| By Todd Beeton, Courage Campaign - Aug 30, 2007 2:42:06 PM PT |
As the fight against the right-wing electoral vote stealing initiative here in California gains steam, it has begun to take on a national profile, as it should considering that if it passes it could mean that a low turnout June election in California determines who becomes president in 2008.
Since The New York Times weighed in with their editorial slamming the initiative as a right-wing "dirty trick," it's begun to gain the attention of the presidential candidates. FairElectionReform.com has launched a petition urging the presidential candidates of both parties to publicly oppose the measure. The first to do so was Chris Dodd, who called the initiative a "blatant power grab" saying:
"The process of elections should be above partisanship and I hope all Presidential candidates - Democrats and Republicans alike - will join me in standing up for fair and honest elections."
Next, John Edwards not only came out against the measure but sent his own e-mail blast urging us to do the same:
Help us send a message to these political operatives that their Karl Rove tactics will not work. We, the people, will not allow you to get away with this naked partisan power grab.
As a result, momentum against the measure is growing back here in California, even among local Republicans. The vice-chair of the CA Republican Party Thomas del Baccaro came out against the measure on his blog; in addition The OC Register, no liberal rag they, in an editorial called the initiative a "nakedly partisan and profoundly subversive of our constitutional system;" and when asked about the initiative, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed unenthusiastic at best, likening the measure to "changing the rules in the middle of the game." Schwarzenegger refused to officially comment, however, as he claimed not to have read the initiative yet. Well, let's help him out with that, shall we?
The next step in opposing this measure is to force Schwarzenegger to comment publicly. Surely such a post-partisan as he would have nothing to do with such a partisan dirty trick as this, so my colleagues at Courage Campaign have launched a new effort to "Educate Arnold" and send him one copy of the 3 page initiative for every person who signs up.
Help us ensure Arnold receives thousands of copies of the initiative and we'll make sure the media knows it. Arnold coming out publicly against this initiative will help kill it (as his opposition to Proposition 90 did last year.) And if he endorses it, his carefully crafted post-partisan image will be, well...terminated.
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