It’s time to start wrapping up the Free Lance’s 2008 Election blog by discussing the results of some of the local races and issues.  I held off for a while to make sure that I had the complete returns from the Elections Department, but I am 66-years old and I don’t know how long I can wait.  A confluence of events, some we could not control, some we should have controlled, and all of which we should have planned for, came together to make vote counting in San Benito County a true “long-term” program.  When the dust settles, the problem of late counts demands an in-depth investigation and analysis by the department head.  The report should include recommendations to make sure that we do not have a repeat performance next election.

The winner of the District 5 race, the only contested seat on the Hollister City Council, was Victor Gomez.  Gomez had the endorsement of both local newspapers and, although he captured only 43 percent of the vote, he easily defeated Roy Iler and David Huboi who roughly spilt the remaining 57 percent.  It was not an overwhelming mandate, but the three candidates were not very far apart on any important issues.  I believe the voters decided primarily on who they believed would get the job done; let’s hope they got that right.

Ray Friend ran unopposed for the District 1, replacing the incumbent, Brad Pike, who did not stand for reelection.  I’m disappointed that there was not more competition for this open seat; Friend may have walked away with the election anyway, but it’s always best to have a choice and a real discussion of the issues.  However, Councilman Pike did not announce his firm decision to step down until late in the pre-election cycle and the short time-frame tends to narrow the field.  Councilman Doug Emerson ran unopposed for reelection in District 4.

It would be nice if the future candidates for the Hollister City Council would agree, on a handshake, to limit their campaign spending to $1,000 each.  This would allow potentially good candidates with limited resources to compete and it would also force the candidates to take positions and explain them to the voters in detail rather than merely pock-marking the landscape with meaningless name recognition signs.

Hollister’s Measure Y – exempting downtown from the city’s growth control ordinance – was approved 52 percent to 48 percent.  The difference was 275 out of 6,683 votes and that is much closer than it should have been.  I simply cannot believe that there are 3,200 voters who oppose this sensible measure; unless they know something that I don’t.  I believe the measure’s supporters did not do a very good job of explaining and promoting it.  It passed anyway, but it’s an alarm bell, one cannot take anything for granted; the voters will always tend to reject measures they do not understand.

I’m sure there was much local interest in the other races, but I just don’t know the issues as represented by the candidates and I won’t try to bluff my way through like so many politicians.  I do have my own issue and here it is.  Whoever is on the school board needs to get moving and improve the quality of the local education system while reducing the dropout rate and I’m not talking about a point or two here or there, I mean real progress.  I plan on living for a long time and I need these kids to become productive members of our society so that there will be plenty of Social Security money for me – and, oh by the way, it would be good for them and good for everyone else too.

Marty Richman

The people have spoken; yes, I know it’s a cliché, but there are times when only clichés will do and this is one of them.  After one of the hardest fought and expensive campaigns in history, we have a new President-elect, Barack Obama.  His supporters are, rightfully, felling mighty good this morning while the opposition’s mood is mighty low.  Congratulations to the winners; condolences to the losers.

The best news is that we did it again, we got through one of these damn things relatively unscathed, peacefully and on the whole, quietly, and now we can move on.  No more ads, no more Robocalls and no more phony debates.  Naturally I have some advice for both sides in this historic election – yes, the election of the first Black American as President of the United States  has to be considered an historic occasion.

I now give both sides my personal formula for getting us through to the next election.

To the losers:  For God’s sake, whatever you do don’t put any of those stupid, “He’s not my President” bumper-stickers on your cars like the ones I’ve been seeing for eight years.  I cannot tell you how much I hate them.  If you’re a true patriot, the President will be your President whether you voted for him or not.  He is your President even if you disagree with everything he does and everything he is going to do.

If you love your country you’ll always want your President to do better and the good news is that you get to define what that means in your personal equation.  If the President does something good give him credit even if he’s from a different party.  If he does something bad, try criticizing him with laser, not a baseball bat.  If you do not speak up, just sulk, your voice will not be heard.

To the winners:  Enjoy yourselves while you can, in a few short months all the problems will be yours.  Try to have an administration that actually accomplishes things that are good for the nation, not just things that are politically correct or suitable for multimedia presentation.  Take a look at some of the opposition’s programs and adopt the ones that are good.  Start measuring outcomes using hardnosed analysis and discipline and do not go on a frenzy of paying off your supporters.  The American government should not be a spoils system with the spoils being the public’s tax dollars.

Above all, never forget that although you received more than 62 million votes, your opponents received more than 55 million votes and we are a nation still split down the middle with the swing votes deciding most elections.  If you succumb to the radical elements in your party you’ll find yourselves on the outside looking in at the next election, it’s almost a certainty.  A good President needs to be the President of all the people.

To the general electorate:  Don’t go back to sleep, we are just getting reborn as America is reborn at every election and don’t count on government to solve your every problem; you have more power over your day-to-day lives than government will ever have.  Be a good citizen, do your share and find time to participate in your local government, they will do as much as you demand or as little as you allow.  Do not allow the government at any level to treat you as an annoying outsider – you are an owner; these folks work for you.  Demand openness, honesty, efficiency and accomplishment.  Don’t settle for grand plans or programs – we’ve had them for decades – ask for results and keep track of performance.  You cannot win the game of life merely on style-points, in the end one must look at the scoreboard.

