Proposition 19 & the Return of Governor Moonbeam

Friday, October 29th, 2010 by Bill Swadley.

It’s long been understood by political strategists that candidates can influence the passage or defeat of initiatives and initiatives can affect the success or failure of candidates. In 2008, had Barack Obama not been a candidate for the White House, Proposition 8, California’s infamous gay marriage ban, would very likely not have passed.

Many blame solely the large numbers of black voters who came out to support the first black presidential candidate for passage of Proposition 8, but according to a poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, only 30% of black voters supported the proposition. The PPIC poll also shows, however, that 57% of black, Latino, and Asian voters combined voted yes, as did 85% of Evangelical and born-again Christians, 77% of Republicans, 85% of McCain supporters, and 62% of those without a college degree.

So, contrary to the anecdotal evidence that black voters for Obama passed Proposition 8, it seems more likely that Christian and/or conservative voters for McCain did the most damage. McCain didn’t win in California and no one expected him to, but his Palin-charged ticket may have been enough to turn the tide on Proposition 8.

Aside from the normal decline in voter turnout in a midterm election, but possibly because of the general lack of anything or anyone to bring out the religious and fearful, rabidly conservative, and/or undereducated in large numbers, it’s unlikely that Proposition 8 would pass were it on the 2010 ballot instead of 2008.

There is a block of California voters, however, that this ballot is “energizing” who often get the date wrong or simply forget it’s election day: The potheads.

Proposition 19 will effectively legalize marijuana in California and it’s expected that the pot-smoking public will take advantage of this opportunity to make legal something they’ve been doing most of their adult lives regardless of the criminal risks.

In the same way that Obama’s presence on the 2008 ballot turned out all those Yes on 8 voters, turning out the herb-tokers will pass Proposition 19 and benefit Jerry Brown over Meg Whitman. Why? Because Jerry’s one of them. His nickname while in the Governor’s mansion last time was “Governor Moonbeam.”

To quote one cannabis connoisseur I know, “You can just look at the dude and tell he gets high. Jerry’s alright. Did you see where I put my lighter?”

So all you Californians who support Jerry Brown and want to see his Camry parked in the driveway of the Governor’s Mansion in 2011, make sure you pin a note to the shirt of your favorite stoner that election day is this Tuesday. Wait… what?

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