A Truth Disagreed Upon
The Official Voter Information Guide for the upcoming California recall election has been published by the California Secretary of State's office and they've made if available via the Internet in a PDF version.
It's a fascinating document, one which distant future historians may be using as an example of the state of our democracy during this unique period of history. (Its historical significance of course depends on the assumption that these recall elections don't become an annual event).
But surprisingly, this document may prove to future generations that the state of Californian democracy was reasonably healthy. I say I'm surprised since the impression given by the national media (with the exception of Hugh Hewitt) is that the California recall election is nothing more than a farce, created by unserious people for unserious reasons.
Contradicting this impression is the content and format of this Voter's Guide. Yes, it still has the freak show component, with a listing of the 135 certified candidate for Governor (including the candidates self written profiles). But it also includes a discussion of the issues surrounding the recall, which is as close to unbiased as one can hope for.
The key to the success of this presentation is the format. Instead of assigning an individual, official, and supposedly impartial voice to summarize the issues for the voters, the Guide turns over this characterization to the interested parties themselves. Concise, alternating, point-counterpoint arguments are presented from both those who organized the recall effort and from the Governor's office. By letting each side make their own case without a middle man filtering it through his own essential biases, something close to neutrality is achieved.
It's a long document which, in reality, most California residents won't bother to read. But what history may appreciate is the effort made. The government expending considerable resources in an attempt give the citizenry complete, impartial information on the most important issue of the day. And for that they get an official Fraters Libertas grudging nod of respect.
But this post wouldn't be complete without a few excerpts from the freak show of the candidate roster. A few of my favorite candidates:
Brooke Adams (independent) - she gets my enthusiastic endorsement, if only because she was a 4 year letter winner for cheerleading and the homecoming queen at Huntington Beach High School. Critics may claim her entire campaign is a thinly veiled publicity vehicle for her broadcasting career. But since cynicism like that has no place in modern election coverage journalism, I suspect those critics will be shouted down directly.
Darrin H. Scheidle (Democrat) - a candidate claiming our own Jesse Ventura as a model. Therefore, if naive, thin-skinned egocentrism is your idea of good governance, this might be your guy. His slogan:
Minnesota did it - now it's your turn, California!
Minnesota did what - made an awful mistake? Played games with their votes and ended up with a surly, bald, vindictive entertainer in the governor's mansion (and a 5 billion dollar budget deficit)?
Kurt E. "Tachikaze" Rightmyer (independent) - another man who seems to want to follow in the steps of Ventura. And with a platform that starts like this, he has to be good:
"As the leading middleweight of the 2003 California State Sumo Series ..."
Fill in whatever you like after that sentence fragment, it doesn't make any difference. I don't know Japanese, but with an intro like that I'm sure "tachikaze" doesn't mean "instant credibility."
Bill Prady (Democrat)- a former executive producer of both 'Caroline in the City' and 'Dharma and Greg.' A man who apparently believes that what California needs to pull itself out of its economic problems is a strong dose of insipid dialog, cartoonish sentimentality, and a laugh track.
Joel Britton (independent, or so he claims). His candidate's statement:
"I have actively opposed US military interventions against the peoples of Vietnam, Cuba, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. I have backed efforts to unite working people to fight for Jobs for All! Cut the work week with no cut in pay! Raise the minimum wage! Stop INS raids and deportations! Defend women's access to abortion! Stop Washington's economic war with Cuba! I'm for a workers' and farmers' government, which will abolish capitalism in the U.S. and joint the worldwide struggle for socialism."
In this era of the philosophical blending of the two political parties, it's good to see someone besides Howard Dean standing up for the traditional values of the Democratic party.
Trek Thunder Kelly (independent) - his candidate statement is either a prediction for three more years of the Gray Davis Administration, or perhaps the plot for the next Schwarzenegger movie:
"Dear Voters, Please vote for me, thus breaking the Seventh Seal and incurring Armageddon."
(Voter's Guide sent from proxy blogger extraordinaire, James Phillips.)
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