Record turnout in today’s California primary, as well as in other states, is getting all sorts of press-y goodness. Everyone’s just simply amazed at the level of interest in the process. Astounded!
And now the Institute of No Duh makes a point: If these things are front-loaded for some professional bore like say, Sen. Kerry (as we had in 2004) guess what? No one cares. If you have a battle of the Titans like we had in 2006 for Governor of California against Gov. Doofinator, guess what? You get record low turnout even in the Bay Area!
But o hai! If you have a contest where something’s on the line, and you have candidates who are kicking ass and taking names to get a nomination for President, and you have a population that has seen what happens when you let Ralph Nader and the GOP define things, guess what? People go to the F*CKING polls.
They don’t need lefty gimmicks like “IRV” or other phony baloney reforms – they just need people to step up and do something. We have had an entire generation of politicians scheme and plot to take any sort of spontaneity out of the nomination process (mostly on the Democrat side) because of the scars of 1972.
Along the way, politickers and prognosticators, pundits and pontificators forgot something pretty basic – if you have something that matters, people will participate. If it’s all phony baloney BS that serves up a big batch of Mushy Rhetoric with a chaser of “We Don’t Give A Crap What You Think,” then guess what? People tune out.
If you’re in California and haven’t voted yet, do so at once! It matters and it’s worth it. I voted for Obama today and I couldn’t be happier, to be honest. It was a difficult choice but when I see so many good people who felt politics was crapola turn around and decide that not only would they get involved, but do so for this guy, I figured he had something we could use.
Vote early, vote legally, and if you’re a DTS (aka non aligned, aka Independent, aka nonparisan) voter, demand a Democratic ballot and vote. (The GOP hates DTS voters and won’t let you play, but Democrats have seen the light. Good for them.)