With the majority of both houses of Congress at stake,
Republican and Democratic candidates are attempting to carve a
niche with the voters, and have attached certain propositions to
their own campaigns.
Former President Bill Clinton and Democratic National Committee
Chairman Howard Dean, for instance, both spoke at UCLA in October
to encourage students to vote.
Clinton spoke in support of Proposition 87, which would tax oil
companies to fund research for alternative energy, and encouraged
environmentalists to vote Democratic, while Dean spoke of the
importance of alternative energy initiatives beyond the 2006
elections.
While the California Democrats are pushing Proposition 87,
Republican candidates have used certain propositions as their own
talking points.
Proposition 90 has localized the national issue of eminent
domain to California elections. After the Supreme Court ruled in
2005 that the state could seize and redistribute private property
if the community would see economic growth, 11 states put eminent
domain initiatives on the ballots.
“The ability to own land without government interference
is the basis of freedom in this country,” said David Nelson
Jones, the Republican challenger to incumbent Henry Waxman.
Proposition 90 would protect private property owners from
eminent domain abuse. Opponents say the proposition’s
language is too vague, and could make all forms of property ““
including intellectual property ““ vulnerable to eminent
domain.
State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, said there are many
other issues that need to be priorities in this election, such as
single-payer health care, a bill she authored that was eventually
vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger.
“Republicans are looking for something to talk about
because they can’t run on the war or what (Bush’s)
party has done with the power,” Kuehl said.
The reason candidates will consistently support certain
propositions is to make their campaign synonymous with that
initiative’s values in the eyes of voters, said Barbara
Sinclair, a UCLA political science professor. “It gives every
candidate something to talk about,” Sinclair said.
“It’s more important for Republicans, because they
don’t want to just be on the defensive about the Iraq war.
The Democrats, however, are going to be more likely to talk about
the war and the environment.”
But Jones said Proposition 1B could allow Republicans to promote
environmental safety without risking a backlash by supporting
Proposition 87, which would increase taxes.
According to its proponents, Proposition 1B would increase
highway safety, traffic reduction, air quality and port security by
re-allocating state fees without directly increasing taxes. Some
Democrats such as Clinton and Angelides say Proposition 87 would be
more influential by finding a long-term solution to alternative
energy.
But California Republicans such as Jones say they can support
Proposition 1B as a “happy medium.”
“The environment is an incredibly important issue for the
whole country, and it’s something we need to talk about each
election,” Jones said.
The inclusion of port security on the initiative may also prod
conservatives to support it because national security remains a
source of strength for the Republicans, Sinclair said.
But with election day nearing, Sinclair said most voters have
probably already done as much research on the issues as they intend
to.
“What happens from here on doesn’t matter too
much,” she said. “In each election, there always seems
to be a wave that carries to the end.”