Welcome to the David Levitt for U.S. Senate 2012 campaign in California's historic June 5th primary!
We're doing something extraordinary: using our elections to stand up for what Americans want, especially the people of California, when other Senate candidates and incumbents who should be representing us just won't do it.
While we have a detailed policy platform to invest in jobs, renewable infrastructure and education, amid fairer taxes - developed by over 100,000 people known as the Contract for the American Dream - for the June 5th primary election campaign we're focussed on 3 issues:
End Afghanistan End Prohibition Medicare for All
- Rescue our soldiers from Afghanistan – where truth tellers like Lt. Col. Dan Davis conclude there is no achievable mission and not one more life should be lost in a war that isn't keeping us safer.
- End the prohibition of medical marijuana – and the ongoing destructive federal raids on California medical dispensaries.
- Expand Medicare to all Americans - provide not-for-profit universal single-payer insurance to younger, healthier people at even lower rates - the way most other civilized countries do.
At first we're focussed on the marijuana issue -- because of the disastrous ongoing federal raids on dispensaries, clubs and their landlords in California. These raids are a unique betrayal of repeated pledges by the president and Attorney General Holder, who vowed to keep the DEA away from clubs that were following state laws, but this policy appeared to reverse last October. The discussion is heating up every day. We're joined by California legislators, our attorney general, and more - on May 5 SF Congresswoman and minority leader Nancy Pelosi finally spoke up on the raids - which have continued since last October. On May 19 thru 21st, Americans for Safe Access and a coalition of advocacy groups including California NORML are hosting a Unity Conference and Lobbying Day in Sacramento in support of new legislation to tax and regulate marijuana and clarify its use under federal law.
If you're among the 77% of Americans who want to finally end marijuana prohibition and allow patients and providers to obtain and provide medical cannabis without fear of arrest, seizure, or property forfeiture –– then join the campaign now and tell your friends.
Rally support for the Levitt 2012 campaign online:
On Facebook:
- We've made viral sharing very easy: simply paste the link http://Levitt2012.org/goviral into a Facebook post and Tag your California friends. See detailed instructions at the link.
- Like http://facebook.com/Levitt2012 so others know you're involved
On Twitter: Follow, Retweet and Reply at @Levitt2012
The message is simple: if you're ready to End Prohibition of Marijuana, you'll vote in June to put computer scientist Dr. David Levitt on your November ballot for Senate, alongside drug warrior Senator Dianne Feinstein. They're both Democrats, but under a historic change in the primary election rules this year, both of them can wind up on November's ballot - with the added bonus that no Republican will be there insisting that we reduce funding for schools and taxes on the wealthy.
Examples: several messages suitable for composing a Tweet to your Followers, Mentions, and Facebook posts.
- @Levitt2012 End Marijuana Prohibition. Vote David Levitt for US Senate in CA June 5 primary. #Marijuana
- Let's end marijuana prohibition in this June's California primary: Follow @Levitt2012 ; Retweet; repeat.
- @Levitt2012 End Prohibition. End Afghanistan. Medicare for All. Vote David Levitt for US Senate June 5.
- Fight CISPA, SOPA and PIPA. Preserve internet freedom and privacy. @Levitt2012 http://Levitt2012/primary
- Rescue our troops from Afghanistan. This Senate won't do it. Vote for David Levitt June 5th. @Levitt2012
and so on.
Include @Levitt2012 in Tweets that link articles on Afghanistan, marijuana, prohibition, raids, legalization, CISPA, health care, and whistleblowers.
Favorite and Retweet such messages when you see them, tagging them @Levitt2012, and put them on your Facebook Wall.
Give Generously
By US Senate campaign standards, this one is short and inexpensive. But we aren't using any corporate or PAC money - it must be a citizen-fueled campaign. Make this historic effort a success by giving whatever you can afford.
Early contributors to this campaign have included MIT Alumni and people from Dr. Levitt's technical, Silicon Valley and Yale communities. We're finding engineers often start by giving $100. What's important is that you give what you can.
Democrats may want to give via ActBlue, where your contribution will be visible to other Democrats. As you'll see, this effort has no risk of a spoiler. Instead, under California's new primary rules, success for the Levitt 2012 Senate campaign is also a historic boon the entire Democratic Party - by putting 2 Democrats (and NO Republican) on the November general election Senate ballot for the first time in history!
And when you see what those Republican opponents are like (the Levitt campaign has been recording video of them) you'll be delighted and energized to keep all of them off that ballot! We have more exciting videos coming.
California's Historic 2012 Primary, the new Top Two Rule - and How This is Even Possible
California's US Senate race in 2012 is unique in several respects. In every previous primary race, candidates competed only with other candidates from their own party, with one winner from each party. If Democrat Dr. Levitt ran against Democrat Sen. Feinstein and she got more votes in June, his chance to participate would end immediately.
This year the rules changed (under a 2010 measure called Prop 14). Now all the Senate candidates in the June primary compete and debate with each other, and the "top two" vote getters win and wind up on the November ballot, regardless of party. There are 24 candidates besides Senator Feinstein and no one knows much about them.
There are 14 Republicans competing in the race -- with, at last count, none polling at better than 2%. After all, California is a blue state that went for Obama over McCain, 61% - 37%. The Republicans ideas are fairly uniform, unpopular with the majority, and tailored for their base - ideas like firing teachers, cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits, and reducing taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
The Republicans often endorse and fund one strong candidate. But this year, thanks to Senator Feinstein's strength, they didn't bother. They endorsed a candidate who has been tied for last place among Republicans. And actually, the best known Republican in the race is proud to be known as the Queen of the Birthers: Orly Taitz has been questioning the presiden't birth certificate and fighting to have him removed from the Presidential ballot.
Incumbent Senator Feinstein is guaranteed to be one of the primary winners - the first poll showed her already with 51% of the vote. So the real question is, who will be the other "top two" winner - the runner up? So far no one has a clue, and in the same poll 30% said they were undecided.
With the new rule, no one has thought much about: What if the runner up is another Democrat? There are just a few on the ballot (not like the 14 Republicans diluting each other), and Dr. Levitt is one of them. He's the only one committed to vastly popular ideas like a swift exit from Afghanistan, ending the war on marijuana, and Medicare for All. He's not from the famously untrustworthy class of Politician; he's a Scientist and Engineer, a problem solver in the habit of searching for truth and telling it.
So the hardest part may be, telling 10 million voters about the Levitt 2012 Senate campaign - and to think differently about this campaign from any previous one. If you value our troops' lives, medical marijuana, and universal health care - Vote for David Levitt!
Don't stay home; don't leave the Senate part of your ballot blank; and don't cast a vote for Senator Feinstein - which won't change her status but would make it easier for a Republican to be the runner-up. In this Top Two race, the best way to keep the Republicans off the ballot is to vote
David Alex Levitt on your primary ballot. 
If he places second, this will be the first US Senate race in California without a Republican since 1856 - and the first one with two Democrats in the November general election, ever!
Let your vote count towards keeping a Republicans like Orly Taitz off the ballot and putting a progressive thinker on instead! It's an approach that couldn't work before this year - an innovation. In fact, our campaign theme is 'Innovating with the People'.
It's what we engineers sometimes call a "back door". And if we dare to go through it, we'll make history.
Once Democrats realize there's a progressive alternative to Senator Feinstein, who agrees with the majority of voters on so many key issues - and that with Feinstein so strong (thank you, Senator!) there's no danger of a spoiler - we can all vote for what we really want, keep the Republican 1%'ers off the ballot, and have an amazing choice between two Democrats in November.
