[lbo-talk] Prop. 62 Would Squelch Third Parties in California

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

Nathan Newman:
> There are active legislative campaigns and litigation against felon
> disenfranchisement (including at my policy shop), many of which are making
> real advances.  Most states already restore voting rights to people who
> have finished their time in jail or on probation, and many are improving
> their laws.  In 2001 Connecticut legislators enacted a new law that
> restored voting rights to people with felony convictions on probation.
> Alabama, Delaware, Maryland and New Mexico have also recently reformed
> their voting policies.
> 
> Under Clinton, naturalization procedures were speeded up, while they have
> slowed to a crawl under Bush, so there are demonstrable differences from
> party control in immigration naturalization.

Nathan, while I agree with most of what you are posting to this list, I
think this one is a flop.  Let's be real - who gives a shit about criminals
and immigrants?  These are not the issue that are likely to impress public
imagination.  Au contraire - they are likely to marginalize Democrats in
public mind as supporters of loony fringes.  

Electoral college, otoh, is anti-democratic on its face and can be addressed
as an integument of "real" democracy, popular will, vox populi and kindred
catch phrases that form the core of the US belief system.  People will rally
to defend democracy by abolish an ostensibly undemocratic institutions, but
not to defend the rights of criminals or foreigners.  

Please do not interpret these comments as law-and-order or anti-foreign
sentiments.  All I am saying is that championing the rights of these groups
to advance democratic reforms in this country does not look like a winning
strategy.  It looks more like a retreat from more ambitious goals.

Wojtek