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Well, there were 14 Republican candidates but only two serious Democrats. The issue isn't just the method by which the top two vote recipients of the PRIMARIES is on the ballot. Rather, it is that the BIG MONEY effectively decides the candidates. In 2016, the DNC and various out-of-state Super PACs donated primarily to two candidates. In addition, the media gave those candidates enormous amounts of free air time. I spoke with Republicans who had no idea which Republicans were running for the Senate in 2016.
The top four (out of the 12) Republicans received a total of 1,491,630 votes -- more than the second place Democrat who was placed on the November ballot. This would have placed one of them on the ballot. Republicans certainly should have pushed for fewer candidates. However, the big money from campaign donations (particularly from the DNC and well-endowed Super PACs) went to the top two Democrats anyway. Kamal Harris alone outspent all of the Republicans and third party candidates by a margin of 10-to-1 -- and that doesn't count the Super PACs (who spent more than she did).
Now, I am not saying that a Republican would have defeated the Democrat for the open Senate seat from California in 2016. The issue is that it diminished voter turnout -- something that activists often accuse Republicans of doing in states like Texas. Yet, this is a daily part of life in California. This, along with irregularities with the mail-in ballot, lead to elections where the victor often wins by a total that is exceeds even the outlier polls' margins of error.
In the election, I voted for Donald Trump (for president) but cast my U.S. Senate vote for Loretta Sanchez. I met Representative Sanchez at a closed door reception at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She could clearly articulate the things that she believes in. This just wasn't the case for Kamala Harris. While I disagree with Ms. Sanchez on most issues, she wasn't campaigning on the idea of pushing California even further to the left (fiscally and socially).
Unfortunately, I fear that the state has shifted beyond the point of no return. The crazy thing is that the most liberal voters are around the Bay Area (where I live) and Sacramento. I drove back from Yosemite in January and there were Trump signs, flags and bumper stickers all over the place in the central valley through Gilroy (just south of the Bay Area).
Libertarian Party candidate (and former Republican governor) Gary Johnson received a huge boost in the 2016 election. He went from 0.99% of the vote (1.3 Million total votes) in 2012 to 3.28% (4.5 Million votes) in 2016. That was a huge jump. I don't think that Jo Jorgensen will replicate that turnout. I've read some polling data that shows that some "never Trump" voters who went with Johnson in 2016 have since softened up to him.
Those are some great points.
I think that there are some amazing life lessons from organized sports -- especially football. I never played college football. However, I had plenty of friends who played for the Javelinas. I have had friends who played for Stanford. All of these friends were also outstanding men. Most had been playing football since the days of Pop Warner. Growing up, I played quite a few sports. I learned quite a bit through them. Not only did it keep me physically fit (greatly needed in the age of childhood obesity), but I learned how to harness and develop skill. I learned focus, responsibility, teamwork and how to graciously handle both winning and losing.
In the age of participation trophies (real and metaphoric), I understand why some people criticize contact sports. In fact, as much as I love football, I understand that it is just a game. This is especially true in professional sports. The sport itself is entertainment and the players are athlete-entertainers. Although I was primarily raised on the East Coast, I'm a lifelong Cowboys fan. I'd love to see them make it to another Super Bowl. However, I never burned my jersey after mediocre seasons. I can appreciate the game for what it is -- whether someone wins or loses (but, preferably when the Cowboys win).
In this area, there are almost always locals who want to defund organized sports. I suppose that they often want to redirect that money to the things that they think are "more important." One local political activist wanted the high school to "endorse" candidates or sociopolitical organizations -- or to fund students to participate in activism. This same woman wanted to defund football, etc. I think that this is where politics and social issues collide with the "I'm right and you're wrong" (or "my way or the highway") mentality.
Last year, I was waiting for a sandwich at a popular deli in Palo Alto. While I was waiting, I noticed a woman staring at me. Eventually, she walked up to me and asked about the hat that I was wearing. I was wearing a red Philadelphia Phillies 59Fifty baseball cap (my dad is from Eastern Pennsylvania). When I explained that the Phillies were a baseball team, she laughed. She told me, "I thought that it was one of those Trump hats. I thought that you might be one of the deplorables and I was going to ask you to take it off."
This woman didn't own or work at the deli. She was picking up a sandwich like the rest of us. I smiled and told her that it was for my favorite baseball team. I used a bit of hyperbole and told her that I left my Trump cap at home because fascists might try to shame me if I wore it in public. Her face changed. I told her that I was only joking and that I didn't have a Trump hat. However, I told her that I have thought about buying one. She laughed nervously and looked puzzled as she walked away.
Shortly thereafter, there was another incident even closer to home. An angry woman confronted an elderly Jewish man at a Starbucks just four or five blocks from my home. She began shouting epithets at him -- calling him a "Nazi," a "racist" and a "bigot." He was very patient and polite with her. She actually recorded the incident herself. She then began screaming at everyone else in the coffee shop (including the employees) for failing to help run the man out of the shop.
