A rich, Republican businessman complaining about corruption and money in politics. The reason money is not firmly in control of politics is that Trump and his Republicans cohorts have made sure that we will have right-wing, activist Supreme Court for a long time, which makes overturning Citizens United a pipe dream. Corruption? Trump and his family are advancing their own interests everyday. Republicans kept California from moving forward for a decade by obstructing anything progressive. We have finally turned the corner. We still have a long way to go to restore our educational system and our transportation system to its once great position. A Republican Governor would inhibit or stop altogether the progress we are making, just as Republicans in Washington are doing.
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Oops. Should read: The reason money is firmly in control of politics is that Trump and his Republicans cohorts have made sure that we will have right-wing, activist Supreme Court for a long time, which makes overturning Citizens United a pipe dream.
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The Neighborhood Legislators proposals as outlined would result in a legislature of about 3,200 representatives. How's that going to work?
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Cox is using a gimmick to try to become the Governor of the state; simply it is trite and self serving nonsense. In short he need go away.
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John Cox is upset because "The big union bosses and the big corporate bosses control Sacramento — big oil, big tobacco, big pharma, big telecommunications. Go down the list and look at what they give to candidates to the Legislature." And they give most of it to Democrats. That's what is really upsetting him.
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This is pretty funny. Reduce the number of electors for the legislature to 12,000, and it gets a lot easier for the moneyed interests to buy them off, compared with al the potential voters in the state — which is why the have direct elections for everything but President.
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Does he think we are idiots? Oh yeah all republicans think we are my bad.
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As a CA resident I know for a fact that once a Republican is in office they immediately turn against citizens and only talk to donors. Citizens are no longer talked to and only the wealthiest are welcome. Witness every single Republican Rep in CA as they REFUSE to hold town halls.
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"root out", the gop cliché du jour.
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Neighborhood Legislature is flagrantly un-democratic, and has the distinct smell of more repub gerrymandering, mixed in with "no more individual voters" electing their representatives. Take this garbage idea back to Chicago.
It has NOTHING to do with eliminating "the influence of money in politics". That's a smokescreen. The ONLY way to get money out of politics is NO PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS, reverse Citizens United, and publicly fund ALL elections. Anything short of that is a non-starter. NO TO COX!
It has NOTHING to do with eliminating "the influence of money in politics". That's a smokescreen. The ONLY way to get money out of politics is NO PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS, reverse Citizens United, and publicly fund ALL elections. Anything short of that is a non-starter. NO TO COX!
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GOPher for Gov? Seriously?
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I support this man's idea and the intention behind it.
I would like to see California become the first state to amend its Constitution to create publicly and equally funded local elections, with no outside donors beyond contribution limits. If you can get a certain number of signatures, you qualify and can run.
I also believe that as a society if we had the power to elect two change candidates like Obama and Trump, we also have the power to amend our Constitution to overturn Citizens United and enact other laws that root out money in politics. It is simply a matter of building consensus and fighting till we get it.
I would like to see California become the first state to amend its Constitution to create publicly and equally funded local elections, with no outside donors beyond contribution limits. If you can get a certain number of signatures, you qualify and can run.
I also believe that as a society if we had the power to elect two change candidates like Obama and Trump, we also have the power to amend our Constitution to overturn Citizens United and enact other laws that root out money in politics. It is simply a matter of building consensus and fighting till we get it.
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From Rancho Santa Fe? Seriously?
This is one of the richest, whitest suburbs in the country and one of the most racist. They have no problem hiring immigrants in the country illegally to do their daily dirty work of gardening, housekeeping, cooking and cleaning.
But come sundown, they'd all better be gone. Don't let the sun set on your brown back or you will regret it.
Where do they go? Off into the side canyons in transient camps with no facilities and this has been going on for decades. Periodically they call ICE to clean up the camps, deport the current workers and start all over again. Called keeping them in their place.
Want to root out corruption? Start in your disgraceful hometown.
This is one of the richest, whitest suburbs in the country and one of the most racist. They have no problem hiring immigrants in the country illegally to do their daily dirty work of gardening, housekeeping, cooking and cleaning.