Finally, as Americans, we are all in this boat together and we all have an interest in keeping it afloat, if we allow it to sink there will be of little solace in saying, “I told you so.”

Marty Richman

Now that you’ve done all your homework, read the campaign materials, argued with your stubborn in-laws who just can’t see the light on which candidate is truly worthwhile, and finally figured out that politics can break up what was a good friendship, it’s time for you to vote.  Go do it.  It would be a pity to waste all the time, money and effort the candidates spent trying to convince you that they are the best for the job.  That’s what’s going to happen if you stay home.

Another good reason to vote is that you’ll get a chance to thank the volunteers who work the polling stations; without them the system cannot function.  You’ll also have the opportunity to see some of you neighbors standing in line and your first thought will be, “I wonder who they are going to vote for?”  That is, unless they have a bumper sticker on their car.  A little suspicion will creep in; you know what they have been saying, but once they get in the voting booth who really knows what they are going to do.  Made you nervous, didn’t I?

I’ve been going out of my way to be even-handed about the presidential candidates, but now I’m going to give you my recommendation.  If you get to the polls and still have not decided who to vote for, then vote for yourself.  Write your name in, I don’t know if that’s legal in California, but you should do it anyway.

Voting for yourself has several advantages.  First, you can tell people, honestly, that you received a vote for president in 2008.  Second, you’ll be voting for the one person who can make a real difference in your life.  Just think about it; for most people it’s their own decisions, actions and attitudes that determine their happiness.

I know what you’re thinking – if only the government had protected me from this financial collapse.  How could they?  Government is not good at protecting us from ourselves.  If we actually cared about our own financial security why didn’t we save more, why did we take all those home equity loans or buy the big house we could hardly afford or run the credit cards to bursting?

The government can do a lot better and they should, but so should we all.  The good news is that, unlike the President-elect, you will not have to wait until January twentieth; you can start right now by voting.

Marty Richman

America is a sports crazy society, if it weren’t why would we pay a starting pitcher $25 million dollars to play a kids game? Some sports calls and expressions have become legendary such as Al Michaels’ blockbuster, “Do you believe in miracles?” or Joe Buck’s, “I don’t believe what I just saw!”

One of my favorite calls is from thoroughbred racing. After the horses make the final turn the call is, “…and down the stretch they come” and everyone knows that means the race is almost over and if you’re still in the running it’s time for maximum effort. That certainly applies to the 2008 Presidential Election; they are in the home stretch.

I know you’re dying to say it just like an announcer, go ahead. If you’re embarrassed, wait until you’re alone, because it appears that we’ve got ourselves a real horserace. Put some excitement in your voice and let her rip, …and down the stretch they come.

Now, I want you to think of the campaigns in the stretch run. Two horses, each carrying two people pounding away, eyes wide, nostrils flared, hearts beating fast, breathing hard, trying to convert some oxygen and sugar into one more ounce of energy. If you include the primaries, they’ve been running for months and they’ve endured a lot. One must assume that that three U.S. Senators and a State Governor have some pride and self-respect, but they have been prodded and poked and their underwear preferences have been recorded. In most cases, those who did the poking are nowhere near their equal. They have been ridiculed for being old, for having an unusual middle name, for always flubbing their words and for being small town.

Could you take that scrutiny?

They have been asked the same dumb questions a hundred times and they have responded with the same dumb answers they always use because those are safe answers and no one wants to make a mistake. In just a few days, two of them will be elected and the other two will go back to being a U.S. Senator or a Governor and the pokers and prodders will go back to whatever they do and wait for the next time they can get a free shot at the high and mighty. Well, that’s how we do it, we insist on dragging them down to our level and then we complain because they give us the same lousy leadership we accept.

Now go out and cast your vote, but don’t come back in four years and tell me you did not get what you wanted. Politicians will give you exactly the kind of government you demand, not merely what you say you want. Shakespeare understood human nature as few men ever have. “The fault…,” he said, “…is not in our stars, but in ourselves…”

Marty Richman

I threatened to do a comedy routine about the political polls. Well, here it is, but in some ways – financial ways – it’s not funny. If you’re wondering where this year’s billions in political spending is going since they are not sending any to you, wonder no longer. A lot of money goes to polling, but except for the polls immediately preceding the election – no one can ever know if the polls were right or wrong. That’s a great deal; it’s like being paid to take a test where no one checks the answers. Even with that, the pollsters rely on their ever-present savior, the famous “margin of error” to bail them out.

Are you ready to eat some humble pie? Here is the math question I’ve been saving up since high school and it’s the only one I know that doesn’t involve two trains leaving Chicago. Candidate A has a lead of 3% in the polls, but the margin of error is 2%. My question is what in the world are they talking about?

