Primary Day, and the brave new world of
California politics

post from Daily Kos on 03 June 2012 09:00:04 PM. © Daily Kos

Tuesday marks a new era in Golden State politics

When California reverted back to a June primary this year, it was a qualified risk. After all, it made it a near-certainty that the Golden State, and its 15 million voters, would in all probability be irrelevant to the presidential sweepstakes.

However, due to a change in state electoral procedure precipitated by a 2010 voter initiative, California will still manage to get a lot of attention on Tuesday night, as its "top two" open primary takes place for the first time.

Until this year, voters in California participated in what was best defined as a "modified closed" primary structure. Simply put, if you registered with a partisan identification, you were locked in to participate only in the primary elections for the party to which you belonged. The only people with freedom of choice, as it happened, were the roughly one in five California voters who declined to state affiliation with a party. Those folks were allowed to choose in which primary they wanted to take part.

Now, outside of the presidential ballot (a previous open primary law in the late 1990s ran afoul in court over presidential selection procedures), everyone gets the same ballot. For every other electoral contest, all candidates (regardless of party) will appear on one ballot. The two candidates receiving the most votes, regardless of partisan affiliation, then move on to the general election in November.

California is not the pioneer of this particular concept?Washington already has this structure in place. But, with 12 percent of the House up for grabs, the Golden State is going to naturally get a lot of attention.

That attention is surely merited, especially when one realizes that this new system of primary elections is coupled with another critical sea change in California politics prompted by voter initiative?the commission-based redistricting of the California electoral map. The net result is a series of maps across the board where incumbency and classic political calculations were seemingly tossed out the window.

The net result is that a state that had fewer competitive races than Iowa over the past decade suddenly has more than a dozen legitimately competitive races for November on tap in the House and even more downballot in the state legislature. California, without question, is going to matter a great deal in November

Before that, however, in-state political observers are keenly interested in how this new primary election structure will impact California politics. There are three questions, in particular, that will all get answered by this time Wednesday:

1. Will the new system embolden Independent candidates, or kill them off?

Little in this new electoral structure has been more hotly debated than how candidates outside of the Democratic/Republican two-party framework will fare in this new system.

We'll know for certain when the results roll in, but here is an early, educated guess. There will be fewer of them in the mix come November, but there will be an increased chance that they can actually find themselves in elected office after November.

For an object example, let us look at CA-26, which is centered in Ventura County. On paper, the district is a swing district, with perhaps a modest lean favoring the Democrats. The three leading candidates on Tuesday's ballot are Republican state senator Tony Strickland, Democratic state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, and Republican County Commissioner Linda Parks.

But Parks is not running as a Republican. She is running as an Independent, working double time to emphasize that she is running to be a bridge between the two parties.

Whether that stance is the product of legitimate conversion, or political calculation, is an open question. There is no question that Parks is less conservative than Strickland, and that might actually have played into the political calculation. To put it bluntly, there is no way in Hell that Parks could have made the top two as a Republican. But she has an outside shot at doing so as an Independent.

A similar calculation was made by state assemblyman Nathan Fletcher in San Diego, where he is running for Mayor, and also by Chad Condit, the son of former conservaDem Central Valley Rep. Gary Condit. Condit is seeking a spot on the November ballot in the Valley's 10th district, where he appears likely to miss the cut behind incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Denham and astronaut (and star DCCC recruit) Jose Hernandez.

If one of these three makes the cutoff, then perhaps this shows a path to relevance for candidates outside of the two-party "monopoly." If all three fall by the wayside, then it would seem that complaints that the new system emboldens the two existing parties have at least some merit, since the relevance of third-party candidates would end in June, denying them the chance to remain relevant into November, even in a spoiler role.

2. Will June be a predictor for November in key races?

It is very telling that Republican Abel Maldonado, who is challenging veteran Democratic Rep. Lois Capps in CA-24 along the state's central coast, has already spent over a million dollars in his congressional bid. It is equally telling that Capps has already spent over $900,000. Because of the "open" nature of the primary, these elections can serve a purpose of acting as a bellwether for which races will be competitive come the Fall.

It is not a perfect method, of course: primary turnout will be a fraction of the turnout in November, which would make it logical to assume that Republicans should do better in June than they will do in November, given that more casual voters tend to lean left.

However, the heavy spending in that race, and others (the CA-07 rematch between Republican Rep. Dan Lungren and Democrat Ami Bera immediately comes to mind), tells us that a lot of candidates are running a very different campaign in this primary cycle than we might expect in a typical primary, where leading candidates tend to stay dormant and hoard their resources for the stretch run.

