From gambling to voting rules to bear wrestling

Ballot propositions, like candidates, come in all stripes. Some are more appealing than others, and a few, while not generating as much attention, turn out to be supremely significant to the political world. A look at key proposals for the voters' consideration on Nov. 3 reveals several worth following on election night.

Voting Rules: A California ballot proposition on presidential primary voting has taken a backseat to the state's hot Senate and gubernatorial races in news media coverage, but presidential campaign junkies are intensely interested in the outcome. Currently, California's open-primary rules allow voters to participate in a party's primary even if they are not registered for that party. This "little-noticed" proposition, said the Los Angeles Times, would change the rules so that voters would choose nominees only from candidates in their own party.

According to the Times, Californians "could find themselves engaged in a meaningless beauty contest" in the 2000 presidential primary if they do not pass Proposition 3. The state's current open-primary system could provoke the national party conventions to ignore the presidential choices of California voters. If the old system stands, national party rules would give California party leaders the power to allocate convention delegates to presidential candidates. Passing Proposition 3 would put California law "in sync with party rules that refuse to seat delegations" from states with open primaries. (10/4)

Affirmative Action: Washington voters face a proposition that "would ban preferences based on race, ethnicity and gender in state and local public employment, contracting and education, ending affirmative action as it is now practiced." Opposition leader Michelle Ackerman contends: "The people who would be hurt the worst are women. . . . That's why we're talking about women. That's why we're focusing on it." But Ward Connerly, a California businessman and a leading patron of the Washington initiative, says of its foes: "In order to win, they have to scare the crap out of white women." (The Seattle Times, 10/14)

Religious Freedom Act: Alabama "could become the first state to enact" a "constitutional amendment to protect religious expression." Amendment 8 would prevent the state from "burdening the freedom of religion unless the government demonstrates that it has a compelling reason to do so and that the interest is achieved by the least restrictive means."

Supporters say the amendment could stop Alabama from "cracking down" on the practices of serving wine to minors at church services and reading the Bible in public school study halls. Historical organizations are speaking out against the amendment. Alabama Preservation Alliance director Brandon Brazil declares: "This law is a veiled attempt to give religion far-reaching powers that you and I do not have." (Associated Press, 10/15)

Medicinal Marijuana: Nevada voters are among those in five states deciding whether to legalize the medical use of marijuana. More than 70,000 voters signed the petition to put Question 9 on the Nevada ballot. The "impetus and money for the petition drives came from" a California-based group, Americans for Medical Rights, that is bankrolled by billionaire global financier George Soros, among others. Critics "have claimed Soros' agenda goes far beyond medical marijuana." But Americans for Medical Rights spokesman Dave Fratello "insists his organization only wants to legalize marijuana for medical uses." (Associated Press, 10/8)

Gambling: California voters will decide whether American Indian reservations should operate slot machines and other gambling enterprises, which already exist on some. Opponents say that Indian communities "will suffer if casinos are allowed to proliferate." But Vern Castro, whose tribe already has gaming, contends: "The only downside to our casino is in debating where to spend the money." (Los Angeles Times, 10/13)

Cockfighting, Bear Wrestling and Other Animal Acts: Missouri's Proposition A "will decide whether to ban" cockfighting and all other forms of animal fighting, including bear wrestling. Under the proposition, "it would be a felony to organize a cockfight, and it would be a misdemeanor to attend the fight." Cockfight enthusiast Phil Church concedes: "Certainly we are concerned about it. . . . The ballot language itself is a tough one to overcome." (Associated Press, 10/12)

Morris Predicts, Again

The bad news for Democrats just keeps coming from former Clinton adviser Dick Morris. A few weeks back, Morris was saying that Republicans will gain 30-40 House seats on Nov. 3. On Oct. 20 in the New York Post, he repeated that prediction, said the GOP will also pick up "several seats" in the Senate, and suggested that there will be an "eerie" comparison between this year's congressional elections and the 1994 defeat for Democrats.