Obviously, the election has not been held, so how can they know the actual margin of error; they can’t. The pollsters use mathematical formulas and historical data to predict the future just like the financial folks. That second group uses many of the same tools to predict the economy – oops, maybe that’s a bad example.

Then there is the guess factor. Start with 200 monkeys (these examples always use monkeys). Assign half to pick Candidate Y as the winner and the other half to pick Candidate Z. Then take the winning monkeys and do it all over again, eventually you’d end up three monkeys who “picked” the winner 6 times in a row. Those three magic monkeys are now respected pollsters and the other 197 monkeys are out of a job. Put simply, if you get enough pollsters to make enough guesses someone is bound to be right. Everyone soon forgets those who were wrong. I understand why the candidates are fascinated by the election polls. They have to figure out if their campaigns are working, but why is the public so enthralled. Is it just our human desire to be able to predict the future or it something else? I’m still hoping there will be some real campaign news worth a comment before this election is over, but I’m not too sure; I may have started too late. The next big news may be the results. I think both campaigns are already deep into the make-no-mistake mode. This is also called boring mode and with good reason. The size of the undecided group is shrinking – or at least that’s what the pollsters say.

This is election blog No. 2 and it’s Tuesday evening. It was another slow day on the election front. I think there are several reasons. The first is that the economic news is chasing everything else off the front pages. Of course, it’s not really news, eighty-percent is just rehash of the same old facts.  Tell the truth, do you really think it makes a difference if they spend $700 billion or $900 billion to bailout Freddie, Fannie, Wall Street and banks and everyone else? By the time it gets to you, you’ll be lucky to see enough for a couple of tanks of gas after the prices go back up – and you can be sure they will.  I’m just trying to put the election in perspective.

The second reason interest is waning is that the nature of voting has changed significantly. More and more people vote absentee and many states allow early voting over an extended period. Additionally, many voters have made their decision, for them the intensity drops, and no added convincing is required. Therefore, the candidates are focusing lasers and targeting smaller and smaller undecided groups as indicated by their polls. I’ll tackle the issue of polls some other time, perhaps in a comedy routine.

Finally, this election has been a marathon, not a sprint; the national candidates and their consultants are mentally tired and the public is exhausted (at least I am). We have not seen a fresh idea, or even a fleshing out of old idea, for weeks and the TV ads are just insulting, as always. Most of them say, “Vote for me because these smiling faces in the background are all going to vote for me too.” How many ways can you say that? But the ads will run until the money is gone anyway.

Being president is a tough job, but you get no magic powers. If the anyone in the federal, state or local governments could just press a button and revive the economy overnight, don’t you think they’d have done it by now?

There are many statewide propositions on the ballot and I’m sure you’ve read them all in great detail – perhaps a little detail – well, maybe you saw the ads or your neighbor told you what they think, so you’re all set.

Locally, there is a measure to exempt downtown Hollister from the growth cap. Why not? Nothing is happening there anyway, maybe in a few years we’ll see some benefit. I don’t think there is any down-side to a yes vote.
  
You can see how enthused I am. I expect my interest level to pick up as the election approaches – provided the stock market doesn’t go into negative numbers, first.

Posted by Marty Richman

The editor of the Free Lance offered me the opportunity to blog the election, and no one can turn down a great chance like that, so here I am. The Technorati Media Web site claims to be currently tracking 112 million blogs; well now it’s 112 million and one.
First, a reminder, blog is an online diary and therefore it’s an opinion piece. If you have a different opinion feel free to chime in, but as a blogger, I represent no one but myself – so please no accusations about doing anyone’s bidding. If I spout a party line, it’s because I have evaluated it and agree with it – it’s called free will.
Now on to the elections.
The amount spent running for office in this country is ridiculous. Forget about the billion-dollar presidential race – just look at our local council race. You’d think that in a small town like Hollister, the three candidates for the one contested seat on the City Council – District 5 – would just get together and agree to keep their campaigns’ expenditures under $1,000. Nope, they are following in our leaders footsteps and pouring the money to it. Based on what they say, you can’t slip a piece of paper between them on most issues. Of course, what they say and what and how they might do things is another story.
You pull up to the corner of Sunnyslope and Airline and there is a sign for – well, everybody. Since that’s just a public corner, it’s not about preference, it’s just name recognition. I wish there was an accurate way to measure the effect of name signs. It seems a lot of campaigning is self-defeating.  McCain’s campaign has been criticized for using too many of the hated Robocalls, so Obama’s campaign started making Robocalls to point that out to voters. What am I missing here? I stopped eating dinner and that stopped the Robocalls altogether.
What I really want to know is what the presidential candidates think about the gauntlet of absurdity they must endure and of the folks who pull the levers, you and I. We shall never know; the candidates start out as real people and end up as cardboard characters made by the media and consultants. Politicians have power, but the national media has power over the political process.  Don’t believe everything you read in the newspaper (my column in the Free Lance is the only exception).
There hasn’t been any real presidential competition in California. It’s a very liberal state with leftist enclaves. Our “Republican” governor would be called a conservative Democrat in most states. Just put California in the Obama column, and we’ll keep our eyes on more interesting things.