If this last election showed anything, and it did, it surely showed that today everywhere in this country, liberals and progressives need to get over their love affair with direct democracy and taking their case on public policy issues directly to the people, as one ballot measure after another in California, one of the most blue of blue states showed big business, with it big time money can win on ballot measures when it's willing to shell out the tons of money for TV and other ads to carry out the old Tom Dewey strategy of "If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em," winning by getting the people to vote against their own best interests.

Start out with Proposition 86, which had all the looks, and especially for California, of a mom and apple pie measure, with its minimalist call for preventive health care for children, some other health coverage again for children,, funding for anti smoking education, and the like to be funded by taxes from tobacco products, but the tobacco companies shelled out tons of money and won by better than four points on this in this hard core blue state. This ballot measure which is in part at least a response to the governor's veto of legislation the legislature passed which would have provided for universal health care. The people's elected representatives, instead of giving into the health insurance industry lobby, passed this legislation with its comprehensive coverage, whereas in contrast, when the people had a direct vote on a much more limited ballot measure with its minimalist coverage and focus, voted it down by better than four points.

Then look at Proposition 87, which would have provided for a tax on production of oil based on the market price of petroleum to fund alternate energy sources with rallying cry of Make big oil pay for cleaner energy. The oil companies came in shelling out tons of money and won by over eight points. Again this is in a very blue state.
In July the very reliable Field Poll had put the contest at 51 to 34% for this measure to "make big oil pay." But on October 4th the margin was down to 44 to 41% for the measure, and the big oil company money shelled out for tons of advertising was paying off big time. In the final vote, big oil by the sizable margin of better than eight points. Here again, the winning was able to raise money and the other side lagged in doing so. That saying that money talks, and BS walks says it all.

Then for those liberals and or progressives still hypnotized by their love affair with direct democracy and taking their case directly to the people, take a look at what really should been a mom and apple pie ballot measure which would have provided for real reform of elections by providing for strict limits on campaign spending and public financing of campaigns to keep private money from so easily buying elections, which as what Proposition 89 would have done if the vote had gone for it instead of against it, the way it actually did by better than 42 points in this one of bluest states in the union, and it ought to be apparent even to some liberals and or progressives who have been so mesmerized by direct democracy and the whole notion of their taking their case directly to the people that this absolutely isn't the way to go, and the results rather than some nice theory about how wonderful populism and direct democracy is for liberals and progressives is what really counts.

This goes with the old rule of three strikes, and you're out. After these three strikes on these ballot measures, this surely ought to be the case with that liberal and progressive love affair with direct democracy and taking the
case to directly to the people.

Not to force my religion on anyone else but, this week end here in this country would be a good time for me in the words of that eloquent Who song, to "get on my knees and pray that we don't fooled again" and the GOP gets beat by a landslide for both houses of Congress, and I might well add, so should others who as well believe in prayer.

Stopping the big time steal by Diebold and the GOP/neo con job roll back of all checks and balances brought over to this country from England going back to Magna Carta has to be an absolute priority to see that once again this country will ultimately in the eloquent words of Abraham Lincoln have a "government of, by, and for the people." In this time of crisis of spirit and the greatest challenge to our constitutional form of government and government by "consent of the governed." as was the call to action in this country's revolution, let us recall the apt words of John F Kennedy, "Ask not what what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." Better yet, "Ask not what all humanity and civilization can do for you but you can do for all humanity and civilization itself," for that's just what's on the line in this election. "Keep hope alive" with Reverend and Jackie Jackson and the Rainbow Push Coalition. Leave the Kafkaeske neo con job nightmare behind.

Nothing in the previous column is in any way intended to say that liberals and progressives would turn their backs on the street protests and other civil disobedience which Martin Luther King Jr made so famous. If anyone got that idea in his or her head. Just get it right out of there immediately!

The 2006 election forecast in this country of policy issues on the ballot with state wide votes is from slightly fascist to mildly far right for those issues that big business gets engaged in, as big business will shell out tons of money for TV and other ads to confuse people enough to vote against their own interest. Why would this be so? Hey, it's been that way going on 40 years, as big business drops tons of money for ads, following the Tom Dewey strategy of "If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em" and winning time after time. The issue on the ballot calling for universal health care in California, a solid blue state won't be an exception, with the power of money doing the talking through these TV and other ads overwhelming the other side, which will easily end up outspent, outmaneuvered, and just plain beat by a sizable to big margin.

This should wake up liberals and progressives from all this rubbish about taking their case directly to the people through the ballot, and it's damn sure time. Better by far is it for liberals and progressives to concentrate on getting the right people into office, and then getting the needed legislation and or policies implemented.

Right now is the time for Democrats to counter the pardon me strategy of Scooter Libby and the GOP by Harry Reid and the rest of the Democratic Congressional Leadership leading the way as they did last year a little after the indictment of Scooter Libby when Reid urged W not to allow his ties with Libby to afford him "extraordinarily special treatment," translated into plain English, a pardon. Yes, political fans, a pardon, a bit like W's dad provided some folks with whom another special prosecutor was investigating for involvement in the Iran Contra affair. This is rather important, as Elizabeth de la Vega, a former federal prosecutor points in a Common Dreams article, as the real defense for Libby now does boil down to pardon me.

Why is this the case? It is so, as US District Judge Reggie Walton has knocked down a motion by Libby's legal defense outfit that Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor, was "overzealous" and went beyond his authority in bringing charges of false statements and perjury, even though he was "only authorized" to investigate the outing of a CIA covert employee. The judge seems equally disinclined to go along with other such BS defense motions. As Robin Williams would say, "Hep me!" "Work through it!"

Thus the old trusty pardon me defense, a close relative to the rich white man's affirmative action program, could really be just what the "doctor" ordered if that "doctor's" name is W. The "beauty" of this defense as Tricky Dick found out is that it may well be it doesn't matter what crime that the individual committed, as that's all pardoned. Can anyone out there say December surprise? Libby is almost surely hoping W can do that by that "lovely pardon."

Ah yes, and all's the more reason for the Democratic Congressional Leadership to again stand firm by calling for no pardon, maybe even a little more explicitly this time, for Libby, and doing so before Election day, and the sooner the better! Keep hope of the truth coming out alive. Leave the neo con dominated GOP behind. Put another way, let justice be done though the GOP's political power nationally collapse from the evil within being exposed for what it is.