Discussion of Citywide Elections

[TRX]

Will Quinn have the cojones to make an endorsement?
Truth is, Thompson should not accept her endorsement. And she should support Bloomberg if that is her honest feeling. (Sorry to mix honesty with politicians)

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election_2009/2009/09/17/2009-09-17_quinn_feels_wrath_of_angry_voters.html


Angry voters whittle down Speaker Christine Quinn's power base

Not a big fan of Daily News or their website. (But do like their Sports and political coverage, go figure.)

And this is by way of Gotham Gazette, which is great for coverage.

http://gothamgazette.com/resource/voting/inthenews/17

[TRX]

Who again are the main candidates for mayor?


http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/09/meet_your_other_mayoral_candid.html

Very kind of NYMag to spread some love.



Meet Your Other Mayoral Candidates

[odenhal]

kind of a longshot but you never know  :mrgreen:

http://burnsformayor.com/index.html

[FZ]

I worked  the last election and will be at the run-off next week, I have no horse in the race, they're  all democrats, but, I find it sad as to turnout. You can't complain if you don't bother  voting.

[TRX]

Instant
Runoff
Voting

http://www.fairvote.org/irv/

A great piece:


Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/09/29/2009-09-29_serpe_scrap_the_runoff_system_.html



Serpe is former deputy director of the Political Reform Program of the
New America Foundation and was a senior analyst for FairVote.
She is currently running for City Council in Queens' District 22.

Today, a tiny number of voters will go to the polls to choose the Democratic candidates for public advocate and city controller.

Democracy in action? No a costly, stupid process that works against the best principles of public participation.

And one for which there's an easy fix, if we turn to a common-sense innovation.

Taxpayers are footing some $15 million to pay for today's election administration, yet fewer than 200,000  of the 4.3 million registered voters in the city are expected to turn out.

What's the solution?
A simple reform called instant runoff voting.
Instant runoff guarantees majority winners in a single election by allowing voters to rank the candidates in their order of preference (1,2,3) on the very first ballot, rather than making them return to the polls two weeks later.

It saves time and money - two things that are in short supply these days.

Voting can be quite a chore. Senior citizens, people with limited mobility, parents of young children and workers with two jobs all find it difficult to get to the polls at all, much less twice in as many weeks.

Overseas and military voters are almost completely disenfranchised in runoff elections as there often isn't enough time to mail a ballot and have it returned. That's why several states, including Louisiana, South Carolina and Arkansas, already use instant runoff voting for those voters.

An instant runoff system is easy, it's fair, and, most importantly, it gives as many people as possible a chance to make a final decision on which candidate they want to advance.

We can't put a price on democracy, but we can improve it.

[mcdirk]

I really like Instant Runoff Voting and I think we would have had the same results we had this week if we had been using it - but we would have saved, what, $15,000,000 that we spent on the run-off, which could have been spent on pressing social needs.

[TRX]

First, voter guides should be out soon right. Hopefully in English for English readers.

Online too.
http://www.nyccfb.info/public/voter-guide/general_2009/gnal_09.aspx

Lots of choices.
Note perhaps 2 ballot questions that could take a little bit of your attention.
Both seem reasonable and harmless to me. See if you would vote Yes.

Overall, the election coverage is pretty terrible. I wonder if reporters saw the same debate.
The two candidates invited did a fair job with the questioning.
For what it is worth

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election_2009/2009/10/15/2009-10-15_insiders_say_term_limits_and_supporter_apathy_could_damage_mayor_bloombergs_chan.html

Still, one of Bloomberg's biggest supporters in the City Council, Democrat Peter Vallone of Queens, cautioned that low turnout in this year's primary - about 11% - should be cause for concern.

"The primary and the runoff results shook the worlds of a lot of political people and are making everyone rethink their strategy,"

"Conventional get-out-the-vote was not effective. Anyone who didn't have a personal interest stayed home."

The DN polls asks
Still for Thompson?
Still for Bloomberg?

Switching vote?

Undecided?

- It still frustrates me when papers claim to note the mayoral candidates and leave almost all out.
A large pdf list covering all the boroughs.

http://vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/documents/boe/2009GeneralElection/CandidacyList.pdf

I still look at several candidates of several parties. In the end, we are not all going to vote for who/m/ever wins.
I want to have the best possible peace of mind given the choices and the issues.

