The Stupid – it Burns. Loni-Gate and Prop 15

So, it looks like the opposition to Proposition 15, the California Fair Elections Act, has hired Jerbal’s friends Schubert-Flint to run their campaign.  Schubert-Flint is of course best known for steering 2008’s Proposition 8 to victory, using endless lies and distortions to successfully prevent our gay brothers and sisters from marrying for another few years.

Yesterday they believed they had hit pay dirt when the bill’s author, Senator Loni Hancock, held a fundraiser for her re-election, complete with lobbyists present.  (This initiative began with a legislative bill, which was “authored” by Senator Hancock – that doesn’t mean she wrote it; it means she stands behind it and guides it to passage.)  Schubert-Flint issued a press release screeching, “astonishing hypocrisy!” as though saying so loud enough would make it so.

That’s the consultant’s job of course, to throw shit at the wall and see what sticks – and they did that brilliantly in ’08 at the expense of marriage equality.  From there it dribbles down the food chain to useful mouthpieces like our own young Sergeant York, who with obvious relief at no longer having to debate me on the merits of the initiative, triumphantly yelped that this proved Prop. 15 was “yet another scam.”

By now, anyone with a functioning brain is asking, “What scam?  WHAT HYPOCRISY?”  Proposition 15 aims to put in place a voluntary system of clean elections for the office of SECRETARY OF STATE, to be paid for by lobbyist fees.  That system DOES NOT EXIST yet, and even if it did, it wouldn’t cover SENATE RACES.  What goes on in these anti-reformers’ brains?  They really expect Senator Hancock to unilaterally disarm as her re-election approaches, just because she supports reform?  What next, she should take a vow of poverty? Of celibacy?  I know what uber-blogger Atrios meant when he used to say, “The Stupid – it BURNS.”

I chose the photo above rather than one of Senator Hancock because, as much as we love and respect Loni and as much as she has done absolutely nothing wrong (and we wish her the best in fundraising and re-election) – THIS MEASURE STARTED WITH US, a grass-roots campaign.  That’s four of us back in ’08, convincing Senator Correa to back the measure – our fearless leader Trent Lange is on the left, and I’m second from right, not looking my best.  I’m going to go ahead and say we need all of your support to help this essential reform succeed, now that we know we’re up against one of the most ruthless and deceitful consulting firms, Jerbal’s friends at Schubert-Flint.

(Now watch the young Sergeant, outgunned, continue to avoid me.)

About Vern Nelson

Greatest pianist/composer in Orange County, and official political troubadour of Anaheim and most other OC towns. Regularly makes solo performances, sometimes with his savage-jazz band The Vern Nelson Problem. Reach at vernpnelson@gmail.com, or 714-235-VERN.