Well, all the California propositions I opposed lost, but so did the ones I supported.
I’m pleased that there’s a large constituency for reform in California; but I’m obviously displeased that it’s not a big enough one to win.
The Governor’s ham-handed campaign had something to do with that. I’m working on a Veteran’s Day post for tomorrow, but shortly thereafter will try and lay out what should be some obvious principles that somehow got missed in the campaign.
This isn’t over. (I’m avoiding “we’ll be back,” but it’s really really hard to do so…)
Its not about you or me. The people of California won this election.
We’d disagree on that…I’d say the ppeople lost and the established political powers won.
A.L.
Yes, please come back and waste lots more of our money– great idea.
Here’s a hint, until the man behind the “reform” doesn’t have ties to Enron or raise funds in Texas, you’re going to keep getting dissapointed.
In related news, the people of California accepted a proposition to officially change the state’s name to “The People’s Democratic Republic of California”. Union Party leaders hailed this as a great day for all the people of California, and later announced they would be raising union dues for the good of the people in order to pay for further campaigns against the Arrogant Imperialist Capitalist Enemies.
Meanwhile in France, its proposed that the best fix for its current difficulties is to greatly increase worker security, making it even more difficult to fire workers once they’ve been hire…
Seriously though, days like these make you wonder just how durable democracy is.
Seriously though, days like these make you wonder just how durable democracy is.
Funny, when the success of the special election depended mostly on people not voting.
I’m commenting here only on the failure of the most patently political reform proposals. The particular reasons for failure are of no especial interest, but the fact of their failure is a clear signpost on the road to the unfolding national crisis.
Once again, let me point people to Strauss & Howe’s 1997 work ‘Fourth Turning’ in which they describe the shift from an era of Unraveling (1984 – ca2005) to one of Crisis (ca2005 to ca2026), with the transition date allowing a few years either way.
“The Fourth Turning will trigger a political upheaval beyond anything Americans could today imagine. … We should turn state and local governments into competitive policy labs that test new solutions to vexing societal problems. … All governments should prune the legal, regulatory, and professional thickets that stymie institutional change.” [p 313]
“Define challenges bluntly … but don’t attempt reforms that can’t now be accomplished. When the Fourth Turning catalyzes, many Americans will regret having faced up to so few problems during the unravelling [but] will appreciate whatever modest progress we do make today. … Politicians [should attempt to] stem the downward slide of cynicism, negative campaigning, and apathy. … [but] we should accept that fundamental reforms are not now possible.” [p 314]
“[This] may appear rather modest given the magnitude of the challenges America will soon face. But it is all the current season will allow. … Yet we owe it to ourselves and our children to do our best to carry out those less glorious measures for which now _is_ the season. To the extent that we do not, the Crisis of the Fourth Turning will be that much more destructive. The prospect that, as a nation, we might _not_ prepare makes it all the more important for individuals to prepare on their own.” [p 317, emphasis in original].
I have earlier addressed the “US Senate’s overwhelming rejection of fiscal responsibility”:http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/007657.php as another example of the very sort of institutional gridlock and unabashed self-interest that will make the coming Crisis not only inevitable, but much worse.
California’s rejection of what are really quite reasonable and modest reform proposals is one more indication that the old regime will cling to power as long as they possibly can. That most of it is entangled with the struggle for purely partisan political advantage is particularly psycho-sclerotic. History will not be kind.
Bart: I can remember telling a friend in 1998 that the way things were going the US government would collapse by 2020. My friend thought such a prediction to be ridiculous. Shortly there after, the Seattle riots broke out. Then we had the 2000 election crisis. Then we had 9/11. He is not laughing any more.
Frankly, I’m terrified. I feel that we are like the denizens of NO with Katrina barreling down on them. Everyone knows what is going to happen. All the experts have talked about what is going to happen. We are not going into the disaster blind. But despite the fact that everyone knows what is going to happen, no one is actually doing anything about it. We’ve seen the same thing played out time and time again.
