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2004 US Presidential Election
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November 02, 2004
California | Department of Redundancy Department

DSCF0011.JPGFlyer I picked up this morning while getting coffee. That’s right, here in Hollywood we have so many celebrities laying around you can get four or five of them to show up at a rally to support a candidate who is guarnateed to win the state anyway.

The rally was run by Neighbors for Peace and Justice; which has been a vocal ani-war group here in Los Angeles.

The rally, apparently, was as uninspiring as all the other GOTV efforts here in California - I passed by the polls again, and didn’t see any more activity than the last time I voted (that was the recall).

I have heard very little in the way of political advertising on the radio other than the Arnold/Jerry Brown ad against prop 66 (That’s the prop that alters the Three Strikes Law to exlude non-violent felonies as a strike). It seems that just about everyone, even the traditionally liberal radio commentators here in LA have been against prop 66. Since prop 66 limits violent felonies to crimes that involve direct harm to a human victim (burning down a building, for example, is considered a “non-violent” act under prop 66), the law would actually end up releasing a number current prisoners. How many depends on who you listen to; the opponents say 25,000 prisoners would be released, the proponents say that is unsupportable, but I have yet to hear what number they say would be released.

The proposition was originally supported by a 24 point margin (via the LA Times), but the media blitz has erroded that support, and going into the election the numbers were dead even. I suspect it will ultimately be rejected. We may have had a lot of liberal politicians, but the truth is, California has always been a tough-on-crime state, even when Jerry Brown was govenor.

Though I do wonder where all the anti prop 66 money is coming from. The media blitz is large enough that somebody is obviously worried about it passing.

Also, I did finally hear a presidential radio ad (from the Bush/Chenney camp). I guess that accounts for the $126 the campaigns earmarked for California in the Presidential election.

Stay Free.



Posted by Jason Ramsey at November 2, 2004 06:26 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Re Prop 66 … IMHO the reason that the No on 66 push was late was that the polling that had it passing at somewheres at 65% caught everyone flatfooted.

I know even the DDA’s at my office hadn’t given it a second thought until a few weeks ago.

I mean, 3 strikes was getting the nastiest of the nasties off the street and keep ‘em off, and if anyone read the fine print of the Prop who the hell would allow a bill to pass that was retroactive back to 1994? That would allow so many felonies to be removed from the “serious” or “violent” category, including child abuse, arson (even if someone dies as a result of the arson, it is not a strike), gang crime, almost all felonies with a GBI (great bodily injury), and killing/maiming someone during a DUI.

Prop 66 is so flawed and such a potential nightmare you have both Arnold and Jerry Brown (Gov. Moonbeam) joining forces to defeat it.

Why did it have support in the first place? Because millionare Keenan put $1.5 mil into it because his son is in CA state prison for 8 years after killing two and maiming a third during a felony DUI. Because son plead to a strike, he has to serve 85% of the 8 years, instead of 50% of 4 years if it were not a strike.

And the yes on 66 people keep peddling the “25 years to life for stealing pizza” myth.

Posted by: Darleen [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 2, 2004 07:08 PM

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