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I’m not sure Tuesday’s outcome was quite as positive for Assemblyman Michael Allen as my colleague, Jim, suggested in his earlier blog (“A rear-view mirror look at Tuesday’s election“). This is particularly true when considering that Allen had all the top party endorsements, is an incumbent and his campaign — including independent expenditure money — outspent the second-place finisher, Marc Levine, nearly six to one.
Yes, Allen won by a larger margin than in his last primary victory. But he still had a narrow victory and finished second in Marin County to someone who had been something of an unknown outside of San Rafael before this race.
Of all the Sonoma County votes that went to Democrats (not including late absentees, which are still being counted), 57 percent of them went to someone other than Allen. In Marin County, 63 percent went to Democrats other than Allen.
The question for the fall is where are those votes going to go? To say nothing of the 23 percent of the vote in Sonoma County and 20 percent in Marin that went to Republicans.
If the Nov. 6 election offered a traditional runoff featuring the top Republican and top Democrat, Allen no doubt would win. But it’s clear he has his work cut out for him, particularly in wooing Marin County Democrats.
— Paul Gullixson
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Michael “let illegals drive and kill Americans” Allen is a disgrace! How many illegals is he planning to register to vote?
This article is still up? Going back over it, it is clear that any excuse will do to try to delegitimize Michael Allen’s victory. Gullixson seems to be making the argument that even though Allen actually won, that doesn’t count because other Democrats got a share of the vote. The real test will come in November, and I can tell you that we’ll be pounding the pavement for Michael Allen in droves.
The North Bay knows who cares about the working person’s interests, and Allen will win again. We should be ready for the usual national union-busting law firms to try to pour in cash and legal tricks to try to derail this genuine progressive, because they know that he means business and he can’t be bought off with corporate money.
@Not A Chance, you’re good at throwing out
hyperbole like “Republicans Hate Democrats,” and “all the conservative responses here are full of hate LOL.”
The only person posting in this thread that has used the word “hate” in every single post is you.
If you believe all fiscal conservatives are completely filled with hate you are sadly misguided.
Living within your means is just not a catch phrase, it’s a darned good way to run your life, your business and your Country.
I find it hilarious that all the conservative responses here are full of hate LOL. Game, set, and match!
To say that the vitriol aimed at Obama is worse than that aimed at Bush is laughable.
A lot of the criticism of Obama comes from the far left just as a lot of the vitriol aimed at Bush came from the far right.
When I talk politics with my friends we generally talk about the state of affairs locally and at the State level.
I don’t have a single friend that votes Democrat that thinks paying more taxes in this State is a good idea until some kind of fiscal discipline is put in place.
My one friend who works for the County is disgusted at how for 5 years her status has remained part time without benefits despite glowing performance evaluations.
The money has been sucked up by Public Safety to feather their golden packages at the expense of lower tiered workers of which she is one.
They all support Obama and fear Romney for some unfounded reason.
They fear that the Romney that was Governor of Massachusetts will somehow morph into a demon when he gets into the White House which is laughable.
Never mind that even here in California Jerry Brown is getting frustrated with trying to instill some fiscal discipline and is now looking at severely trimming welfare to work in the face of obstruction by Democrats.
We all agree that taxes must be raise, but as I said before, only when it is proven that fiscal restraint (which we all practice on a personal level) is part of the equation.
Gullixson is obsessed with Allen and all of his socialist roommates. For guys like Gullixson they were and are his heroes from his college days.
Unfortunately, for Gullixson and his crowd, the Vietnam War is over, Nixon is out of office and the Soviet Union fell long ago. But some still cling to their old beliefs that the democrats, the “modern socialists,” will save the day by redistributing the wealth, nationalized the large corporations and nationalize the health care system.
All will be right in this little fairy tale.
Allen is exhibit A in their little comedy. He is very old school. SEIU through and through.
The fundamental problem for these “modern” socialists is that there is not enough money to feed the socialist schemes they dream up. Witness the bankrupt state and local governments in California and other socialist outposts.
Like the family drunk, they have to borrow and steal from other family members to keep the drinks coming. That is what Obama does everyday when he goes to the Chinese bank for his booze money.
What Sonoma County, California and this country needs is an entrepreneur government spirit. One which believes in the values of our economic system and actually incourages business growth, jobs, and our economy.
Allen and Gullixson don’t get it and never will. They are a lost cause and should not be looked to for the answers we so desperately need to get this country on a prosperous economy path again.
@Mockingbird,
Wrong as usual.
The intense hatred toward Bush and other Republicans was just as bad – if not worse – than any vitriol toward Obama. The guy is an aloof, arrogant, incompetent failure, and people see him for what he is. Unqualified for the job.
And just listen to Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, Sheila Jackson Lee or other hate-filled far left liars. They’re disgusting.
@GAJ, how much do you talk with you Democratic friends about politics? Mockingbird is correct about the hatred that is out there. I’ve never seen it this bad. Sure, you might hear some nasty rhetoric during a campaign, but then both sides would hunker down and do the job of governing. Not now. It is clear that the Republicans on the hill have no interest in helping the economy. If you look at what past REPUBLICAN presidents have done during recessions to increase infrastructure investment and public sector jobs, and then compare to the current language of Republicans in Congress…
OK, the secret is out.
Miz Mockingbird has our number; we’re all racists.
