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Patrick Ruffini: 2008 Straw Poll
Hugh Hewitt has Patrick Ruffini is running a straw poll for 2008. It is early, but many bloggers are participating so it will be an interesting test of cyber-savvy activists. Patrick will also be breaking down the results by referrer, which should make for some interesting comparisons among blog audiences.
The Kos Kids get to have their own straw poll, so why can’t we? At least ours are relevant!
The last time we went through this exercise, we attracted nearly half the votes as a site powered by half a million daily uniques. Not bad.
In February, it was a free-for-all with most potential candidates (“too hot”); last time it was a series of coldly calculating two-way matchups (“too cold”). For this one, I’m simulating a five-way between George Allen, Bill Frist, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney (“just right”).
Enjoy — and if you’re interested in surveying your blog’s readers on this question, feel free to link away. I’m sorting the results by referring blog.
2008 Presidential Preference:
George Allen
Bill Frist
Rudy Giuliani
John McCain
Mitt Romney……..and for whom did Flap vote:
Rudy Giuliani
George Allen or Bill Frist would make an excellent vice-president candidate.
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Day By Day by Chris Muir
By the way, Chris, we all make mistakes and thank you for the prompt correction!
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California Special Election Watch: Schwarzenegger to Stay the Course
It was a GOOD day for California and for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Proposition 77, the redistricting constitutional amendment which was ordered off the California November special election ballot last week by Superior Court Judge Gail Ohanesian was reinstated (albeit, it may be briefly) when Justice Coleman A. Blease, of the 3rd District Court of Appeal agreed to stay Ohanesian’s order until the case could be decided.
Supporters of a ballot measure aimed at redrawing congressional and legislative districts filed an appeal Monday and were granted a temporary suspension of a lower court ruling that ordered Proposition 77 off the ballot.
The measure, one of three backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the November special election, would give authority for redrawing district boundaries to a panel of retired judges. But organizers of the petition drive mistakenly used two different versions in the circulation process prompting Sacramento County Judge Gail Ohanesian to toss the measure from the ballot last week.
But Justice Coleman A. Blease, of the 3rd District Court of Appeal agreed to stay Ohanesian’s order until the case could be decided.
Although not unexpected, the ruling allows the measure to be included in a public display of all the measures qualified for the Nov. 8 special election. Officials said the display is a largely procedural action intended to give counties official notice of what measures will be on the ballot.
Still, the measures backers drew some hope from the judge’s ruling.
“This is really a good sign,” said Bill Mundell chairman of Californians for Fair Redistricting, a group involved in gathering signatures to put the redistricting initiative on the ballot.
“We really feel that the legal precedent is firmly on the side of overlooking minor discrepancies,” he said.
There is no word yet on when the case will come before the court but Mundell said he believed it would be this week
And……………………………………..
Previous to the stay being announced for Proposition 77, the Governor announced that the special election would proceed with or without this measure. Reuters has Schwarzenegger to go ahead with special ballot.
Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Monday that he would go ahead with a special November election despite a court ruling casting aside one of the California governor’s three proposed ballot items.
A man who prides himself on not taking no for an answer, the Republican governor told journalists on Monday that he would move forward anyway with the vote, which includes measures on the budget and teacher pay that he hopes voters will back.
“I’m very happy to move forward with our reforms,” he said at an event aimed at promoting healthy diets in schools. “And I’m looking forward to really create the reforms that I’ve promised to the people of California and nothing is going to stand in my way to do that.”
The Governator is BACK!
Technorati Tags: Schwarzenegger, Bill Mundell, Proposition 77, California, California Special Election
Cross-posted to the Bear Flag League Special Election Page.
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Jane Fonda: “I’ve decided I’m coming out”
Thanks to Bill at Daily Pundit for pointing out to Flap that he had a phony photo.SURPRISE!
Hanoi Jane Fonda is coming out against the Iraq War.
“I can’t go into any detail except to say that it’s going to be pretty exciting,” she said.
Fonda said her anti-war tour in March will use a bus that runs on “vegetable oil.” She will be joined by families of Iraq war veterans and her daughter.
They plan to return to the Santa Fe area, where she was promoting her book, “My Life So Far” on Saturday.
Prompted by a question from the audience, Fonda said war veterans that she has met on a nationwide book tour have encouraged her to break her silence on the Iraq war.
“I’ve decided I’m coming out,” she said.
Hundreds of people in the audience cheered loudly when Fonda announced her intentions to join the anti-Iraq war movement.
“I have not taken a stand on any war since Vietnam,” she said. “I carry a lot of baggage from that.”
Fonda incited controversy in July 1972 when she was photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun while on a tour of the country to drum up support to end the war.
Flap wonders where John Kerry was hiding her during the 2004 campaign?
