I coulda been a Republican. I coulda been a Democrat.
April 9th, 2008, 12:51 pm · 1 Comment · posted by Paul Giblin
Hermy (left) and Rudolph
One of my favorite movie quotes didn’t make the American Film Institute’s official list of the 100 greatest American movie quotes. You’ve probably heard of the list, which was released in 2005, or at least several of the quotes from the list. Here’s a quick sampling…
No. 1: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” from Gone With the Wind in 1939.
No. 2: “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse,” from The Godfather in 1972.
No. 3 “You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am,” from On the Waterfront in 1964.
I’d like to think the quote I have in mind didn’t make the list simply because it wasn’t actually muttered in a movie. It was delivered in a television program.
The line: “Hey, what do you say we both be independent together, huh?” from the ground-breaking TV special Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer in 1964.
The show clearly was a metaphor for political alienation. It was Hermy, an elf who wants to be a dentist rather than a toy maker, who evokes the unforgettable “independent together” line with his little Claymation lips in the dramatic scene in which he meets Rudolph, the outcast reindeer.
Which brings us to a new organization called Grand Canyon Independent Voters. The collectively minded group of independent thinkers issued a press release this week calling for Arizona to open its presidential preference elections to independent voters. Right now, the Democratic presidential preference election is open only to registered Democrats, while the Republican presidential preference election is open to just registered Republicans.
“Independents pay taxes and deserve to have the right to vote in the presidential preference election. Independents are allowed to vote in all other primaries held in Arizona but are denied access to the ballot box in ultimately the most important primary, the presidential primary,” according to the association’s press release.
“The State of Arizona remains one of only 18 states that disenfranchise voters by not having open primaries. The time has come for Arizona to join the majority of states and open its primaries to independent and unaffiliated voters,” according to the release.
The state Senate passed legislation by a 27-0 margin that would allow independents to vote in the contests, but frankly, I wonder whether the state House will give a damn.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
In 1986, the US Supreme Court gave parties the right to invite independents to vote in their primaries. This issue is up to each party: the state has no say-so in the matter.
Both Arizona parties have obviously decided that they want only registered party members helping to choose their delegates to the national conventions. If a voter truly wants to have a voice in this process, he or she should register with a party.
Free Citizen