Campaign ’66

American politics, as has been noted here before, is the politics of non-alternatives and pseudo-choices. If we needed any evidence, the present election provides it. Search and fantasize as we might there simply are not any radical possibilities. Consider the following:

GOVERNOR

George Romney, former auto magnate, and Zolton Ferency, former obscure political figure, are battling James Horvath for the governor’s chair. Mr. Horvath is the candidate for the Socialist Labor Party. He is also one of the most obnoxious men I have ever met. His election would set socialism, labor and parties back at least 200 years.

Since he is neither a Democrat nor a Republican and since he probably will not win, I will vote for him anyway. That is known as a protest vote.

SENATOR

There is also an SLP party candidate for Senator. Whatever his name is I will vote for him too. Robert Griffin will win the election, however.

CONGRESS

There are no contests for Congress and if there were, it wouldn’t make any difference who won them. The one exception is the write-in candidacy of Elsie Boulding of Ann Arbor in the Second District. Mrs. Boulding is running on a platform of withdrawal from Vietnam and an end to poverty.

STATE SENATE

Neither Coleman Young nor Basil Brown face serious opposition in their reelection bids. Since they might be persuaded to carry out an investigation of the police conduct of the Kercheval Street Incident that is a good thing. No one else in the State Senate matters in the least.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Jackie Vaughn III will be a member of the State legislature after the November election. That is nice: other than that the State Rep races are no big thing.

THE COURTS

Appeals: James Brickley is a “modern Republican.” He is also a member of the Detroit Common Council. He voted against open occupancy. Vote for his opponent, Charles Levin.

Common Pleas: Vote no.

Traffic Court: Joseph Shulman has promised some reforms of traffic court. Whatever they are, they would constitute an improvement since the court could not get any worse. Vote for him. Do not vote for any other candidates.

Circuit Court: There is a big controversy about the Detroit Bar Association’s ratings of candidates for circuit court. I agree, throw the rascals out whoever they are.

Supreme Court: Apparently there is some chance that Justice Thomas Kavanagh and Otis Smith will not be reelected. Since they are probably better than there opponents and since some friends of mine may very well have cases before the Supreme Court in the not too distant future you might pull their levers down if you feel like it. Recorders Court: There is an element of good fortune in being brought before Recorders Court which handles all criminal cases in the city of Detroit. If one makes it to the court it means that one has not been shot in the back of the head by one of Detroit’s finest. And there the good fortune ends.

This election will make a real difference for several thousand people, most of whom are black, who come before this court each year.

The campaign has become a vicious one. The following candidates deserve your support: George Crockett, Geraldine Bledsoe Ford, Tom Downs, Sheldon Otis, Henry Heading and Rolland O’Hare.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

With the exception of Remus Robinson I have never heard of any of the candidates for the Board of Education. Don’t vote for any of them, including Remus Robinson.

BOARD OF REGENTS etc.

A lady by the name of Irene Murphy is running for re-election to the University of Michigan Board of Regents. She doesn’t like the war in Viet Nam at all, so vote for her.

Nathan Conyers is a candidate for the Michigan State Board of Regents or whatever it is called. He is the brother of Congressman John Conyers. Vote for him.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Vote for Donald M. Thurber.

ISSUES, ISSUES, ISSUES

Who says there aren’t any issues in American politics? There are at least two:

Flouridation: If we are going to have to put up with all the people who are going to be elected to office the least we can have is clean, healthy teeth. And some people want to take that away from us.

A no vote on the flouridation question is a vote against June Brown. It is also a vote against pain. Who can be for -pain?

Remember that on this question (and a lot to come to think of it) Yes is No. No is Yes. War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery.... (What that means is that if you vote no on the question you are voting FOR fluoridated water. All those in favor of creeping flouridation please vote No.)

The 18 Year Old Vote: A yes vote on the 18 year old vote is a vote for teenie-bopper-government. Let’s hear it for teeniebopper government.

Isn’t politics fluoridated?