Fixing the levies were not a priority to the people of New Orleans. Literally no one was talking about it. Whether or not the Saints would stay or move to LA was more politically important than fixing the levies. There is in America a pervasive sense of disbelief. Everyone knows on an intellectual level that the bottom is about to fall out, but no one believes it on an emotional level. There is this sense that disasters are things that only happen in the movies and that the terrible day will never really come. I watch American politics with an increasing sense of the surreal. American politics have become a political theater in which reality seems to have a secondary or tertiary role. It moves now by its internal logic, a logic which has developed over the decades and now does not require its participants to do anything but engage with other participants in the theater. It’s a comedy of the ubsurd. It’s not too late to save the ship of state, but no one is willing to take the risk of turning the ship – and anyone who tries is politically doomed.
And this is true of even myself. Despite the fact that I believe the US is heading for its greatest crisis since the Civil War, I’m not actually preparing for that crisis. No, I’m just sitting here gripping about the fact no one is doing anything. There is amongst those of us that actually see what is going on, the sense that America’s coming collapse is something like the collapse Hari Seldon sees in Foundation: something of historical power whose inertia mere mortals cannot deflect.
AL, you nailed it when calling the Governor ham-handed. When the other power centers in Sacto didn’t roll over immediately upon his arrival, he decided to clobber all of them through the initiative process. The net effect was to unite all his opponents against his entire package, even 77 which might (IMO) have had merit on its own. Once Arnold endorsed the similar measure in Ohio, which would have eviscerated a Republican gerrymander, I was at least willing to consider it.
Now maybe he can try to get some of his better ideas passed through the standard legislative process.
Can’t see the legislature doing anything but stonewalling anything the Gov. wants to put forward. They’ll try to wait him out, figuring there’s at least a decent chance a Democrat like Angelides can beat him next year, then things can return to business as usual.
How to fix the American Political System –
A 2nd Continental Congress.
Start first by eliminating all politcal parties, start over. Then take every member of true intellect in this country (which would eliminate virtually every politician) and grab the best of each field – economy, law, etc.
Then put them all in the Congressional building, close the doors, and begin rewriting the rules from the ground up. Keep the Constitution and Bill of Rights, then throw out all laws and rebuild the “database” of rules, laws, regulations, Congressional and Administrative balance.
Then, once done, close Washington DC to lobbyists and special interests, forever. None ever allowed in, throw out wages for Congressmen, pay them only minimum wage, and limit their terms. Then extend the Presidency to 5 years and outlaw any sitting politician from campaigning for any other politician, especially when sitting their term. That way, the interests of the AMERICAN PEOPLE will always be at the top of the list, lobbyists and special interests are out, and you must concentrate on the job at hand. Eliminating career politicians will go a long way in keeping their heads on what needs to be done.
Now this is just a start, but this is the DRASTIC change that must occur for this country to survive the coming fall.
Bryan: Your post would be precisely the sort of political theater not grounded in reality that is dominating political discussion today. Granted, its a different branch than what you usually here from the political parties, but the ‘It’s the evil political parties that are the heart of the problem, we need to go back to before Jefferson and start over.’ is an old meme in some circles.
“A 2nd Continental Congress.”
You mean a Third Continental Congress, don’t you?
“Start first by eliminating all politcal parties…”
How? What constitutes a ‘political party’ anyway?
“start over.”
You mean there is nothing in the current system worth saving?
“Then take every member of true intellect in this country (which would eliminate virtually every politician) and grab the best of each field – economy, law, etc.”
How would you decide who those people are? Who would do the deciding?
“Then put them all in the Congressional building, close the doors, and begin rewriting the rules from the ground up.”
Besides which, this doesn’t work. The great strength of Democracy is that it distributed intelligence exceeds the problem solving ability of experts. A central planning committee just doesn’t cut it. Not only that but, your central planning committee would invariably be simply a microcosm of the larger community. They could no more agree over a plan of action than the community as a whole can. Nor would the community as a whole simply accept thier recommendations even if they did. Following the same train of logic that led you to create a committee, pretty soon you’d have to argue that what is needed is a single strong leader – a ‘philosopher king’ – to tell people what to do. Once you’ve taken it that far, you might as well dust off your copy of ‘Mein Kamp’, because that’s exactly what the author of that book believed.