But come sundown, they'd all better be gone. Don't let the sun set on your brown back or you will regret it.
Where do they go? Off into the side canyons in transient camps with no facilities and this has been going on for decades. Periodically they call ICE to clean up the camps, deport the current workers and start all over again. Called keeping them in their place.
Want to root out corruption? Start in your disgraceful hometown.
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"Sacramento is broken"? Perhaps Mr. Cox, 62, doesn't remember the years before Jerry Brown became Governor. Back then, California was routinely running $20 billion deficits, budgets were months overdue, and the state was furloughing employees and "paying" its bills with IOUs. Today, California's economy is growing and adding jobs faster than the national average, and sanity has been restored to the budget (which is often in surplus), all while leading the world in climate change mitigation and technology. If Mr. Cox wants to be taken seriously, he needs to propose compelling solutions to California's real, but manageable, problems: a crippling housing shortage, mediocre K-12 education, rising tuitions, and aging water infrastructure.
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Corruption? While yes it is a problem to some extent it's actually the least of my worries. (lack of affordable homes and infrastructure are two things right off the top of my head.) This is a smoke screen. Republicans aren't interested in "fair". They won't be happy till they have the entire country, democracy be damned.
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Sounds like the New England town meeting fantasy, where culture is homogeneous, everybody's been there for seven generations, and nobody commutes 65 miles daily to another county for work. Heaven save us.
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The same principal applies to the house of representatives. It got frozen to the current number sometime back. Now there are almost 750000 people in every district. That is an open invitation to unethical practices. Just as bad, it allows the rich and/or connected to pander and hope to influence legislation in a way a private citizen with a great idea never could. This guy sounds like he gets it in a big way.
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A politician who thinks that private campaign fund raising can be done without outside influences? Why not limited campaigns funded only by limited public contributions and overseen by an elections committee with teeth?
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"Corruption" and "Republican government" are pretty much synonymous. California is doing fine with its current governor; it ain't broke, so don't "fix" it.
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Another Republican lawyer, businessman and multimillionaire formerly from Chicago the corruption capital of America and running for California governor. And he intends to tackle corruption in California politics?
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Could you pitch any softer to Cox? How cheery can you get? My question is this: how did he get his money? What kind of businessman is he? What "special interest" corruption is he really talking about since much "corruption" in California comes from powerful, mainly republican-oriented lobbyists and the powerful growers, who tend to align with republicans? As for his "neighborhood legislators", how does he propose to pay for this. Sacramento isn't really that broken as compared to the national government. What is he really talking about? The "talking points" you allow him to present sound just like our current group in national government. Republicans like to rail about corruption while fleecing everyone but their benefactors.
What we don't need as the election cycle begins in California is the NYT promoting the smiling faces of illiberal candidates misrepresenting reality such as we already have on the national scene and in other states in our fractured "union".
What we don't need as the election cycle begins in California is the NYT promoting the smiling faces of illiberal candidates misrepresenting reality such as we already have on the national scene and in other states in our fractured "union".
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Representatives electing representatives? And he doesn't see corruption in this scenario? I think each person needs a vote.
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We haven't learned enough about a businessman who thinks he can run a government? PLEASE. We are doing great in California, let's not let Republicans do to our state what they've done to the country.
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At this point, policy is more important than party. Read what the guy wants to do rather than just put all "republicans" into the same category as The Donald.
Au contraire, Donald is in the "same category" as "all Republicans." And getting rid of direct election of assembly members as a cure for corruption??? HAHAHAHA
Republicans are no longer a party. They are a cult that is destroying our country and don't deserve to be elected to dog catcher, much less the CA governorship.
Apologists aren't much better.
Apologists aren't much better.
Oh please, no more Republicans of any color or stripe. No more!!! I'm sick of even the thought of them in any shape, form, or whatever. And, MORE white, old men no less.
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Where to start? You offer a garden variety example of the Genetic Fallacy. To whit: an idea is no good because you don't like the person offering it. If the sun is out and your enemy says that the weather is sunny, it does not follow that he is wrong because we don't like him. Then you descend into straight racism, bigotry, and ageism. I feel sorry for you.
