As another primary season wraps up, it is becoming ever more apparent that voting in California has become a form of playacting where we collectively pretend that The People participate in a legitimate system and thereby choose their rulers and get the laws they prefer.
While it’s certainly true that The People, myself included, go through the motions of considering the candidates and issues, filling out a ballot, and submitting it to the authorities who, in theory, properly process and tabulate the result, the outcomes are all forgone.
Every major race, and most of the minor ones, have become a predictable contest between the Social Democrat and the outright Marxist. Only the names and faces change.
Once elected, the only question is how far left the office-holder will go in implementing policies.
Even when conservatives do manage to pull off a victory, as they did in Shasta County and the occasional school board, the State immediately intervenes to prevent any policy contrary to the reigning progressive preferences.
Thus we are left with a state of affairs where no matter how burdensome and idiotic the regulation, no matter how much living costs go up and the standard of living is diminished the ruling party not only gets reelected by overwhelming margins but is able to resist all efforts of correction. In other words, a permanent [Democratic] majority.
And the truly scary thing is that California is the model that the Democrats would like to adopt for the country as a whole.
Writing in the Eastern Bloc in the late-1970s, Czechoslovakian playwright Vaclav Havel found himself at the forefront of the Charter 77 movement defending the right of culture to exist independent of the government. The result was a book on dissent titled “Power of the Powerless.”
Havel’s key insight is that in free societies, where there is competition for power, there are “certain correctives that effectively prevent ideology from becoming more and more removed from reality.” In a totalitarian system, however, the correctives disappear eventually creating a “post-totalitarian system: a world of appearances, a mere ritual, a formalized language deprived of semantic contact with reality and transformed into a system of ritual signs that replace reality with pseudo-reality.”
This is exactly the state of affairs in California today.
Havel’s remedy to this “post-totalitarian” situation is to “live within the truth.” This is not necessarily achieved through political action. In fact, a specific political reform does not lead to an awakening but is rather the final outcome of an awakening. Instead, “any means by which a person or group revolts against manipulation” can be the catalyst for change. These “free expressions of life,” which are essentially pre-political, are the true threat to the post-totalitarian system.
I think we saw this in the organic resistance to the many COVID-related restrictions and are seeing it again in the refusal of many to submit to the increasingly strident demands of the transgender movement.
I think we will begin to see more of these individual acts of “truth living” as the state’s alternative energy fantasies begin to bite. Then people will start to realize that all of the mandates and goals for emissions reductions weren’t some theoretical exercise but actual plans with the full force of state power. Neither are they targeted at just the evil corporations and other major offenders of environmental crimes.
As we’ve witnessed in the various farmers’ revolts in Europe, which are in part a reaction to efforts to transition from fossil fuels, people will not just rollover when their livelihoods are at stake. This could have major implications for a State in which agriculture is a significant segment of the economy.
Now, I’m sure some of you will point to Steve Garvey’s competitive race for the U.S. Senate as a glimmer of hope. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to see The Garv in the General Election—especially if it means giving the boot to the obnoxious Katie Porter and making The Schiff-ter sweat it out for a few months.
And while a second-place finish would be a victory of sorts, Steve Garvey is not going to be the next senator from California. At this point, it is doubtful that California will ever again have a Republican senator (at least within the lifetimes of most of the people reading this article).
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that the current state of affairs will continue indefinitely. There are historical and economic forces beyond the control of even the California Democratic Party. After all, the Soviet Union only made it 80 years. I just don’t think that any election is going to reverse the monopoly of power in California.
The true way out of is for brave individuals to resolve to stop living within the lies.
J.S. Scifo is a North County resident who has worked in national and state politics. You can also follow him at J.S. Scifo on Substack | Substack.
Comments 17
Exactly! Time to stand up for ourselves. These people only have the power u give them..if nobody complies with their orders then they are just a person. It’s the people who give them the power and being complacent and doing nothing is just as bad as endorsing it. Quit being cowards and stand up for urselves
Unfortunately, every single word you wrote is the truth. I shudder to think that California is becoming a model state. During the last election I questioned whether or not my ballot was counted. I called my elections office to see if it was counted. At that time it hadn’t been. This was three days after the election. I told this to my coworkers and bosses. They also decided to check. They funny thing is, the democratic votes were counted but, the Republican votes had not been counted. Our election was called in a couple of minutes after the poles closed. I call B.S. on that. Two months after the election I received notification that my vote was counted. If this is the way elections are to be held I say no thanks. I know one thing, I will not mail my ballot in again. This whole American voting system needs a reform.
You’re absolutely correct! It’s a thankless job being a Republican in CA! The Deminions of this state have a stronghold with people like Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters and Adam Shifty who fleece this state every chance they get!
I did vote for Steve Garvey and feel he might be our last hope to turn the tables on Marxism in CA.
Maybe Gavin will run for President so I can watch him lose!
The fact that the majority of the voters are getting what they vote for does not mean that the elections are a “farce”, it means that things are working the way they should!
