California recall election: media push for Schwarzenegger leaves Democrats

[Euphen]

California recall election: media push for Schwarzenegger leaves Democrats in disarray
By Barry Grey
6 October 2003

<snip>

Whatever the outcome of the October 7 vote, the recall campaign is an indictment of the American political system. It has demonstrated the enormous decay of democratic processes and institutions in the US.

That a figure like Arnold Schwarzenegger—a man with no political experience who demonstrates both political and personal backwardness—can be taken seriously as a candidate to head the country’s largest state, let alone stand a good chance of winning the election, speaks volumes about the degradation of the political system. The farcical campaign of the multimillionaire actor and real estate speculator is only the crudest expression of a more general process.

None of the so-called major candidates have seriously addressed any of the critical issues facing working people in California. All of their campaigns have been marked by hollow rhetoric and hypocrisy.

The official debates organized by various media outlets and get-out-the-vote groups such as the League of Women Voters have revealed an appallingly low level of political consciousness. The vast majority of candidates on the replacement election ballot have been summarily excluded. The debate formats have inevitably been designed to prevent any serious exchange of ideas, with opening and closing statements of a minute each and 30 seconds allotted for candidates to respond to questions.

There is no conception within the media and political establishment that an election should be a forum for public debate and discussion of the important issues of the day. Rather, it is seen as a horse race, in which victory goes, with rare exceptions, to the candidates with the biggest campaign war chests.

-------------------

http://wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/cali-o06.shtml

[skyzics]

1. They nail it, as usual.

If the mid terms debacle did not serve to get the Dems to change course and develop a mass base of support, one would hope that this debacle would.

Yeah, and Pigs fly.

Unless the Dems start going beyond scandal mongering - something they will never be as good at as the GOP and their bought-and-paid-for corporate press - they will continue to lose to GOP money, star power and a corporate media that offers little else but horse-race and confusion to the electorate.

Problem is, the Dems' program these days is so essentially close to that of the fascist GOP, to expose the forces behind the fascist GOP is to expose themselves.

Can you say Dem support for Iraq, Afghanistan, military spending, the Patriot Act and tax breaks for the corporate elite and wealthy? With a program like that, we don't need GOPers.

Get a clue, Dems: If you don't, regardless of the disasters facing this country and the world, it will be 4 more years of Bush.. as this latest debacle in California shows.

[realFedUp]

2. See the DU election rules

We are not endorsing the socialist candidate here:

Democratic Underground does not exist to to provide a platform for our political opponents or their supporters, especially this close to an election. If our members want to listen to Republican spin, they can turn on the television. But they don't expect to see it on this message board.

If you support this ridiculous power-grab against the democratically elected Governor of California, then you should do all of us a favor and keep that particular opinion to yourself.

Even if you swear that you're going to vote against the recall, we still have no interest in hearing how you "admire" our opponents or how you feel "ashamed" about attacks against them.

The moderators have the authority to keep DU free from right-wing spin this close to an election.