3. Will this new system inadvertently screw Democrats?

With money being so critical to electoral success, one of the unintended consequences of this new structure of elections may well be to dry up resources for some Democrats, simply because candidates having to rerun primaries in November will siphon up monies that might otherwise go to other Democrats who are going heads-up against Republican opponents.

The golden case in point here could well be the huge incumbent-on-incumbent showdown in LA's San Fernando Valley. Yes, I am referring to the Shberman Showdown, as veteran Congressmen Howard Berman and Brad Sherman compete in CA-30.

Here is a quite likely scenario to consider: Berman and Sherman, in this overwhelmingly Democratic district, could quite possibly emerge from Tuesday night as the two leading candidates out of the 30th district. If that happens, then the two of them would face each other again in a November rematch.

To date, the two men have already spent (gulp!) north of $5.5 million in their bid to stay in office. Democrats have to shudder to think how much more these two men will be able to raise in the five months to follow, should they both make the cut on Tuesday night.

A similar, though slightly cheaper, scenario is liable to take place down the road in south Los Angeles County, where incumbents Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson are squaring off in CA-44. They've spent $2.3 million between the two of them (with Hahn crushing Richardson 6-to-1), and they are virtually certain to be the top two.

There is unlikely to be a comparable case for the GOP in California. There is an outside chance that the open seat in the High Desert region of California (CA-08) could yield two Republicans transferring to the general, but that is a comparably lightly funded affair. The top two spenders thus far in the 8th have spent a mere $570K in comparison. Plus, there are so many Republicans vying for this seat that one of the two Democrats in the field seems a pretty safe bet to make it to November.

Next Sunday, we will revisit California and see how the first open primary in the Golden State in over a decade played out. One thing already seems certain: even after the incredible excitement of the Wisconsin recall elections, to say nothing of the five other primaries on deck Tuesday night, California is going to give political junkies a bunch of reasons to stay up really late on Tuesday night.

As you'd expect, the crew here at Daily Kos/Daily Kos Elections will be all over it on Tuesday night. We certainly hope you'll be here with us as the biggest election night (other than that one in November, of course) plays out.

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rave-new-world-of-California-politics

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Pique the Geek 20120603: Fireflies

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 03 June 2012 08:59:57 PM. © Docudharma - Front Page

'Tis the time of the season here in the Bluegrass for fireflies (or, as we used to call them at home in Arkansas, lightening bugs). Fireflies are an amazingly large group of insects, and are found on all continents except Antarctica.The experts[...]

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Summer Vacation 2012 Best PicksAs Always It Is
Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit & Galveston

post from Texas Liberal on 03 June 2012 08:52:05 PM. © Texas Liberal

(Blogger’s Note—This is a post I run each year. It merits another go-round for 2012 because the places I list here are good places to visit.) Where should you and your family take a summer vacation this year? Where should you go by yourself or with that someone special for an excellent summer trip? The answer is [...]

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lways-it-is-buffalo-cleveland-cincinnati-pittsburgh-detroit-galveston/

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Edgewood Community Garden — Our Little Plot
— Week 4

post from Kmareka.com on 03 June 2012 08:00:20 PM. © Kmareka.com

Today the weather cleared and we were able to put in 16 more beds at the Edgewood Community Garden, which sits on the corner of the parking lot of Edgewood-Highlands Elementary School. The workers toiled quickly in the hot sun and managed to build and install 8 4-bed units in less than two hours!

You can also see pictures of the progress of our patch of garden. Everything seems to be coming along nicely, although one head of spinach appeared to been gnawed off, probably by a hungry little creature. Other than that, I am impressed at how easily this garden is starting its life.

We also cleared another half bed today and planted seeds for beans, cabbage, radishes, and squash.

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Larry Summers Has a Business Proposition for the
US Economy

post from Firedoglake on 03 June 2012 08:00:18 PM. © Firedoglake

Larry Summers, Obama's former chief economic adviser and now returned to Harvard, has a business proposition for the US economy, and though there's a hint of a wink to it, I think he's deadly serious. But to read it, you have to put aside for now[...]

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Super PAC donations dominated by men

post from US Politics | AMERICAblog News on 03 June 2012 08:00:15 PM. © US Politics | AMERICAblog News

The percentage is just about the same as the number of women in Congress and in CEO positions. Across the board, these numbers need to change. CBS News:The bulk of the cash being funneled to super PACs -- groups independent from political campaigns that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money -- comes from a select few wealthy Americans. One look at the list of donors bankrolling these...