I agree. First they start off as "middle of the road" and then it is about "banning abortions, religious freedom, states rights, school vouchers, etc."
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The Republican Party shot itself in he head in CA a long time ago. And nationally- well, it's dead. A party stands for unity of ideas and policies. If one wants to have his ideas and policies heard after the last 6 months, find another label. But if you pick "Republican" A's your banner- you kind of asked for it.
We the People, as both the Government and the governed, face many outside dangers, but the greatest danger within is corruption. How do we know that? Because our election system just filled the most important position in our nation with a grossly unqualified, vulgar, and ignorant "business man" who openly and notoriously conducted business with known criminals, both foreign and domestic. That can only happen in a system in which government is up for sale and where the rules of ethics are recommended but not required.
We are going to have to test alternative ways of diffusing power away from the moneyed interests. Ideas such as this one will need to be explored.
We are going to have to test alternative ways of diffusing power away from the moneyed interests. Ideas such as this one will need to be explored.
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"Alternative ways of diffusing power away from the moneyed interests" - SIMPLE: (1) History education and critical thinking skills taught in school beginning kindergarten and through grade 12 (2) Public financed elections as is the situation in Germany (over turn Citizen's United).
Perhaps this is a common time of year for bioluminescence to occur in California. Way back when in August 1914, there was a story in a Santa Barbara newspaper about “a spectacle beautiful in the extreme … Large crowds of people gather on the wharves and along the seashore nightly to wonder at and enjoy the fascinating sight. … The agitation of the water from any cause – moving fishes or boats, dipping oars or anything else that stirs the water – causes a showing of the most exquisite emerald color that could be imagined.”
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Mayor Faulconer, I think you should be looking at your party in the mirror when you are talking about corruption and special interests.
GOP in CAlifornia ALWYS begins with a stirring rant about corruption. Always they do not disclose where it is. Never a specific and never quantified (yes, we are certain some government employee somewhere has taken home a pen from their office).
There remains a factual case for continued Democratic leadership and Republic balance, as we currently enjoy. That case is simply our economy! CA remains the 8th largest economy in the world at $2.44Trillion according to American Enterprise Institute (not quite a left leaning CA hugging group). This economy continues for one reason: The majority of citizens agree that progress is important and scientific fact based policy is profitable. And this approach 'rubs off' - Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, and other bright red states have adopted CA's approach to wind farms for electricity and now can grow their economies by offering guaranteed electricity rates to new industry.
As always, CA leads and those that follow,tweaking the approach to their specific needs, enjoy the same growth as CA.
There remains a factual case for continued Democratic leadership and Republic balance, as we currently enjoy. That case is simply our economy! CA remains the 8th largest economy in the world at $2.44Trillion according to American Enterprise Institute (not quite a left leaning CA hugging group). This economy continues for one reason: The majority of citizens agree that progress is important and scientific fact based policy is profitable. And this approach 'rubs off' - Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, and other bright red states have adopted CA's approach to wind farms for electricity and now can grow their economies by offering guaranteed electricity rates to new industry.
As always, CA leads and those that follow,tweaking the approach to their specific needs, enjoy the same growth as CA.
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@Jim
Russia dropped from $2.2 trillion in 2013 to a mere $1.3 trillion due to sanctions and lower oil prices.
LinkedIn noted they had 158,000 job openings in just the SF Bay Area. To put that in perspective, the total population of Youngstown, OH has declined to 64,000. I left North Eastern Ohio 40+ years ago.
Russia dropped from $2.2 trillion in 2013 to a mere $1.3 trillion due to sanctions and lower oil prices.
LinkedIn noted they had 158,000 job openings in just the SF Bay Area. To put that in perspective, the total population of Youngstown, OH has declined to 64,000. I left North Eastern Ohio 40+ years ago.
I just pray Californians have enough sense to never go back to a Republican-led government: In my Golden Years- I do not want a redux of St Ronnie, Deukmejian ( The Place Holder), Wilson and the Terminator.