For mayor, 1st choice is likely to be Thompson. But I still hope for campaign improvement.
It was good to see Firefighters for Thompson out on 31st.

http://www.thompson2009.com/site/home/

[TRX]

I didnt know this NYS site would still be up. Nor who is this writer.
But I wonder if his views are fairly common.

http://www.nysun.com/opinion/bloombergs-diversion-strategy/86887/

The negative tone of Mayor Bloomberg’s reelection effort must signify that there is concern in the Bloomberg camp over Comptroller Thompson’s surprising strength with just over two weeks to go in the campaign.

It could be that the Bloomberg camp is really worried that, despite the advantage they have in money and institutional support, Thompson is gaining and could pull off a surprise upset. Alternatively, the campaign may be a reflection of the nasty side of Michael Bloomberg. Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised were the negative ads and their sheer volume having a reverse effect, turning voters off to Mr. Bloomberg.

And that is what has been lost in the sea of Bloomberg negativity on Mr. Thompson’s record. The real issue in this campaign is the city’s fragile economic health. The editorial boards told us last year that the mayor is the indispensible man to lead us in these difficult times, yet he has failed to make the tough decisions to right a ship that is still listing.

[TRX]

Hopefully worth your read.
Not adding any commentary.

Anyone, how was the debate?

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/10/21/2009-10-21_underdog_green_party_raise_big_cash_in_push_for_upset_of_peter_vallone.html



http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/index.html

[TRX]

A pretty good rundown on the debate. Helps me.



City Council Candidates Debate

BY GEORGINA YOUNG-ELLIS

http://www.qgazette.com/news/2009-10-21/Front_Page/City_Council_Candidates_Debate.html

[TRX]

I can't wait ...

http://www.astorians.com/community/index.php?topic=15473.0

... for the election to be over.
 :|

What's that Daily Show phrase?

Hopefully you have already made up your mind, and you plan to vote.
If not, we still might get a robocall, or 2, or 6 dozen.

Tonight is a final debate.
The candidates for Mayor of New York City meet in a debate on Tuesday, October 27 at
7:00 p.m. on Channel 7 and 7online.com

___

http://www.thompson2009.com/events/

10-27-09

Watch the Final Mayoral Debate
NYC is invited to come watch the final Mayoral debate, and enjoy an after party with Bill.
Time: 6-7PM -- Reception 7-8PM -- Debate Viewing 8-10PM -- After Party with Bill Thompson
Prices: $25 General Admission
$50 Reserved Seating $100 VIP Reception $250 VIP Table
RSVP

[TRX]

I hope voters vote, and vote their best hopes. I would love to have renewed faith in our voters and our election system.

As one wanting to see less govt, less spending/debt/taxes, integrity and transparency, it seems ever appropriate that election day comes so soon after Halloween.

If I were voting the straight LBT ticket, it would be

- Dobrian for mayor
- Lesczynski for advocate
- Clifton for comptroller

All have been on the balllot before. All have supported LBT principles for many years. I am thankful to have the option to vote for them this election.

I have noted, for me, the best match of office/agenda/person is Lesczynski.

I dont often take an interest in the primaries of other parties. But I am comfortable still with Liu for the office of comptroller.

There are thankfully many possibilities on the ballot. I find choosing a candidate for mayor is difficult, but I will have peace in voting for Thompson.
I hope voters take their choice and what it means seriously.

Whatever the results on election night, we all should hope the next 4 years bring wide prosperity, better schooling, safe and peaceful streets, vibrant communities, and more.

Peace.
 :-)

[Harlan]

Heehee, I just got this screed forwarded to me...

Subject: NO  JOHN LIU:  A  warning  from  The Coalition of  Guards  for American  Values

NO JOHN LIU
A warning from The Coalition of Guards for American Values

The election on November 3 is coming soon, we are hereby strongly appealing to all media and the public of New York City to come to know the true face of John Liu, stop him form taking the position of New York City controller.  We also strongly appeal to the DA office of Queens to expedite the investigation on John Liu for his illegal campaign financing activities so as to stop his further crimes of damaging America.

We are the New York citizens of Chinese and Korean origins, and understand John Liu in and out.  He is only superficially a Democrat, the matter of the true nature of him is neither Democrat nor Republican, but a Communist instead.  Our conclusion has come based on the facts.  The true reason of his coming so close to the communists is that he hates America and hope to use the foreign force to exert the greatest hit on the United States in the style of 911 terrorist attacks.

