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Yee’s arrests changes California Secretary of State race

April 11, 2014
Leland Yee

Leland Yee

Following the arrest of Sen. Leland Yee, Democratic state Sen. Alex Padilla picked up the bulk of Yee’s supporters and now trails Republican Pete Peterson by 11 percent, according to a new field poll.

Previously, Peterson led the pack and Padilla came in second with Yee slightly behind Padilla. Yee’s withdrawal is helping Padilla consolidate Democratic voters.

According to the recent survey of 504 likely voters, 30 percent choose Peterson, 17 percent preferred Padilla, 5 percent selected Green Party candidate David Curtis and 4 percent preferred nonpartisan candidate Dan Schnur. With the June 3 primary closing in, 41 percent of voters said they are currently undecided.

After Yee was hauled away in handcuffs, his favorable rating plummeted 24 percent to 15 percent. Yee and 28 co-defendants were arrested in sprawling political corruption case that includes charges of gun trafficking, murder for hire, corruption and fraud.

“What does it take to outrage voters?” asked Hoover Institution fellow Bill Whalen, a conservative political analyst to the Mercury News. “I know he hasn’t had his day in court, but if that can’t spark outrage, what does it say about California voters?”

 


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“What does it take to outrage voters?” asked Hoover Institution fellow Bill Whalen, a conservative political analyst to the Mercury News. “I know he hasn’t had his day in court, but if that can’t spark outrage, what does it say about California voters?”


Voters are plenty outraged — so much so that they are fatigued from the outrage. The problem is that we don’t see any clearly better options. Yee is worse than average but not a lot. I know there are some politicians with better character but most of them have other flaws such as militant partisanship, ideological rigiidity or a lack of wisdom/intelligence.


With the heavy control that the major political parties exert over candidates for offices above the small city level and the necessity to raise lots of money to buy votes (via advertising or otherwise), it is virtually impossible for citizens with integrity and intelligence to get into office. It would take a person with significant personal wealth and a masochistic willingness to sacrifice that wealth while undergoing character assassination to overcome the obstacles placed in the way by our political system. Such people are few and far between.


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We’ve had those people with “significant personal wealth and a masochistic willingness to sacrifice that wealth while undergoing character assassination” – and most people have been trained not to trust anyone without a (D) after their name; or an (R).


The parties are what is wrong with the system, because they ARE the system. Some very liberal “forward-thinking” friends of mine simply stick their head in the sand when things like this happen. It’s like listening to Obama and his minions constantly blame some phantom “republicans” that are always out to get him and “gum up the works” – and the hired audience claps along on queue and the cameras are all there, just in time, to catch it all.


When you go around telling people it really, really is all a lie. It is all manufactured, they sometimes nod, but mostly think you’re a kook. That can’t be *their* America, why just look at it on the T.V.!


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Anarchy is looking better and better…


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There was a time when I was so proud to live in a Nation with an honest law abiding federal state and local government. Boy was I naive.


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Not to worry. I’m sure the remaining candidates are just as crooked in their own special ways. Nothing has really changed.


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The only difference between Senator Lee and most other politicians is that he was caught.


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Agreed.


Hence, we should start hiring Statesmen(women) instead of these career politicians.


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I remember they said that about Bill Clinton back in the lying to our faces on national television days…


The old, “he just got caught” excuse. It is still just an excuse. When did we start accepting excuses? Especially the really blatantly childish ones?


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