Well said. It is unfortunate that this is driving so many from our state, diminishing even the existing dissenters. You are correct though that we cannot look to the government to solve the issues, but must stand on truth as individuals.
I’m sorry you are not a supporter of true democracy — that is majority rule. As well as you do not have the sense to realize that a progressive in the state of Tennessee likey feels the same way as you — that his vote is useless and his/her elected representatives do not represent his/her views. The basic difference is that most progressives do not complain or make false claims that our elections are stolen like the majority of the cultist Republicans do. Its strange that only in the blue states are elections being stolen. Wake up to the facts. You need to accept the fact that your views are in the minority in the state of California. You are free to move to any number of states where your opinions are the majority opinion.
First, the current dominance, by Democrats, is the backlash results, of over a hundred years of FAILED Republican control, and dominance, in the State of California!
MOST of the major problems facing this State, are a DIRECT Result, of the failed policies, and actions by the Conservatives, Republicans, and Neoliberals, that still have affect’s and sway within this State!
And a big difference is, that Progressive ideas and policies, are PROVEN to work!
While Neoliberal, Libertarian, and Conservative Republican policies, are proven to FAIL!
Do you not believe the same thing can be said of numerous red states? The difference being that California is much more densely populated than the red states
It’s not just California. I’ve lived here my whole life we’ve had Republicans in office. We’ve had a lot of Democrats in office. These days politics are off the rail all over the country as a matter of fact, all over the world. Look at what’s going on if the Republicans get office and Trump is president he’s gonna make sure that we are no longer a democracy And he said that in so many words and he has made statements just like Hitler did, so why don’t you vote the way you want and if you don’t want the blue state, and if you don’t like the red state move to Russia move to another country because it’s not gonna change because nobody wants to stand up for what is right it shouldn’t be left and it shouldn’t be right . It should be what the people want but I think the politicians forgot about something, they make the laws they pass the bills and they never asked the people. The last time I knew they worked for us the people bellyache about it doesn’t do a damn bit of good , you’ve either got a change the way you vote or you’re gonna have to move
Sorry Ron is that why we are the most taxed state running close to NY. There hasn’t been a Republican Governor since Reagan. No, Arnold didn’t count . That was a farce. I bet his voting status is back to a Democrat.
Democrats have had years to fix our problems. Open your eyes. The Governor was telling us about his surplus , now look at the deficit . Home loans for illegals, free healthcare for illegals.
Do you have a small business? I do . Can’t even make a profit.
People fleeing the state. Have you looked at our roads and the price of taxation to every gallon of gas.
How about his recent scam of trying to leave Panera out of some tax , because he was endentured to them. When he was called out on this all of a sudden backtracking on that.
This assumes that the California and/or national Republican Party has anything to offer other than a career criminal and rapist for POTUS and an aging, Know Nothing ex-ball player for Senate or, in my case, a congressman incumbent cited as the “most corrupt Member of Congress.” The Republicans in DC and Sacramento are “Regressives”, not seemingly capable of legislation or policies that actually HELP people. A party whose chief challenger has the most oppressive, fascistic government in Florida is not a party that I see helping us out of our admitted difficulties. I am sick to death of the lies and exaggerations about progressive people and policies that are bandied about by people who support a thuggish, name-calling business failure like Trump while being incapable of listing his positive accomplishments over four years of bluster and scam. Any group of voters who embrace this traitor to democracy do not deserve to govern. You don’t like it here? Go to Texas or Florida and tell us how well they’re doing without federal assistance from the states they ridicule.
Like I always say, while things could definitely be better here the Bay Area & in Cali in general. If you don’t like it here, then go somewhere else!! Or do something about it! If you don’t Vote, we’ll maybe you should! But don’t complain while doing nothing to change it!! Plain & simple…
Ballots by Mail sent to Voters had been switched with The Party they chose in last Election. What’s going on. Is there a glitch in the Program or someone deliberately made these switches a the County Registrar Office. This problem is plaguing a certain ethnic group who was known for its favoring of a Candidate. This Group of People were seen as Stereotypes and thus was targeted.
Remarkably unbalanced and biased article; your opinion drives away the fact of numbers of people who vote as they choose.
The same situation exists in Texas, just with the roles of the parties reversed; there Republican domination has driven out the Democrats from much of a say.
Ideally people of both parties would work together after an election for the general welfare. The more divided we become, the more difficult our political life will be.
Sir, this is your opportunity to leave. It’s probably too expensive for you anyways. What was once “conservative” is now “centrist” thanks to an ongoing shift of the political conversation to the far right. Kindly take your debunked policies and join the rest of the uneducated in America’s failed heartland.
Cheers!
Obviously the majority of us like what the elected officials are doing. If you don’t like it, here’s a thought, move to Florida or Texas. Aren’t they the Nirvana’s that people like you want. Just saying!
As a life long resident of CA and until the Bush era, a loyal Republican, actually a bit earlier, the GOP has been a shell of it’s previous glory days. The current GOP is in no way a reflection of what it stood for in the past. IKE was the last great Republican.