John Liu emigrated from Taiwan with his parents while he was only five years old.  He has grown up in this country with Taiwanese parents.  But he loves neither Taiwan nor the United States, rather, he loves the Chinese Communist Regime that has no direction relation with him at all. A federal court sentenced his father for his embezzlements of bank deposits from ethnic Chinese customers right after John Liu was elected as the councilman of New York City.  Liu was very upset and discontent toward the American political and social systems. He developed hatred towards American government and people since then.  In contrast, the Communist regime from China has not give him any help during his growing up, why did he actively collude with the communist regime from China and say all good words about the regime? That is because the communist regime has always taken the United States as its main enemy in the last 60 years, the regime’s military developments has also targeted on the United States, the oversea website of the regime even openly threatened to bomb four million New Yorkers by PLA (the People’s Liberation Army) bombers.  The reason why John Liu supports the communist regime is to hope that the regime become stronger and stronger and one day it will bring destructive blow out onto American people.  Because of this, John Liu did not give any praises towards the American systems but praised the communist dictatorship in China; because of this, he refused to offer help to a mother of two American soldiers fighting for the country in Iraq, yet he went to the communist consulate three times to  convey the congratulatory plaques for the launches of communist military satellites; and because of this he never condemned the terrorist attacks on this country yet he called American government terrorism (on local Chinese language media) when a pregnant illegal Chinese immigrant had a miscarriage while being deported by the US government.

If we can’t stop him, his actions of this hatred will become intensified.  For the sake of our families, our parents and children and all American people, we must united and say NO to John Liu.

The Communist regime, with which John Liu has been colluding, has never been lenient.  It has caused at least 80 million unnatural death among Chinese people during its ruling in Mainland China.  Now it has established heavy infiltration in the United States.  It has invested a huge amount of money in developing its organizations in this country. According to the reliable resource, there are 360 all different pro-communist organizations in New York alone.  The number of Chinese people that are controlled or manipulated by the communist consulates has reach 300,000.  Two out of three Chinese you see in New York.  What’s the reason behind their endless effort in incorporating, organizing and controlling the oversea Chinese? According to reliable information source, these oversea Chinese will be used by the communist regime to strike on this country in for situations:

   1. When the CCP gives the command to strike against the United States
   2. When a war breaks out between Communist China and the US,
   3. When the States encounters strikes from outside and the whole states becomes weak and
   4. When the Communist regime is collapsing via Chinese people’s overthrowing effects. 

The more terrifying situation is that these oversea Chinese are required by the regime to take actions to strike against the States voluntarily when there cannot get instructions at all.   Because of the huge number of them, even one percent of them start the striking actions onto the States, that would be 3000 people in them and then the destructions would be enormous (comparing to only 22 terrorist involved in 911 attacks).

John Liu knows these things and would like to get hold of more power and use it to cover up the communist regime’s intentions and in the mean time to entice more Chinese in this country become anti-American.  Next time the real terrorist attacks will be from those Chinese living in this country and controlled by the communist regime if we want life continue in the way we want, we must stop John Liu and the Communist regime from infiltrating this country.

Please tell this message to as many people as you can.

Thank you.

October 13, 2009

Who knew!  :lol:

[TRX]

Heehee, I just got this screed forwarded to me...

Who knew!  :lol:

Whew. Thanks for the warning.   :|

I grew up near, not related, a fiercely anti-communist Vietnamese community.
So such screeds are not so foreign.

That said, the screeds go in my trash file.

... however ... he is supported by the WFP...

 :lol:

[TRX]

http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/10/30/two-former-twin-cities-mayors-publish-op-ed-in-favor-of-instant-runoff-voting/



The Minneapolis Star-Tribune of October 29 has this op-ed in favor of Instant Runoff Voting. It is co-authored by Don Fraser, who was Mayor of Minneapolis 1980-1994, and George Latimer, who was Mayor of St. Paul 1976-1980. The issue is timely because St. Paul voters are voting on whether to use Instant Runoff Voting in next week’s election. [?]

In related news, the Aspen (Colorado) Times has this editorial in favor of retaining Instant Runoff Voting in that city.

Instant
Runoff
Voting

http://www.fairvote.org/irv/

A great piece:


Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/09/29/2009-09-29_serpe_scrap_the_runoff_system_.html



Serpe is former deputy director of the Political Reform Program of the
New America Foundation and was a senior analyst for FairVote.
She is currently running for City Council in Queens' District 22.