Morris compared events leading up to the two elections, and likened the 1994 defeat of Democratic health care reforms to the recent House vote to go forward with an impeachment inquiry. Wrote Morris: "Here's why Clinton's fine October '94 poll numbers did nothing to help him in the congressional elections the next month: He squandered his popularity by campaigning for endangered Democrats." This year, Democrats "are not exactly dying to have Clinton come out and campaign for them," but he "will likely revert to form and try to use his new popularity to influence the elections. He would do much better to stay at home--off the campaign trail entirely. . . . The best thing Clinton can do to get Democrats elected is to stay out of the way." (10/20)

The Monica Factor

With White House scandal news slowing to a crawl, the television news shows are pondering Monica Lewinsky's effect on the congressional elections. But to the sorrow of hopeful producers, many pundits see no meaningful effect.

Rep. Lee H. Hamilton, D-Ind., who voted for an impeachment inquiry: "I don't think it's going to control this election. When it all shakes through, my guess is, you'll see a Congress very much like the one you have now, either with a few seats for the majority in the Republican side or possibly a few seats in the majority for the Democratic side, but not a huge shift." (MSNBC's The News With Brian Williams, 10/19)

Former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo.: "All politics is local. So you can play the violin, and all the rest of it about impeachment and Monica and this and that, and it's not going to make a whip in my mind." (MSNBC's The News With Brian Williams, 10/19)

GOP strategist Edward J. Rollins: "This is an election about incumbents. . . . I think this is going to be a very low turnout. And the races are not going to be driven by the congressional races. People don't go out and vote for congressmen, they go out and vote for governor, they go out and vote for senator, whatever the statewide ticket may be. And we have some very strong governors running for re-election, who are going to have big wins, and I think that's what's going to make Republicans pick up some seats." (MSNBC'S The Big Show, 10/19)

Standing by Her Starr

The New York Daily News reported that "Kenneth Starr's wife is finally coming to the defense of her special prosecutor." All during his investigation, Alice Starr "has remained mum." But now "she's taking aim at those who've portrayed her husband as a man consumed by sex." (10/20)

In an exclusive interview in the November issue of Mirabella, Alice Starr lamented: "It hurts me to see him maligned. He's a very loving husband, he's a very loving father, and our marriage will be unaffected by all this. The most frustrating thing is that he can't defend himself." "Ken," added his wife, "has never, ever brought home any of the stress or the strain of his job. . . . We've never had a discussion about this case at all. . . . Ken has not taken one weekend off in the four years he has worked on this case. I don't know anyone more honest than Ken. Anybody."

Maggie Says, Get Over It

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, on a recent visit to Louisville, Ky., said that the United States needs to "quickly" move on from the White House sex scandal. "I'll be very glad when the whole thing is put to rest and we can get on dealing with matters of policy again," said Thatcher. "It's just gone on and on and on." (The [Louisville] Courier-Journal, 10/20)

Stay Tuned for a Makeover

CNN's Headline News "is getting a top-to-bottom makeover as part of a sweeping effort to pump new ratings life into the fading just-the-facts" network. Worried by "a continuing downward trend" in its ratings, as well as "rumblings of discontent" from cable operators, Time Warner Inc. has a plan "to completely reshape the channel." At the "heart of the revamp" is a new, $3.7 million studio, expected to be up and running next year. (Variety, 10/20)

Quotables

"An enormously gifted and richly qualified leader for our nation but someone who is exasperatingly stupid in his personal life."--former White House Press Secretary Michael D. McCurry on President Clinton (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/20)

"To advise somebody to vote for Satan or Lucifer is to still keep you in Hell."--Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan on which party African-Americans should vote for this November (NBC's Meet the Press, 10/18)

"Ask Washingtonians these days who they'd most like to see impeached, and the answer's less likely to be President Clinton than Norv Turner."--NBC's Robert Hager (NBC's Today, 10/20)