Category: Election

I just had to post this headline. I think it’s great. Prop 19 got more votes – 3.4 million – than Meg Whitman for governor – 3.1 million. Yes, it failed by 55% to 45%. For comparison, look at the outcome of the 1972 version of Prop. 19, which would have legalized possession and cultivation of marijuana, but not sales. That proposition failed overwhelmingly, 66.5% to 33.5%.

Here’s some more thoughts on Prop 19:
Three Reasons California’s Pot Legalization Effort Failed …

by John Lawrence/Will Blog for Food

I can think of no more apt metaphor for what voters did to themselves than the title of this post. Dissatisfied with the economy, voters voted in a party dedicated to the destruction of the economy as far as the middle class is concerned. They voted for a great economy for Wall Street bankers and billionaires. Obama, despite his failure to get the economy back on track in two years and despite his Republican lite tendencies and seeming inability to take a strong stand, is vastly preferable to the Republicans who now control the House. Obama, who already was governing from the right of center, is continually accused of being a left wing socialist and told by Republicans that he now must move to the right. If he moves to the right any further, he might as well resign from the Democratic party and join the Tea Baggers.

By Rocky Neptun

About forty activists, mostly Democrats, gathered last week for breakfast at the office of the San Diego Foundation for Change to lick their wounds, investigate what went wrong and listen to an exciting presentation on possible future progressive election victories.

Lamenting the Republican gains in the mid-term elections, participants, ranging from the chair of the San Diego Democratic Club to the editor of Indian Voices to church groups, power liberals all, spoke of their despair over what many saw as a conservative turn to the electorate.

By Colleen Dietzel

I attended Tom Hayden’s talk on Thursday with the rest of the mostly over 50’s crowd to hear his take on the depressing results of the election.

He was somewhat comforting with his wit and that not all the outcomes were bad. California elected Jerry Brown and possibly Kamala Harris for attorney general. He reminded us of the important work Jerry Brown did as past governor in promoting alternative energy. As with any politician Jerry Brown is not perfect but he will move us forward in the area of green jobs and alternative energy.

By Joe Howard Crews / The Progressive Post

The deadly red TEA tide swept across America Tuesday, drowning many progressive leaders and fortresses – but New England on the East Coast, and California on the “Left Coast” survived.

As the largest, strongest and best positioned fortress for progress, California must rearm quickly to build for the future, to show the rest of the nation the wisdom of “Government of the people, by the people and for the people.” We are now America’s best hope. Let’s do it!

Msnbc TV host Keith Olbermann was suspended indefinitely on Friday [November 5, 2010] for making campaign donations to three Democratic congressional candidates, apparently in violation of NBC News ethics policy.

The incident the other night at Election Central at Golden Hall where defeated tea bagger Nick Popaditch and his supporters corralled, harassed, and shoved the winner of the Congressional race Bob Filner up against a column, has not been covered by the mainstream media. Except for the OB Rag, the San Diego CityBeat, and the Chula Vista Starnews, San Diego and national press have ignored this violent and anti-Semitic incident against a sitting member of the US House of Representatives. (The OB Rag – with the help of CityBeat and others – broke this story.)

The story also has even more ugliness and a deep undertone of white supremacy. …

I wanted to share something with our readers about extremist views and how they manifest themselves in everyday life.

And I don’t want to appear to be picking on Nick Popaditch – the recently defeated Tea Party candidate who lost to Bob Filner in the 51st Congressional District. Just because he and his supporters engaged in some anti-Semitic shoving and violence at Election Central the other night does not mean that Popaditch himself is against nature.

By: Herman Baca /Committee on Chicano Rights

Another election has come and the 2010 elections are finally over. After a landslide victory in 2008 President Barack Obama, and the Democratic Party lost the House of Representatives, numerous congressional, governorships and almost the U.S. Senate. Principal reason for the defeat was the economic downturn, caused by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For the burgeoning Chicano community …

Following in the spirit of Doug Porter’s efforts to find the silver linings in the dark clouds that enveloped the nation on Election Day, I perused the U-T this morning and went over the numbers. I wanted to find the goodies in the slack bag of ‘trick or treat’ candy we were handed on Tuesday.

Editor: Here is a repost from November 2010.

Tonight, as election returns were flowing into San Diego Election Central at Golden Hall, an ugly scene erupted when Popaditch supporters harassed Bob Filner, the Democratic Congressman. Filner had just won re-election against Popaditch in the 51st Congressional District.

Chanting aggressively and calling Filner names, a band of Popaditch supporters corralled Filner and a couple of staffers, in effect pushing the Congressmen and his party close to a wall at Golden Hall. The crowd of Popaditch supporters were chanting their candidate’s name, not in an excited, friendly manner, but in an aggressive, confrontational way.

12:09 am PDT – Let’s end with something positive: Sharon Angle’s concession speech where she admits 80% of the money…