In California’s 11th CD, McNerney says it’s over, Harmer says not so fast

Examiner.com San Francisco ^ | 11/12/2010 | Joe Alfieri

[JoeA]

Two-term Democrat Congressman Jerry McNerney tried to put an end to the closely fought race for the California 11th Congressional District, but opponent David Harmer refuses to concede the battle. McNerney declared to a small gathering of supporters that "The votes are in, the results are clear. The voters of this district have chosen me to be their congressman for the next session." As of Thursday evening, McNerney led Republican David Harmer with an edge of 1,685 votes out of just over 230,000 counted.

[JoeA]

McNerney's trying to put an end to it before all the ballots are counted.

[Spaulding]

Sadly, since the SEIU counts ballots, and and SEIU agent, Debra Bowen, is Sec of State, California is probably a lost cause. All the analysis of voter preferences justifies the salaries for media pundits. California is a union state. The counting of votes and control of the machines which do the counting is probably impossible to overcome, even with many California precincts having moved to paper ballots.

Since ballots are counted by employees with a very strong incentive to control the election, and there is no supervision of the count, as used to happen when paper ballots were counted in each precinct, there is no local check. Once ballot containers are out of the precinct, the chain of evidence, the audit trail, is no more.

The only possibility for Harmer is that votes for him were so improbable, and statistical anomalies so blatant, that a new election is called. With Debra Bowen and The Governator, there is no other “controlling legal authority.” Sure, try to tell Eric Holder that the unions might be cheating.

California will change when the rest of the nation stops bailing it out, after private business has left, and the tarp bribes paid to Google, Cisco, and a few other still profitable companies are cut off. California government employees can't be supported by non-union states. Nevada is dying too because without jobs, people aren't going to Las Vegas and Reno. Texas and Iowa will only pay for so many $800,000 city managers and the rest of the thieves
from councilmen down. California has a remarkable number of $400,000 police chiefs, city attorneys, sheriffs, assessors (used to be the most corrupt office in local government), ...

Bell California is famous, but even the local left-wing newspaper, The San Fran Chronicle, published a remarkable table with hundreds of $200,000 plus deputy sheriffs, health admins, jail guards, retired 40 year old firemen receiving multiples of full retirement since most retire on partial or full disability, and then go to work selling real estate and playing golf. Chiropractors to very well in California, often providing permanent comfort to patients they don't even need to meet!

Calpers, the state employee retirement fund, is an accomplice. They know who is paid what, and control the cash flow which must be paid to retirees, who all know the tricks - work lots of overtime in your last year of work because the retirement payment are based upon last years. Some of that overtimes is spent fishing, but these were hard working city and county employees whom nobody wants to deny.

Unions, of course, bilk the private sector by setting up the salary boosting. California must go to receivership. Virtually every state legislator was returned, along with Governor Moonbeam, stretch, and Babs. Even though there is no reason to believe votes represent the will of the people, California is on welfare and, like an addict, needs to fail in order to reform.

[JoeA]

I think there is a confluence of events about to occur. Brown in office, rising unemployment, Demo control of all major offices (except the AG, possibly), pension fund bankruptcy, and state insolvency. Now throw into the mix the redistricting which will more accurately reflect the conservatives in the state, and CA could rebound. It won't happen next year, or the year or two after, but in about 5 years CA could turn around as New Jersey seems to be doing.
But in the meantime, my bags are packed.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Why would redistricting more accurately reflect the conservatives in the state? CA state govt. is firmly in the hands of liberals who will do anything to keep their seats safe for themselves.

[monocle]

Your reasoning fails me. The state legisature does the redistricting which may or may not coincide with the Congressional districts. How can the US House representatives save their jobs.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I didn’t say that the US House did the redistricting, I said that the State Govt. does the redistricting. They will draw the lines to benefit themselves, thereby keeping the liberals in charge. Keeping the House districts in the hands of the liberals is just a side effect.

[chuckee]

This does not make sense. Jerry Brown is owned by the municipal unions. Everything you cited is a nail in the coffin for California. Brown is the anti Christie. It will not last 5 years. It is insolvent now and no amount of unlikely growth is going to bail it out with a Dem governor, Dem legislature and municipal unions in charge of the state.If I lived there, I would be packing my bags now.

[tv_techie]

You’re both mistaken. California voted to put redistricting into the hands of a citizen commission for the State Assembly and State Senate. Just last week we voted to add the House to their responsibilities, despite a competing initiative to disband the entire commission (before it was even selected).

The commission will be made up of 5 D’s, 5 R’s and 4 Independents or Decline to State individuals, none of which have any involvement in politics besides being voters. Three from each group have to approve the new lines. The pool of over 10,000 initial applicants is now down to 60. I believe the selection process will be completed near the end of this year.

Full details can be found at:
http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/

I’m hopeful, but only time will tell if it’s a better process!

[JoeA]

A redistricting measure,Proposition 20, was passed in the election. The measure removes redistricting from the legislature and puts it in the hands of a panel. It’s in this story: (http://bit.ly/dqk0uX)

[afraidfortherepublic]

Thank you. I didn’t know that. But, who appoints the panel? The legislature (nearly all Dem) or the Governor (Dem, again)?

[afraidfortherepublic]

Thank you. You can tell that I don’t live there any more, TG. In most states the new lines are drawn by the legislature and the party in power has the say. There have been some real battles in states where I have lived since I left CA.

[JoeA]

Well it’s kind of bizarre. The state solicited applicants, and narrowed down the list from thousands to about 60. Now they’re narrowing that down to the final 14. Five each democrat and republican, four independents. At the very least, it will be no worse than it is now, which wildly favors the Democrats. Look at the map of CA CD 11, and the race there, for an example of how crazy the gerrymandering is.