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Barrett: Walker Campaigning to Be 'Poster Boy'
for the Tea Party

post from Crooks and Liars on 03 June 2012 08:00:02 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Barrett: Walker Campaigning to Be 'Poster Boy' for the Tea Party

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Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) on Sunday ripped his opponent, Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, for campaigning to be "the rockstar of the far right."

In an interview on CNN, Barrett told host Candy Crowley that he expected to defeat Walker in Tuesday's recall election.

"People [are] saying to me that they've never seen the level of excitement they've seen right now," the mayor explained. "It's people from Wisconsin. It's people who live here. And that's what this should be all about. It should be all about the people in the state of Wisconsin because you've got a sitting governor, the only governor in this country who has a legal defense fund -- all this outside money. This is Wisconsin values versus outside influence."

"Scott Walker wants to make this a national race because he wants to be on the national stage as the rockstar of the far right, as the poster boy of the tea party," he added. "That's not what I'm interested in. And I'm -- frankly, I'm not going to be the rockstar of the far left. I'm focusing on this state because that's what's important to me."

According to the non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, about two-thirds of the $30 million that Walker has raised since January has come from out-of-state donors. Barrett has raised a more modest $3.9 million since entering the race in March, but 74 percent of his individual donations have come from inside the state.

The latest polls show Barrett gaining ground, but still trailing Walker. A Marquette Law School poll recently found that Walker had a 52 percent to 45 percent lead, while Public Policy Polling's latest survey put Walker ahead 50 percent to 45 percent

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The Real Walker Scandal: Meet John Doe

While the Republicans prepare to proclaim what they think will be a Walker win on Tuesday as a bellwether for November, what they won't be talking about, win or lose, is that Walker may well be "on that pathway toward indictment".[...]

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Tom Barrett: Are You Ready

Put Wisconsin First. Vote Tom Barrett on June 5.

Momentum for our campaign is growing at an unprecedented rate. Our newest survey results show that as of today, we are no longer down by 1%; the poll shows a difference of only 1 vote.

With our momentum surging and voters breaking toward Tom Barrett in large numbers, we're ready to defeat Scott Walker and elect Tom Barrett on Tuesday. Are you?

A single vote could make all the difference on Tuesday, and we've identified an additional 200,000 voters who we must contact before Tuesday. Will you help with our GOTV efforts by being a part of our cutting-edge online phone bank?

We all know that this election will come down to turnout, and that?s why we need you to spread the word about heading to the polls and electing Tom Barrett as Governor.

Kick off your shoes, have a cup of coffee and help get out the vote from the comforts of your own home.

In the final days before this historic election, we need you to go all in. With your help, we can defeat Scott Walker and restore integrity, trust and fairness to the people's government. We will elect Tom Barrett and put Wisconsin first.

Be the difference. Make calls right now.

Thank you,

Phil Walzak
Deputy Campaign Manager
Barrett for Wisconsin

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This Week: In Memoriam

In Memoriam for June 3, 2012

Click here to view this media (h/t Dave at VideoCafe)

This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the passings of thirteen service members in Afghanistan.

US Navy NH Eric D Warren, 23, Shawnee, OK
US SPC Vilmar Galarza Hernandez, 21, Salinas, CA
US Army SPC Tofiga J Tautolo, 23, Wilmington, CA
US Army CPT John R Brainard, 26, Dover-Foxcroft, ME
US Army CW5 John C Pratt, 51, Springfield, VA
US Marines Sgt Julian C Chase, 22, Edgewater, MD
US Marines LCpl Steven G Sutton, 24, Leesburg, GA
US Army CPL Nicholas H Olivas, 20, Fairfield, OH
US Navy PO2 Sean E Brazas, Greensboro, NC
US Army SSG Roberto Loeza, 28, El Paso, TX
US Army SSG Alexander G Povlaitis, 47, Dawsonville, GA
US Army SPC Kedith L Jacobs, 21, Denver, CO
US Army PFC Leroy Deronde III, 22, Jersey City, NJ

According to iCasualties, the total number of allied servicemembers killed in Afghanistan is now 3,029.

In addition, the following notable names have lost their lives this week: Special effects artist Matthew Yuricich, British journalist Bob Edwards, bluegrass musician Doc Watson, voice actor Dick Beals, Iranian activist Farideh Mashini, Nobel laureate Sir Andrew Huxley, basketball player Orlando Woolridge, actor Kathryn Joosten, and entertainer Richard Dawson.