Georgy Russell, California gubernatorial candidate
Some people reading this Weblog probably wonder why I haven't posted more about the California recall, since it's a unique event that's attracting a lot of national attention. The basic reason is that I just haven't had much to say about it. My basic perspective hasn't changed much in the three weeks since I first posted about it over a month ago. I still think the recall will fail.
And I still think that Cruz Bustamonte enjoys a heavy advantage in the current partisan line-up to be the leading replacement candidate for Gray Davis if the recall wins. Even though current polls contradict my prediction that he will be the strongest vote-getter of the replacement candidates.
I should also mention why I've had the Georgy Russell for Governor site in my list of favorite sites. It's not meant as an endorsement. (Sorry, Georgy!) But I've had it there as a kind of protest against the basically dysfunctional way both parties have approached this.
Georgy's campaign is a reminder that politics can be spirited and fun as well as serious. And her site shows some of the potential of the Internet for expanding grassroots democracy, as long as we can stop the corporate giants from finding ways to dominate it, too, when it comes to politics.
The fact that she was able to attract national attention to her campaign through her focused use ofthe Web is a tribute to her creativity. It's also good to see concerned twentysomethings get interested in politics, and her campaign is encouraging that. Jon Carroll gives her some well-deserved praise in this San Francisco Chronicle column.
Did I say national attention? Make that international, as in the BBC and Der Spiegel. Hopefully, she'll keep her Weblog going after the election. Whether she wins or loses.
2 comments:
To better understand what's going on in California and get a hint at what may become a national political trend, read Michael Lewis's article in The New York Times Magazine (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/28/magazine/28CALIFOT.html). Many people like Georgy believe they can be governor here. It's real democracy, not a circus.
:) Cheese Louise
Yeah, I think he's on to something there. Democracy depends on people being skeptical of politicians; they work for us, after all. But democracy also depends on citizens having a sense of responsibility and recognizing that politics is part of life. Trying to hide by searching out celebrities to save us from "politics" in the end only makes things worse. - Bruce
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