This asshole is the reason I’m having to vote for a billionaire instead. The whole race is just so fucked.
Edit: Actually more context for non CA and non US folk; it’s technically because of a mix of first past the post and open primary system. CA doesn’t do a two party primary thing so everyone, including the Republicans, are on the same vote. Top two get to go on the general. It also allows pretty much let’s everyone run it they can afford to do so.
For a while that also meant the risk of two Republicans because Dems diluted the vote to the extent that two Republicans were in the lead, but a Trump endorsement ironically saved the Dems trouble because it gave them a forerunner.
However, Dems only seem to have two closer frontrunners this close to the vote deadline. This guy who has experience but is a moderate with big donors… and a “good” billionaire hedge fund guy who has fairly progressive views (on paper). Others are more or less washed away, due to the aforementioned two person FPTP system and a Republican in the lead.
Though, to be fair, none of them are that progressive, anyway. Democratic socialists for instance didn’t endorse anyone but did admit that Steyer is probably the better of the realistic candidates. It sucks since primaries are the only way we can get progressives on the ballot, but that’s so difficult in big races with lots of ad money and the FPTP system…
God I wish we could do RCV, even if only in primaries to start with. The candidate most closely aligned with my views is Tony Thurmond, but he’s polling at 2% so I can’t responsibly vote for him. Even if the votes end up the same after RCV, we’d get the most accurate polling data and the will of the people could be better understood. It’s literally superior in every way. Fuckin establishment politics.
This asshole is the reason I’m having to vote for a billionaire instead. The whole race is just so fucked.
Edit: Actually more context for non CA and non US folk; it’s technically because of a mix of first past the post and open primary system. CA doesn’t do a two party primary thing so everyone, including the Republicans, are on the same vote. Top two get to go on the general. It also allows pretty much let’s everyone run it they can afford to do so.
For a while that also meant the risk of two Republicans because Dems diluted the vote to the extent that two Republicans were in the lead, but a Trump endorsement ironically saved the Dems trouble because it gave them a forerunner.
However, Dems only seem to have two closer frontrunners this close to the vote deadline. This guy who has experience but is a moderate with big donors… and a “good” billionaire hedge fund guy who has fairly progressive views (on paper). Others are more or less washed away, due to the aforementioned two person FPTP system and a Republican in the lead.
Though, to be fair, none of them are that progressive, anyway. Democratic socialists for instance didn’t endorse anyone but did admit that Steyer is probably the better of the realistic candidates. It sucks since primaries are the only way we can get progressives on the ballot, but that’s so difficult in big races with lots of ad money and the FPTP system…
This is why we NEED to have RCV, or Star voting. We cannot afford to run our elections using the broken system that the rest of the country uses.
God I wish we could do RCV, even if only in primaries to start with. The candidate most closely aligned with my views is Tony Thurmond, but he’s polling at 2% so I can’t responsibly vote for him. Even if the votes end up the same after RCV, we’d get the most accurate polling data and the will of the people could be better understood. It’s literally superior in every way. Fuckin establishment politics.
Well it’s especially weird with an open primary like this. Open primaries should be a good thing, just isn’t without RCV.