Once a traitor always a traitor.
Look at Jane entertaining the North Vietnamese while John McCain was rotting away in a POW camp.
Wonderful!
Jane Fonda sitting on a seat of an anti-aircraft gun
Michelle Malkin has HANOI JANE BECOMES BAGHDAD JANE.
La Shawn Barber has Challenge to Jane Fonda.
Mark in Mexico has this great selection of links, Vegetable oil excites Jane Fonda
Basil’s Blog – one of today’s lunch specials.
The Uncooperative Blogger – Coming out? Go back in.
The Daily Pundit – pretty exciting and pretty disgusting.
EckerNet – flower power no longer adequate – must use vegetable oil.
Residual Forces – Jane ready to insult another generation of vets.
The Dead Pool – Back to her old ways.
Social Sense – Treason, the ugliest of words.
DinoCrat – a new gift to the GOP.
The Liberal Lie – the joke of the 60’s becomes the joke of 2006.
The Museum of Left Wing Lunacy points out that it will be a magic bus.
Bubba’s Back Porch – studying bugs is exciting for some people.
Jayson at PoliPundit – sometimes the political jokes tell themselves.
McQ at QandO – Oooohhh [squeal] it’s going to be “pretty exciting” as she tours in the Crisco Express.
The Political Teen – I hope Sean Hannity got the memo, because I can’t wait for him to tear her apart again.
The Unalienable Right – Hanoi Jane is back!
Thirty Second Thoughts – Haven’t you learned anything in the past 40 years?
California Conservative – Well, ain’t that special?
Blackfive predicts that the sales of Hanoi Jane urinal stickers will rise significantly.
Update #1Baldilocks and some commenters have some suggestions for Jane Fonda.
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SEIU Bolts AFL-CIO
Service Employees International Union president Andy Stern answers questions from reporters at a press conference for the Change to Win Coalition, Sunday, July 24, 2005, in Chicago. Four major unions representing one-third of the AFL-CIO’s 13 million members decided to boycott the organizations convention, which begins MondayThe Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has decided to bolt from the AFL-CIO. The ASSociated press has, Largest Union Decides to Bolt AFL-CIO.
The AFL-CIO succumbed to division Sunday, with its largest union deciding to bolt the 50-year-old federation and three others poised to do so in a dispute over how to reverse organized labor’s long slide.
The four unions, representing nearly one-third of the AFL-CIO’s 13 million members, announced Sunday they would boycott the federation’s convention that begins Monday. They are part of the Coalition to Win, a group of seven unions vowing to reform the labor movement – outside the AFL-CIO if necessary.
The Service Employees International Union, with 1.8 million members, plans to announce Monday that it is leaving the AFL-CIO, said several labor officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the developments.
The Teamsters union also was on the verge of disaffiliating, and would likely to be the first to follow SEIU’s lead, the officials said. Two other boycotting unions were likely to leave the federation: United Food and Commercial Workers and UNITE HERE, a group of textile and hotel workers.
This is probably NOT good news for the union movement nor the Democrat Party.
Jaques Loveall, vice president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union pumps his fist at a press conference for the Change to Win Coalition, Sunday, July 24, 2005, in Chicago. Four major unions representing one-third of the AFL-CIO’s 13 million members decided to boycott the organizations convention, which begins Monday -
Reform Los Angeles Unified School District
Even the liberals are disgusted with California public schools and particularly the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Former California Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg argues in yesterdays L.A. Daily News that the Mayor’s office needs to take control, Mayoral control key to repairing LAUSD.
I cannot think of a public issue more compelling for our generation than the need to repair the public school system in Los Angeles.
The evidence of failure is everywhere. The statistics damn the system on every aspect of its operation, but none provides a more telling measure of the disastrous future the LAUSD is creating than the fact that 53 percent of its ninth-grade students do not graduate from high school.
The failure of the LAUSD affects all of us equally, from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach and South Gate. The time to act is now.
But how do we implement fundamental education reform?
In my run for mayor, I called for breaking up the LAUSD once and for all. But much of the current debate over reform has focused on giving the mayor control of the school system. If we cannot split up the school district, then mayoral control could just be the right fix because — just like the idea of dissolving the district — mayoral control goes to the fundamental problem of governance.
Flap does not agree.
Transferring control from an elected school board to an elected Mayor will do nothing except concentrate power in City Hall.
The LAUSD needs to be broken up into smaller districts immediately with locally elected schools boards which will be accountable to the voters.
Moreover, interdistrict vouchers should be provided California students so families can vote for their child’s education with their feet, if the schools provide inadequate services. Choice not bureaucracy.
No more excuses, it is time to reform California schools.
This L.A. Mayor power grab is not the answer.