Please help, please spread the word about the California initiative. In the words of Schwarzeneggar's campaign guy, Steve Schmidt, "it would make it impossible for a Democrat to win the White House!" HE IS RIGHT! And please add your ideas to the end of the diary. Right now, there is no movement to combat this, and we need to start organizing NOW!.
A right-wing law firm with very deep pockets are working with GOP reps to steal the election by destroying California's winner-take-all system of electoral votes--they would instead be divided per results in each congressional district. This gives the GOP presidential ticket at least 20 electoral votes (because of safe GOP districts) that it wouldn't get UNDER ANY RULES IN ANY OTHER LARGE STATE.
The major swing states would be mandatory for us to win to have a chance. And lest you think this is all for the good of the people in CA to be represented equally--it's not. It's about the GOP winning. Period. Notice that TEXAS, with a GOP governor and GOP legislature, shuns the idea of dividing their votes that might go to the Democratic ticket. No, it's only OK for the people of California.
Here is the problem. I Googled this to try to find some organization or some effort to STOP this, and all I found were complaints about it. I didn't find anything organizing to stop it.
Folks, if we are going to beat this, we need to start NOW! I know, it sucks. Dems have to work to get their candidates elected, guard the election from vote-tampering, and now, stop shady initatives. But that is our lot in life.
If anyone can tell me of a link to website or group dedicated to stopping this, please let me know. What can we do now? Bartimaues Blue had some good ideas from his diary:
Obviously the first effort has to be put into getting the word out about this GOP stealth plot. The more Californians become aware of this initiative and the shadowy purposes behind it, the less likely they may be to accept it. We can begin raising money, and pulling back the curtain n this stealth campaign to steal the 2008 election; and we can start a grass-roots campaign to defeat the the initiative.
We can also lodge an initiative of our own that, if passed, would limit the effect of the new initiative to a futire time when enough other states have taken similar steps. That is, we can, through our own initiative, write in a savings clause that will prevent Initiative 07-0032 from having the manifestly unfair effect that its proponents hope.
Any takers want to help put this together? Calling all activists and lawyers in California. Let's get this ball rolling!!!
Yes, let's get this ball rolling!!
UPDATE: Thanks to those who Recommended. Please get the message out!
UPDATED II: There are many ideas in the thread, including:
- Contact AG Jerry Brown and have him declare it unconstitutional: http://ag.ca.gov/...
- Supporting counter initiatives, such as one that can be identical but adds the phrase: "but will not take effect until a majority of states have adopted a proportional system"
- Text networks to spread the word at places gathering signatures for the opposition
- Supporting http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/...
- Contact the CA Dems, the CA Representatives, organizations like MoveON.org
- And many, many others I can't get to (gotta get to work).
Please organize, please do something. Waiting for the courts and the SCOTUS to do the right thing, or waiting until the other side has organized and already got it on the ballot is the wrong strategy.