Come November 5th, Californians will choose their next governor, but I know that we have already lost.
That's because our two primary candidates are boobs. Pamela Anderson would make a better candidate if only because she's twice as qualified in comparison.
It's a choice between a $78 million dollar fraud who's not sure if he's ready for Sacramento, or Ken Lay's boyfriend who's solution for saving energy was to bankroll Enron and turn off our lights.
And even though President Bush has called twice to ask me to support the elephant and all his elephant buddies on the ballot, it's going to be a tough call — like picking a favorite child.
The newspapers are advocating for Davis as the lesser of two evils as evident in The Los Angeles Times voting guide:
"... He deserves another term on the basis of his well-balanced record, despite his unseemly fund-raising. Davis' GOP opponent, Bill Simon Jr., has repeatedly demonstrated that he is not up to the task of governing California."
There's absolutely no mention of the Green Party candidate at all, I have to wonder if he even existed or if he was forgotten somewhere in Eureka.
As a relatively new property owner and taxpayer to California I feel like I'm being ripped off.
The Golden State is home to Presidents of the United States, anti-smoking laws, and other leading edge legislation that have become standards for how other states are governed. States like Arkansas, West Virginia, and New Mexico rely on California to know what to do.
So why are these two ballot monkeys the best candidates we can find in a state with that kind of political legacy, a population of 36 million and the 6th largest economy in the world?
To help with this new leader search I think Hollywood should develop a new show like American Idol, but call it California Governor and get Warren Beatty to fill the 'Simon' role.
Despite our candidate crisis, I will take comfort in a few things about the upcoming election. I know the little old ladies who volunteer to man the poles will be as cantankerous as ever, that NPR will broadcast all kinds of great election stories and results from around the country, and I will take comfort that at least in the state of California we know how to vote.
UPDATE: Seems the idea for an interactive television show for a political candidate was not far from reality. Thanks to Griff for the link.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
Your situation, unfortunately, is part and parcel of a widespread problem facing all of us. Once again, it's election time, and we're all faced with choosing "the lesser of two evils" as our representatives, senators, governors, rather than choosing one really good candidate over another.
Here in GA, we have a Democratic(?) governor running for re-election against a Republican good-ol-boy named Sonny. The Dem has made extremely unpopular decisions (to Dems and Repubs alike), and yet will probably win unless the Repubs turn out en masse and the Dems pull another "Boot McKinney" move and cross over to vote him out. Either way, we lose.
Then, there are the senators, Zell and Max. Zell, a former GA governor, ran as a Dem, but has voted with the R's 4 out of 5 times. Max is very popular, unfortunately, his opponent, another good-ol-boy named Saxby, will give him a run for his money and may even pull a win out of his hat. If Saxby wins, we lose.
Sorry for the extended comment... I'm just sick of the whole sordid mess.
Ah, you poor newcomers...let a life-long Californian tell you our dirty secret: this isn't really the place you been led to believe it is.
Most people (even some of its own citizens) have been deluded by all the hype about California being a "liberal" and "progressive" state. The truth is, despite the vocal pockets of the left-wing in the Bay Area, much of California is right-wing, redneck, and ignorant.
This is why, in a state that would seem to be a good fit for the Green Party, the Republocrats hold power. As someone who spent many years in our state's capitol and met many of our legislators, I know that big money -- agriculture, developers, and now, high-tech -- are the real people who run this state.
Yes, our two Goobinatorial options, Gray Doofis, and the amazingly Bush-like rich-boy stiff Bill Simon, are horrendous. The only tactic left is to opt out of these choices and vote Green, or as I prefer, Not At All.
As with the national "elections", I have chosen not to ust hold my nose and vote for the "lesser of two evils." This strategy has given us scumbags like Reagan, Clinton, and the two Bushies. A non-vote sends a message that the parties need to give us a decent choice or we won't play.
you are more prophetic than you know... http://www.msnbc.com/news/810727.asp
Ha! That could turn out to be a really good thing for the US, or an unmitigated disaster, depending on (a) the outcome of the show, and (b) the outcome of the elections dependent upon whether the "People's Candidate" actually runs for office. Then again, it could turn out to be a disaster for the US no matter what...
From MSNBC — "We’re trying to see if there’s a young Abe Lincoln out there, somebody whose vision could turn on the public in an exciting way."
While sounding absurd at first, I think this is a great idea. It was television (and bad parenting) that helped usher in the decline of our patriotic society and now it could become a productive use for interactive television and democracy.
I'm really surprised that Michael Moore isn't invovled in this.
Well just remember fans, you heard it here first!
You're right - this would have been a perfect vehicle for Moore.
California isn't what it used to be. In addition to Gov. Davis, you have jurors awarding $28 billion to smokers for ... smoking. I'm so disgusted with the state that in this year's World Series I'm rooting for the earthquake.
Thankfully, I'm rather ignorrant when it comes to politics. I suppose it's been burned into my sarcastic brain that -- at some level -- all politicians are crooks. I know it's harsh, and I try to remind myself otherwise...never fully sinks in.
You haven't heard of Peter Camejo because he was not allowed to debate and because you're such a lazy bastard you haven't even bothered to input "Green Party Govenor California" into Google. Please don't even act like you're an informed voter if you cannot even *name* the biggest third party candidate.
Vote Green.
Not only did I know the name of the Green Party candidate but I watched an interview with Mr. Camejo on NBC about two weeks ago. He did a pretty good job until he was unfairly attacked by the anchor woman for splitting the vote. He turned a little red and lashed back at the clueless television personality.
But that's not the point here because in no part of this entry did I use any candidate names so why would I bother doing it for the Green Party candidate (who at last report was making his way back home from Eureka) ?
Vote for great leaders not for colors or animals.
In with someone new and out with the old......how about a career in politics? You could change the whole sordid mess! The state needs you and your quick mind!