Taxpayers Association, plus cadres of right-wing activists – all coming together in an orgy of unified puffery.

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No More Stolen Elections! Sign the Pledge here.

October 30, 2012 by Source
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Join Noam Chomsky, Thom Hartmann, Tom Hayden, Jill Stein, Medea Benjamin, Rocky Anderson, Daniel Ellsberg, and Margaret Flowers and many others in signing this pledge.

A national organization Liberty Tree has called for Americans to sign a pledge – promising “No More Stolen Elections!”

American democracy is in crisis. The election of November 6th, 2012, is just one week away, and certain aspects of that election are already perfectly clear. Millions of Americans may be denied their inalienable right to vote. Millions more will be denied the right to vote for the candidate of their choice.

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Hey Obama Democrats, Don’t Get Fooled Again: DeMaio and His Big Money Friends Are Out to Screw San Diego and Ruin California

October 29, 2012 by Jim Miller

“We have a conservative movement that has learned, over the decades, to mimic many of the characteristics of its enemies.” ~ Thomas Frank

During the run-up to the June primary Carl DeMaio used a quote from one of my OB Rag columns in a mailer attacking Nathan Fletcher that implied the Rag’s support for his candidacy. My response was a column, “Carl DeMaio is a Dangerous, Mean-Spirited Liar and Other Tales of Fear and Loathing in San Diego” where I observed:
>As Frank Gormlie noted in an OB Rag piece last Saturday, Carl DeMaio used a pull quote from one of my OB Rag columns describing Nathan Fletcher as a “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” . . . What is not at all surprising here is that DeMaio uses my piece and the OB Rag logo out of context, without permission, implying our endorsement of him. That kind of sleazy, unethical behavior is his raison d’etre.

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We’ve Changed Our Minds about Prop 35, but NOT about Sex Trafficking

October 29, 2012 by Source

During a meeting of the San Diego Free Press Editorial Board over the weekend, some of us expressed reservations regarding our stand, as a group, on a YES endorsement of Proposition 35. We agreed that we would do more research and report back. Below are the opinions of two of our members, whose views mirror my own and are expressed much more eloquently. ~ Editor du Jour, Patty Jones

SDFP Editorial Board Member Anna Daniels

Wading through the propositions on the ballot this year required both time and effort. I have felt largely confident about the positions I had taken on issues and candidates, except for Prop 35, the anti-sex trafficking initiative. …

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Romney’s Job Creation Plan That No One Is Talking About

October 29, 2012 by Source

By John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press / Oct. 27, 2012

Mitt Romney has a jobs creation plan if he becomes President, alright. But no one, including Mitt Romney himself, is talking about it.

Remember the $2 trillion he wants to spend on the military? That $2 trillion he wants to spend on the military which the Pentagon doesn’t even want (but Defense contractors certainly do) translates into a huge jobs program.

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DeMaio Campaign Tactic Backfires, US Attorney Laura Duffy Under Investigation as Calls for Her Resignation Mount

October 26, 2012 by Doug Porter

It all started with “a staff member” from Carl DeMaio’s mayoral campaign leaking an email from U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy, who was unhappy with Congressman Bob Filner for lashing out in response to attacks by the City Councilman, who had just re-stated his oft disproved claims about Filner’s pension.

This ‘leak’ was to be yet another salvo in a last ditch campaign to portray Filner as too unreasonable and hostile to be Mayor of San Diego. Instead, it’s blown up in his face. Questions about whether Duffy was in violation of the Hatch Act, which restricts the activities of government employees in partisan political campaigns, are now at the forefront of the controversy.

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Bilbray Is a No-Show at Ocean Beach Town Council Debate; Scott Peters Makes His Case

October 25, 2012 by Andy Cohen

Bilbray’s campaign had confirmed his attendance – no reason given for his absence.

Congressional candidates Scott Peters and Brian Bilbray were scheduled to square off in front of the Ocean Beach Town Council last night as a part of the council’s Candidates Forum, but apparently someone forgot to inform Mr. Bilbray. Instead, Democrat Scott Peters held the floor to answer questions from the audience.

It was noted that the council had invited Mr. Bilbray, and that he and his campaign had confirmed that he would attend. No explanation was given for his absence.

“I want to cut costs to save the program,” Peters said when asked about the attack ads by his opponent regarding his stance on Medicare. “Mr. Bilbray has voted to cut benefits and end the program.” He said that savings in Medicare can be achieved by allowing the government to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, which it currently by law cannot do; by reducing fraud and overbilling; electronic record keeping that will help increase efficiencies; and taking it from “a sick care system to a healthcare system that incentivizes prevention.”

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Bill Moyers: The Plutocracy Will Go to Extremes to Keep the 1% in Control

October 24, 2012 by Source
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Moyers, Matt Taibbi and Chrystia Freeland explain how the plutocrats have willfully confused their self-interest with America’s interest.

From BillMoyers.com and AlterNet /October 19, 2012

The One Percent is not only increasing their share of wealth — they’re using it to spread millions among political candidates who serve their interests. Example: Goldman Sachs, which gave more money than any other major American corporation to Barack Obama in 2008, is switching alliances this year; their employees have given $900,000 both to Mitt Romney’s campaign and to the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future. Why?

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Romney’s Bain Capital To Send Nearly 200 High-Tech Jobs to China the Day Before the Election

October 24, 2012 by Staff

By Joshua Holland /Alternet

On the day before an election that’s supposed to hinge on jobs, taxes and the middle class, Bain Capital, the company Mitt Romney founded, will close the doors of a factory in Freeport, Illinois, and ship 170 good, high-tech jobs to China.

The employees of Sensata Technologies were forced to train their Chinese replacements, and the American flag that long flew over the factory was reportedly removed while the Chinese engineers were visiting the site. A group of workers have set up camp across from the factory — calling it “Bainport” — and some supporters have tried to block the trucks hauling equipment out of the plant. According to Dave Johnson, there have been several arrests.

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