Last night was the final event in a tremendously successful politics-fest that I organized for my students and the community at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California, where I am a full-time Political Science professor. We called these two all-day events "Day of Politics 1 and 2". They featured local political figures debating all 11 propositions on the California ballot, a Q&A session with the Green Party Presidential Candidate Dr. Jill Stein, and a multi-party debate. The final event happened last night when Congressmen Howard Berman and Brad Sherman debated each other to see who would represent the San Fernando Valley district in which Pierce College is located. I was completely shocked to discover the two had so much animosity for each other that they refused to wait in my office together and insisted on separate rooms before the debate. But nothing could prepare me for the two of them almost coming to blows over who really sponsored the Dream Act. The media storm that has followed this event has brought attention to our college and this race, but it has ignored the most obvious and glaring problem with our new election system in California. Continue below for the rest of this story...
We now have a "Top Two Primary" in California. For all races except the Presidential race, voters can choose from any number of candidates in the primary (which is an open primary). But instead of seeing one Green, one Republican, one Democrat, etc. advance to the general election, now only the top two vote-getters continue to that election. While the redistricting that placed Berman and Sherman in the same district was part of the problem, no one in the media addressed the more serious issue. If we had the regular system, the Green candidate (Michael Powelson), the Republican (either Susan Shelley or Mark Reed) and others would have offered differing views on various issues. As it was, last night reminded me of the Futurama episode in which Jack Johnson and John Jackson (two clones) debate the same issues with the same positions.
The main point of contention was over who sponsored the Dream Act (that grants a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came here as children). Because of the "Top Two Primary" we ended up with two candidates who were both Democrats from the Valley, and who hold almost identical positions on every issue. Physical strength is apparently one of the only ways they can distinguish themselves. Had a Republican been in the race, they would have likely opposed the Dream Act and the discussion could have mentioned why the Dream Act was or was not a worthwhile piece of legislation. But as it was, we were treated to arguments over who was more supportive of it. I did attempt to pull them apart (although I didn't really think anyone was in serious danger). I wanted to get back to the debate so my students could learn something about government. However, I fear the lesson they learned was that Washington isn't much different than the World Wrestling Federation. You may have seen this clip on TV, but if not, you can see it here:
For those who would like to see the entire content of the debate (and the other debates that day) as opposed to just a 30-second viral clip, here is the link. (The Berman/Sherman debate is the last video on the page.)