You want a simple solution. There isn’t one.
“Keep the Constitution and Bill of Rights, then throw out all laws and rebuild the “database” of rules, laws, regulations, Congressional and Administrative balance.”
The end result would be no better than the current system.
“Then, once done, close Washington DC to lobbyists and special interests, forever. None ever allowed in…”
How? What consistutes a lobbyist or a special interest?
“…throw out wages for Congressmen, pay them only minimum wage, and limit their terms.”
I might could get on the term limit bandwagon, but for one problem. If we need term limits for our legislatures, it implies a more fundamental problem – we can’t trust the electorate to do what is in its best interests. In this case, term limits won’t help. I support term limits not to limit the power of government, but primarily because I see no evidence an older statesman can do the job of President for more than 8 years without totally destroying thier health.
But throwing out the wages for Congressmen is totally ubsurd. The whole point of paying government good wages is to prevent the office from either being the domain only of the most wealthy, or from being completely dependent on the wealthy for their most basic needs. You are advocating barring the poor from office in principal and not only in fact.
“Then extend the Presidency to 5 years and outlaw any sitting politician from campaigning for any other politician, especially when sitting their term.”
I don’t see any reason to extend the Presidency. We want more accountability, not less.
And I don’t see how you could define ‘campaigning’ in such a way that you’d eliminate what you want to elimenate.
“That way, the interests of the AMERICAN PEOPLE will always be at the top of the list, lobbyists and special interests are out, and you must concentrate on the job at hand.”
Except none of that would actually happen. In fact, your proposals would create the opposite.
“Eliminating career politicians will go a long way in keeping their heads on what needs to be done.”
Or it would simply further the trend of making politicians mere figureheads without power, the employees of a permenent unelected polical caste that would actually control policy regardless of who was in office.
“Now this is just a start, but this is the DRASTIC change that must occur for this country to survive the coming fall.”
Starting with a new idea might help. Starting with new WORKABLE idea would be even better.
Bryan: Drama _is_ dramatic, isn’t it?
A second Continental Congress is far too risky. “[T]rue intellect”? Who’s going to watch the watchers? To paraphrase Strauss & Howe: Don’t attempt reforms that can’t now be accomplished.
Assuming you’re serious with your modest proposal, that is.
Yeah Bryan is a little out there, but I can sympathize.
I would be happy if the Commerce Clause where to come back into fashion. What we need is a return to true federalism, with a corresponding decrease in Federal power.
What we need is a return to true federalism, with a corresponding decrease in Federal power.
… and the corresponding massive decrease in defense spending?
I dont think anyone is arguing that national defense is not the proper realm of the federal government. Its pretty well spelled out constitutionally.
I’d rather see truth in advertising for political campaigns. That would be real campaign reform. Then you wouldn’t be able to run the outright lies that the Unions ran during the entire campaign. California is
And as a Californian myself, the only solace I have is knowing that my county (Orange) is pretty much the only county in the state who understands the issues that need to be tackled in order to fix the state:
73-Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy.
Vote Count Percentage
Yes 335144 59.5%
No 227751 40.5%
74-Public School Teacher Permanent Status.
Vote Count Percentage
Yes 353956 62.4%
No 213098 37.6%
75-Public Employee Union Dues.
Vote Count Percentage
Yes 361979 63.9%
No 204217 36.1%
76-State Spending and School Funding.
Vote Count Percentage
Yes 312615 55.3%
No 253010 44.7%
77-Redistricting.
Vote Count Percentage
Yes 314303 56.0%
No 247430 44.0%
78-Prescription Drugs.
Vote Count Percentage
Yes 265647 47.7%
No 291289 52.3%
79-Prescription Drug Discounts and Rebates.
Vote Count Percentage
Yes 169710 30.6%
No 384730 69.4%
80-Electric Service Providers.
Vote Count Percentage
Yes 148503 27.4%
No 394421 72.6%