Elections 2002 Endorsements: Vote for Camejo, not Davis

Green Party gubernatorial candidate Peter Camejo will likely not
win the governor’s seat in 2002, but he should still win the
votes of citizens unhappy with California’s
“Democratic” incumbent.

During his time in office, Gov. Gray Davis has based his
politics on the whims of his most “generous” campaign
donors instead of the wishes of California voters. He has sold out
places on state committees and university boards ““ including
the University of California Regents ““ to mostly wealthy
business owners rather than to people with experience in the
committees’ and boards’ areas of jurisdiction.

Camejo, on the other hand, has an ideology more strongly aligned
with traditional liberal ideals. He has pledged to prevent
politicians from fundraising while in office and avidly supports
affirmative action and same-sex civil unions. Davis, meanwhile, has
waffled or weakly supported these issues. He said he does not
support repealing Prop. 209, which bans affirmative action
statewide.

Camejo also opposes the death penalty and California’s
“three strikes” law, both of which are overly applied
to minority communities and often facilitate cruel and unusual
punishment. These conservative approaches to the criminal justice
system should be abandoned in favor of rehabilitation, but Davis
isn’t bold enough to challenge them because they could hinder
his ability to secure moderate and Republican swing votes.

Whereas Davis refused to grant drivers’ licenses to
undocumented immigrants, Camejo said he would have signed the bill,
recognizing immigrants’ integral function to the state
economy. Davis is no longer as sensitive to the needs of Latinos as
should be required in a state that is one-third Latino.

Camejo may not have the same political experience as Davis, but
experience doesn’t amount to much if it isn’t used to
serve voters’ wishes in the first place. And it was
Davis’ “experience” which led to the state losing
$24 billion through his mismanaging of the economy during and after
the energy crisis.

Camejo’s platform largely resembles that of a liberal
Democrat. In fact, he describes himself as a watermelon ““
green only on the outside. His only true Green party leaning is his
desire to legalize and regulate marijuana. Given California
voters’ support of medicinal marijuana propositions in the
past, this issue shouldn’t be a dealbreaker when it comes to
elections.

He also supports a living wage law for the state of California
and would like to increase voter turnout by institutionalizing
instant runoff elections.

Realistically, the Greens don’t have a shot at winning a
major election anywhere in the United States in the foreseeable
future. But if California voters are doomed to another term under
the inept leadership of Davis, they should send the message that
they are unhappy with the way the state has been run the last four
years under Davis.

The fact that Republican nominee Bill Simon, who hasn’t
voted in 19 of the past 23 elections, and has had charges of fraud
brought against him in the past, can still capture over 30 percent
of voter support is in and of itself a testament to the extent of
Davis’ failings in office.

Voters shouldn’t be led astray by threats that votes for
the Green party equal Republican votes. Democrats need to earn
their votes; voting against them will force them to move their
ideology more to the left.

Californians should voice their dissatisfaction today by picking
a candidate that reflects the liberal values they would like to see
in Davis. If Davis receives a majority of the vote, it will only
allow him to continue selling out the democratic constituency he
supposedly represents in favor of accumulating campaign riches.

If voters want to change the political status quo in California
of having weak leaders who try to sit in the Gray area of the
political spectrum, they need to vote according to their conscience
instead of along traditional party lines.

Vote Green, not Gray.