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Running for office is a marathon — but despite how it may look, this is not a bunch of women chasing after Joe Biden because he sniffed their hair.
FIRST — FOR NPP VOTERS:
This is from the Orange County Registrar of Voters office; if you reside in a different California County, please check with them about their procedures.
As a voter registered with No Party Preference, if you want to vote for U.S. President, you must request a primary election ballot with presidential candidates.
The American Independent, Democratic, and Libertarian Parties allow No Party Preference voters to participate in their Presidential Primary Elections.
Beginning in 2020, all voters in Orange County will receive a vote-by-mail ballot
A postcard has been sent to you that will allow you to request an American Independent, Democratic, or Libertarian Party ballot. Once you make your selection, return it in the mail. You can also request one of these selections on our website at ocvote.com/npp, by calling our office at 714-567-7600, or by sending a fax to 714-567-7556.
If you do not request a partisan ballot by returning the postcard, submitting the request on our website, or calling our office by the deadline, you will be mailed a ballot without any presidential candidates. If this happens, you can request a replacement ballot from your county elections official by:
- Submitting a request on our website
- Calling our office at 714-567-7600
- Fax to 714-567-7556
- Voting in person at a Vote Center beginning on February 22, 2020
If you choose to vote in person at a Vote Center beginning on February 22, 2020
Ask the Vote Center staff for a ballot with either American Independent, Democratic, or Libertarian Party presidential candidates when checking-in at the Vote Center.
Voting in the Green, Peace and Freedom, or Republican Party Primary
If you want to vote for the Green, Peace and Freedom, or Republican Parties’ presidential candidates, you must re-register with that specific party.
You can re-register to vote online at ocvote.com/register. If you need to re-register after February 17, 2020, you may need to register to vote in person at a Vote Center.
Now on to the introduction….
INTRODUCTION
I hope to provide some structure to my writings on Presidential politics this yer (and yes, I’ll do the same for local politics), by presenting them as a numbered series, all the easier for people to seek out or skip. These pieces will be shorter than my normal ones, which may or may not still appear. (OK, who am I kidding? They will still appear, but I’m not sure whether as part of a series.)
The first part of the series (as I’ve already instructed Republicans how to vote in their primary) will focus on Democratic electorate. I’ll begin by focusing on some overarching themes: the rift within the party (Left and anti-Left); how each side thinks it can win (capturing the middle versus building up larger base turnout); the role of complexity versus simplicity in arguments; the role that logic vs. emotion play in arguments; how the primary ststem actually works anticipation of how Trump will pursue re-election, depending on his opponent; the question of what can actually be achieved by the next President under various scenarios; and, finally, who’s telling voters the truth about all of this.
Then I’ll focus on each of the remaining candidates (plus one that doesn’t remain), and then some of the main demographic groups to watch. And, unless I double up on some days, that will most likely take us to the end of January — just before the Iowa Caucuses and the mass mailing of Democratic primary ballots on February 3. You’ll want to keep this link handy for a couple of reasons: first, it contains a list of all of the primary contests, and second, it explains why I’d take a bet (with reasonable odds) that Tulsi Gabbard will win the Democratic nomination, while badly losing the Democratic vote.
Here’s the projected list of topics:
- 01. This Introduction
- Theories of Victory
- The Democratic Rift
- Accepting Complexity
- Politics Isn’t Local, It’s Personal
- Guide to the Nomination Process
- How Will Trump Fight?
- What Can Be Achieved?
- Who’s Telling It Straight?
- Harris
- Castro
- Booker
- Patrick
- Gabbard
- Klobuchar
- Buttigieg
- Yang
- Biden
- Bloomberg
- Steyer
- Warren
- Sanders
- Black Voters — It’s the Timing More Than the Base
- Black Voters — Age, Religiosity, or Practicality?
- Black Voters — Church-Centered
- Black Voters — Secular
- Latino Voters
- Asian Voters
- Women Voters
- LGBTQ+ Voters
- Labor Voters
- Military Voters
Suggest your own topics, as you’d like, and of course weigh in on any of the posts — or seek out me or Vern and ask if you can write your own!
Rad as hell!
I was informed by the Registrar’s office that today is the last day that NPP voters can request that a Democratic ballot be sent to their home. So today would be a great time for people to do that. If not, and if they can’t get a Dem ballot as an NPP even at a vote center, the worst that will happen in that people who want to vote for Bernie (or, um, someone else) will have to re-register Democratic. They can then re-register again sometime later. The party is in no position to complain about this, as they did the same damn thing to win some ADEM elections last year. (And if you register Democratic, you get to vote for our recommended Central Committee members!)
Thanks for projecting a section on Black voters.
According to the last Census, Orange County is home to less than 55,000 blacks/African Americans.
That’s just under 2% of the population of OC, but I would hope that before you write that section, you’d reach out to some of us to get our thoughts.
One of the more disappointing aspects I’ve seen in Orange County politics is to see/hear Black narratives ignored or misrepresented.