The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[JWBear]

I just voted!

[€uroMeinke]

I just voted and now have California über Alles in my head

[innerSpaceman]

With the apparent split between the way California has voted and the way the rest of America has voted, talk of secession is on the rise.



And that's a good thing.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

And that's a good thing.

Really? Have you seen how good this state is at governing itself? Not likely to get better without a steady flow of federal money coming in and a steady supply of the best and brightest from the other 49 cut off.

My prediction for the next two years:

Nothing truly significant will pass. This will be because initially there'll be too much chest puffing to get anything done. And then in three or four months the 2012 presidential campaign will start and neither party will be willing to give the other anything that might remotely help them in that election.

Obama will win again in 2012. The House will remain flat. The senate will flip Republican (because there will still be plenty of pent up anti-incumbency against that 1/3rd of the Senate that can't be relieved in this election).

Nothing significant will change in California because the structural failures can't be fixed by politicians of any party or willingness to work together.

[alphabassettgrrl]

How did Michelle Bachman win?

Dude.

[BarTopDancer]

But I am not a Witch lost. YAY!

[innerSpaceman]

Oh yes, full and total gridlock is in store. But that's better than he Teabaggers and Republicans actually getting to implement their sick agenda. Let them taste do-nothing for a couple of years, and enjoy the flavor of stuck-in-the-mud.

Alex, I wasn't so much addressing California's efficacy as an independent nation. Its government remains appalling. But I'm proud(er) of its voters, as compared to every other state with the exception of New York, in being smart enough to live largely in urban areas and vote the actual lesser of the two evils they are limited to choose from.

[innerSpaceman]

With the exception of the marijuana initiative (which was an intensely bad version of legalization), California seems to have voted pretty wisely on the remaining ballot initiatives as well.

Prop 20 passed - so the redistricting commission voted in by the public not long ago to take that vital function away from the gerrymandering legislature will now have its work apply to U.S. Congressional districts in California, in addition to state legislature districts. There's some weirdities in this law as well that are not so hot, but overall an improvement over the guaranteed incumbency of many Congressional seats.

The related proposition, Prop 27, was defeated. Good. This would have put that redistricting commission entirely out of business, before its even begun to work on state districts - much less the Congressional districts that it will now also have purview over.

Prop 21 was defeated - apparently California voters don't want to save state parks if it means paying $18 more per year on their car registration, or perhaps they reasonably don't believe that their $18 will go towards any such thing when it comes down to it. Either way, not our best moment this election - but not a biggie.

Prop 22 passed - prohibiting the legislature from taking funds which voters have earmarked for transportation, redistricting and certain local government projects and using those to plug the swiss cheese holes in the general budget by spending those monies on other things entirely.

Prop 23 was defeated - this was the other biggie on the ballot, the oil company measure to roll-back the recently-enacted clean air and energy regulations that California has become duly famous and beaconish for. I'm not sure it's sad when only 26% of the people vote when it's entirely possible that only 26% of the people are smart enough to. It's a really good thing this measure failed, despite vast monies spent by oil companies.

Also a biggie, Prop 25 passed - now at least the state budget can be passed with a simple majority vote. It's a step towards inching away from the total gridlock which has paralyzed our state government for decades. But of course, the real power - the power to tax - remains mired in a two-thirds majority requirement. And speaking of which ...

The other low point in the ballot measure results - Prop 26 passed - which will transform most fees and charges to oil and energy companies into taxes that must be approved by a two-thirds majority (and thus will never be levied). This is a big win for oil companies, which I think sneaked-in under the wire while the public was focused on Prop 23. Let's see how much the voters enjoy this when the next big oil spill happens off the Long Beach coast and the offending oil company is not required to pay for clean-up.

[Alex]

Gridlock, to a certain extent, is the Teabagger agenda.

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by Alex

Gridlock, to a certain extent, is the Teabagger agenda.

I hope they bring shovels to DC because they are digging their own graves when nothing gets done.

For all their bitching about the "left" not being willing to give them what they want their mantra of no compromise is going to have the opposite effect on them in the end.

Maybe then the fractures in the Republican party will heal, the religious zelots and far right loons will get the fvck out and join the Tea Party and we can get back to big government vs small government, more tax vs less tax, lets try and meet in the middle politics.