Home of Today's Common Sense

We are deep in the election season now. Hillary and Barack are duke-ing it out nationally with the next installment due in a few weeks when the Pennsylvania primary is held. There is also an ongoing serial of the Florida – Michigan debacle. What to do so that the voters of those two states will be included as real voting citizens by the Democrats. Recently, here in Texas the fact of the caucus and its importance in the Democratic nomination process was amplified by the contentiousness of the elections. In the twenty years I have lived here I have never seen any other public information encouraging voters to participate, though I was generally aware of the process. When I asked some precinct leaders about it, they advised that it was rare that regular voters participated in the caucuses. When you consider the “superdelagates” that are mostly elite insiders and the discrete caucus procedure it appears that the elite of the party do not believe that “We the people” should choose our leaders but really wants to dictate the outcome of elections – or should we say that they want to coronate their royalty. 

The basis of voting is still based on the way the political subdivisions are drawn or gerrymandered. Each party as soon as it gets in power does all that it can to draw the political lines to the best advantage. Perhaps, you will remember the recent controversy when the Republicans redrew the lines a few years ago. It wasn’t to provide fair and equal voting power or the lines would be drawn to provide equal regional power. They were draw to represent the new Republican majority. This is certainly something less than fair elections. The candidacy of Barack Obama has done a lot to bring light to the way things are and the motivation to change some of them. 

His youth and personal popularity have re-energized the voting public and encouraged many new voters, not only to vote but to become active in the campaigns. He has also invigorated the demographic of young people into the fray. These folks have contributed to making this election one of the most active in my memory. This activity, the competitiveness of the campaigns and the resulting high voter turnout has brought focus on the more seedy issues of the process such as the vote then caucus as we saw here in Texas and the scheduling of certain States primary elections to give the party faithful a bigger influence in the outcome. Perhaps some of the smoke in the back rooms will clear as a result. Locally, in spite of poor voter perceptions many of the traditional politicos keep coming back. Former County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa has retrieved the reigns of power by seizing the Chairmanship of the Democrat party and launching a number of his associates and former supporters in local races. It remains to the voters to make the right choices, which in this election season, might be very surprising because of the large numbers of voters. One of the larger constituencies is made up of university students which are more interested than in the past. While I am asked to speak periodically it is usually relating to International Trade, but recently I was invited to speak to a class at UTB as Chaiman of The Libertarian Party following Republican Chairman Carlos Cascos and Democrat Gilberto Hinojosa. The questions I received were informed and well thought out and presume my contemporaries experienced the same. I am looking to see larger Student Democrat and Republican organizations as well as a Libertarian Group on Campus in the coming year. Should the student constituency be motivated properly they could easily control the outcome of any of our elections and I suspect the coming local and general elections will show evidence of this. How will the traditional political processes fair in the light of the new interests? In the news hints that the issues of the Super delegate system, seating of delegates at the convention and the caucus system are being revisited. How will the process fair in Cameron County? 

I for one would like to see some fresh untried candidates run for office, perhaps some of our military veterans who have received such great leadership training in the service. One example would be Sergeant Ben Christiansen who has shared his thoughts in these pages. His experience as a teacher and a military leader would stand him in good stead. I am very surprised that he hasn’t been recruited as a party standard bearer all ready. I know I would be pleased to welcome him into the Libertarian fold.  There are many others like retiring baby boomers, Winter Texans that just don’t go home and students from UTB that could provide the basis for a revitalized and less seedy political system and bring accountability and some efficiency to the management of the public trust.  We might then see elections rather than coronations of forgone selections by the elite.  

1. Rey says:

   June 7, 2008 at 6:38 am

   Fred,
   Hillary and/or Barack??
   Bar or/and Hill???
   McCain and/or Hill??
   Bar or/and McCain???

   The same hell different Davil!!!
   We need the Independent Party to Kick in and bring an
   equilibrium………

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