We hate Obama not because his policies have extended his Great Recession by 3 1/2 years, but because of his melanin count.
We Conservatives always judge people by the color of their skin.
Just ask Rep. Alan West.
(sarc off)
The truth?
Liberals are the source of virtually all the racism in America today.
Keeping racial wounds bleeding provides poverty-pimps like Sharpton and Jackson with a comfortable living.
Screeching about the KKK(with less than 1,000 members nationwide)allows the race-baiters to “keep hate alive”.
Racism by whites is no longer an actual societal problem. It has been replaced by racism against whites.
Even Miz M’bird suffers from the delusion that opposing a politician’s policies means hating him for the color of his skin.
The childishness and desperation of today’s Democrat party is both hilarious and disgusting.
I will also add, that in the past there have always been those Republicans and Democrats in state legislatures and in Congress who made it a point of working TOGETHER. When you look at previous Republican Presidents they worked with the Democrats (it’s pragmatic to do so and it’s the job, people). With Obama all of this cooperation has flown right out the window. The Republicans have signed Grover Norquist’s “pledge” which, as far and I am concerned, makes them traitors. Their oath of office is no longer valid when a pledge is made not to do their job.
With the Republicans there is no middle, no moderate, no pragmatism, no common sense, no willingness to work on legislation effectively for the people of America. Obstructionism is all they are about. It is damaging the country, it is destroying the middleclass, and it is concentrating the wealth with the top 1%.
Look at the front page of today’s newspaper. Do you Republicans out there understand that these abyssimal figures in family income is BECAUSE OF THE REPUBLICANS’ 30 YEAR AGENDA TO ENRICH THOSE AT THE TOP. It’s a result of middleclass and UNION BUSTING. Our pensions, our benefits, our decent wages, our JOB SECURITY have all been decimated and the money has “trickled” up to the top 1%. The American Dream is dead and gone for most of us.
GAJ-please tell me why then is there such vitriol toward Obama compared to other Democratic Presidents? Why were the first words out of Senator Mitch McConnell’s mouth, when Obama won, was the Republicans in Congress’s whole focus would be to make him a one term president? They started the obstructionism BEFORE he stook office. I mean, really, how dare a black man run and GET ELECTED. Democratic presidents have always gotten plenty of criticism from Republicans but the HATRED spewed at Obama is beyond “criticism”. Calling him a communist, socialist, nazi (complete opposites on the polical spectrum by the way), hanging him in effigy, calling him racial names and on and on is above “criticism”.
I’m not a young thing and I have always been involved in politics even in junior high. I can say that I have NEVER seen this kind of hatred of a president and this kind of obstructionism from the Republicans. I didn’t like Nixon, or the Bushes, or Reagan but compared to the Republicans running today they’d be considered socialists and couldn’t get elected.
Obama is just in the middle politically. He is actually much more conservative than we progressive like and much more cooperative with the Republicans’ agenda than we would like. And yet, the Republicans spew hatred.
“Republicans hate Democrats”?
That’s a bit harsh.
I live in Sonoma County; virtually all my friends (and family) vote Democrat.
Republicans disagree with Democrats politically but that’s pretty much the end of it in my experience.
Washington State converted to a top two primary a few years back, they have seen no major change, incumbents still winning, parties rallying behind one candidate and money remained lopsided.
But the most interesting part of the report on Washington’s top two is that republicans weren’t voting for the “moderate”, they were just not voting in that particular race at all (and same with dems). As a Democrat I can promise you this, I would abstain from a Republican on Republican race because no matter what the end result is a Republican and I don’t support Republican slash and burn policies. Republicans hate Democrats, I’m betting of that 20% Republican number in the AD10 primary at least 30% of those voters will not cast a vote in this particular contest.
Micheal allen is the most corrupt politician int he US. He is a black eye for democrats in Northern California, a total disgrace.
Paul’s ability to misrepresent, slant, and use loaded language never ceases to amaze.
Michael Allen will prevail in the general election because Levine will have to troll for Republican votes and in the process will be dumped by the Democratic base in the district. We will have to be diligent in getting that message out, because I predict, without much fear of being proved wrong, that the corporate media PD will not cover that story.
Also predictably, they will laud Levine’s “pragmatism”and “ideological flexibility”. Those are code words for selling out to corporate interests. We want men and women of principle representing us, not PR guys for the 1%.
Yet another column about Michael Allen. I think Mr. Gullixson is obsessed with MA, for all the time he seems to spend thinking of him. Rather unseemly.
Allen is a tainted, shopworn hack. As a Democrat I would surely have to hold my nose in order to vote for him. Maybe others, including the Sonoma County Democratic Party choose to forgive and forget his FPPC violations but many do not, and will not. Time for Allen to retire.
Levine’s path to victory goes through capturing the republican votes. He already has several republican and conservative endorsements. The danger for him is of course whether he can hold on to the democratic votes when they see his conservative support.
This analysis of the 10th Assembly District by Mr. Gullixson leaves out one huge factor; the primary electorate is more conservative than the general election voters. Allen won by thousands of votes in the low-turnout primary. In the general, he will likely increase his margin of victory substantially largely off the makeup of the pool of voters. Levine has so far failed to make significant inroads in Sonoma County, as evidenced by his 3rd place showing in the Sonoma vote tally. He barely beat Allen in Marin. What is Levine’s realistic path to victory in November? I fail to see one.