Today is also election day for a special election in the Los Angeles area, one that der Brucer has been helping with.
And you do know, Dear Readers, what I have been doing!
I have generated customized phone lists to keep the phone bank people busy right up till the polls close
der Brucer
PS: For those of you who care about the strategy, we are phoning those people who were mailed absentee ballots and have not yet returned them (or at least they haven't arrived). We remind the voter that if they haven't mailed their ballot, they can still fill it out and drop it off at their polling place.
In CA anybody can request an absentee ballott for any reason. In recent elections, roughly 40% of the votes were cast by absentee - meaning the election was probably determined well before the actual polling day. In this particular election, one of the more threatening challengers has already dropped out of the race; however, his name is still on the ballot! This is a special election, conducted like an open primary - if one candidate gets 50%+1 they win the seat, otherwise the top vote getters in each party compete in a run off. The "other party" is running only one candidate, who is a relative unknown (their best shot was the widow of the previous seat holder, but she refused to run); "our party" has four candidates on the ballot, one of whom (who was the front runner) has dropped out, one of whom is a gal with absolutly no political experience, but because she pledged to use $500,000 of her own money in the campaign was endorsed by the party operatives in the state capital, and one more who is a nobody knows/nobody cares dilatante.
The Money lady's campaign has been fun to watch:
Candidate claims she "has always been a good Republican".
Reporter claims she was previously registerd as an American Independent (George Wallace's old party).
Candidate claims that that registration was " a fraud".
Newpaper publishes photocopy of the registration with what is unarguably her signature and the AI party block checked..
Candidate claims she never filled out the party chioce block (yeah, sure).
Candidate tells press "I Mispoke"
Reporter unearths even earlier registration from her home in another county where she was registered as a Democrat.
Candidate publically admits to telling an "absolute falshood".
"Our side" has been out spent 10-1, but, if we can hold the Dem to under 50% and take the plurality of the Republican votes. we get to a run-off in November for which we have a good chance of winning.
The local paper has been so incensed by the string-pulling from the state capital that the enditorial endorsement was for voters to vote for either ouy guy or the Dem and force a run-off where the voters can have a chance to really evaluate the candidates.
(If anybody has read this far, you have far too much time on your hands
