I ran both of Jim’s articles on the subject a couple of days ago.  As I said in my note on the first article, my heart says yes but my head says Jim is right.

I have already cast my ballot.  I voted for two incumbents and voted grassroots for the balance so I believe in the movement but it is a movement that seems destined for failure.  Obviously, I am no expert on conducting campaigns but I do recognize stupid when I see it.  Here are a few examples of “stupid” I have observed during this primary:

1. The worst run campaign in terms of turning off voters is the Hunter/Wurm campaign.  Newcomers are supposed to bring hope and new ideas, not a constant barrage of hate and negativity.  I challenged Ken more than once to tell us what his ideas are rather than a bunch of slogans and rhetoric but I still have no idea how he plans to lower taxes, deal with illegal immigration or balance the budget.  The campaign may have been a bit more successful if there had been only two candidates in the race, but why vote for Ken when there are candidates who have a message of accountability, change and hope.  I predict he will come in last or second to last.
2. One of my favorite newcomers was Scott Markovich.  I still like him.  But one cannot be thin skinned and last in politics.  Scott received some criticism about his grammar and spelling.  He tried to downplay it and still doesn’t understand the importance of communication by a politician.  I offered to help by proofreading but he took all his marbles and ran.  When someone has thousands of backers and hundreds of thousands of dollars behind him, he can afford to turn away help; however, not a smart thing when running a shoestring campaign and when the help has apparently not been found anywhere else as we still see the same lack of English skills with everything Scott has done.
3. Ensen Mason did the exact same thing.  His girlfriend attacked me at a very low time in my life and I attacked back.  He took all his marbles and ran like a spoiled brat.  But hey Ensen, I voted for you, not for you but because I have so many friends being tortured by Larry Walker.  However, I don’t think you stand a chance.  And your girlfriend needs to act like an adult.
4. Ray Moors, who is running on the Republican ticket against Norma Torres, was offered a chance at an endorsement by the California Republican Assembly (CRA).  Ray refused because he didn’t feel they gave him enough notice to meet with them and he refused to be interviewed in a church, where apparently all the interviews were taking place.  So, therefore, the CRA is not endorsing anyone in that race.  He told me he is not going to be bullied by anyone.  He’s not going to be elected by anyone either.  Yes, he will get the Republican nomination because he is the only one on the ticket but he will lose big in November. Continue reading →