The woman who did this was one of the local officials who publicly questioned the need for organized sports in public schools.
Go figure.
The top four (out of the 12) Republicans received a total of 1,491,630 votes -- more than the second place Democrat who was placed on the November ballot. This would have placed one of them on the ballot. Republicans certainly should have pushed for fewer candidates. However, the big money from campaign donations (particularly from the DNC and well-endowed Super PACs) went to the top two Democrats anyway. Kamal Harris alone outspent all of the Republicans and third party candidates by a margin of 10-to-1 -- and that doesn't count the Super PACs (who spent more than she did).
Now, I am not saying that a Republican would have defeated the Democrat for the open Senate seat from California in 2016. The issue is that it diminished voter turnout -- something that activists often accuse Republicans of doing in states like Texas. Yet, this is a daily part of life in California. This, along with irregularities with the mail-in ballot, lead to elections where the victor often wins by a total that is exceeds even the outlier polls' margins of error.
In the election, I voted for Donald Trump (for president) but cast my U.S. Senate vote for Loretta Sanchez. I met Representative Sanchez at a closed door reception at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She could clearly articulate the things that she believes in. This just wasn't the case for Kamala Harris. While I disagree with Ms. Sanchez on most issues, she wasn't campaigning on the idea of pushing California even further to the left (fiscally and socially).
Unfortunately, I fear that the state has shifted beyond the point of no return. The crazy thing is that the most liberal voters are around the Bay Area (where I live) and Sacramento. I drove back from Yosemite in January and there were Trump signs, flags and bumper stickers all over the place in the central valley through Gilroy (just south of the Bay Area).
Libertarian Party candidate (and former Republican governor) Gary Johnson received a huge boost in the 2016 election. He went from 0.99% of the vote (1.3 Million total votes) in 2012 to 3.28% (4.5 Million votes) in 2016. That was a huge jump. I don't think that Jo Jorgensen will replicate that turnout. I've read some polling data that shows that some "never Trump" voters who went with Johnson in 2016 have since softened up to him.
Those are some great points.
I think that there are some amazing life lessons from organized sports -- especially football. I never played college football. However, I had plenty of friends who played for the Javelinas. I have had friends who played for Stanford. All of these friends were also outstanding men. Most had been playing football since the days of Pop Warner. Growing up, I played quite a few sports. I learned quite a bit through them. Not only did it keep me physically fit (greatly needed in the age of childhood obesity), but I learned how to harness and develop skill. I learned focus, responsibility, teamwork and how to graciously handle both winning and losing.
In the age of participation trophies (real and metaphoric), I understand why some people criticize contact sports. In fact, as much as I love football, I understand that it is just a game. This is especially true in professional sports. The sport itself is entertainment and the players are athlete-entertainers. Although I was primarily raised on the East Coast, I'm a lifelong Cowboys fan. I'd love to see them make it to another Super Bowl. However, I never burned my jersey after mediocre seasons. I can appreciate the game for what it is -- whether someone wins or loses (but, preferably when the Cowboys win).
In this area, there are almost always locals who want to defund organized sports. I suppose that they often want to redirect that money to the things that they think are "more important." One local political activist wanted the high school to "endorse" candidates or sociopolitical organizations -- or to fund students to participate in activism. This same woman wanted to defund football, etc. I think that this is where politics and social issues collide with the "I'm right and you're wrong" (or "my way or the highway") mentality.
Last year, I was waiting for a sandwich at a popular deli in Palo Alto. While I was waiting, I noticed a woman staring at me. Eventually, she walked up to me and asked about the hat that I was wearing. I was wearing a red Philadelphia Phillies 59Fifty baseball cap (my dad is from Eastern Pennsylvania). When I explained that the Phillies were a baseball team, she laughed. She told me, "I thought that it was one of those Trump hats. I thought that you might be one of the deplorables and I was going to ask you to take it off."
This woman didn't own or work at the deli. She was picking up a sandwich like the rest of us. I smiled and told her that it was for my favorite baseball team. I used a bit of hyperbole and told her that I left my Trump cap at home because fascists might try to shame me if I wore it in public. Her face changed. I told her that I was only joking and that I didn't have a Trump hat. However, I told her that I have thought about buying one. She laughed nervously and looked puzzled as she walked away.
Shortly thereafter, there was another incident even closer to home. An angry woman confronted an elderly Jewish man at a Starbucks just four or five blocks from my home. She began shouting epithets at him -- calling him a "Nazi," a "racist" and a "bigot." He was very patient and polite with her. She actually recorded the incident herself. She then began screaming at everyone else in the coffee shop (including the employees) for failing to help run the man out of the shop.
The woman who did this was one of the local officials who publicly questioned the need for organized sports in public schools.
Go figure.
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