I’ve tried not to rant too much about the whole election boondoggle, confident that other bloggers have done it to death better than I could hope to. But it’s the night before, and I’m feeling genuinely frightened. Also genuinely bummed that I can’t vote for Arianna. Feel the need to say to anyone out there who is still undecided (fat chance) that this is not a game, not a joke. This is the world’s sixth-largest economy (not that I feel states should necessarily be run like businesses). This is your life, fo’ shizzle.
Arnold may be half-liberal, but that doesn’t make him human. In fact, after browsing welovearnold.com for a while, I think I’d rather see a plain vanilla Republican in office than this train wreck of a man.
[discussing a scene in T3, in which he pushes the female cyborg’s face into a toilet bowl] “I saw this toilet bowl. How many times do you get away with this — to take a woman, grab her upside down, and bury her face in a toilet bowl? I wanted to have something floating there … The thing is, you can do it, because in the end, I didn’t do it to a woman — she’s a machine! We could get away with it without being crucified by who-knows-what group.”
There are so many frightening quotes on the site, it was a challenge to select just one. He’s named the press buses that accompany his campaign Predator 1, Predator 2, Predator 3. A fourth campaign bus is called “True Lies.” Sense of humor, or seriously messed up? I hope it’s the former, because I think politics could use a serious injection of humor, and a lot of humorless people could use a good goosing. But Arnold’s flavor of “humor” scares the hell out of me.
If its a celebrity you want, Gary Coleman is still in the running. Unfortunately, everyone thinks of Coleman like a little freak, assuming that his presence in the race is just part of the circus. But read an interview with Coleman and tell me who has a better political head — Gary or Arnold? No contest.
As for the recall itself, if this one works, get ready for this process to become the norm. Give Arnold three months, and wait for some rich liberal to start the process all over again, but in the opposite direction. California will be in a state of perpetual recall. Every time approval ratings dip we’ll turn the state upside down. This is a dangerous precedent. You don’t have to like Davis to oppose the recall. Just have the huevos to live with your decisions. We’re living with our decision to keep Davis right now. By the end of tomorrow you may be living with your decision to turn our state into celebrity special ed.
Meanwhile, don’t let the swiss cheese security of the new electronic voting machines stop you.
This would have been a perfect opportunity to modernize an American election with a better voting method. “Choose one” works best when there are only two candidates. With 3 or more you get problems. People vote for the leading candidate instead of their real desire, so that their vote is not “wasted”, or alternatively, an underdog candidate ends up taking votes away from one of the frontrunners.
America needs to rethink they way they vote. It’s time to start using the Borda count.
(http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borda_count)
Also, I will be really disgusted if Arnold wins.
Then there’s the Enron/Ken Lay connection: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1004-05.htm
The recall is bad enough, but then I heard a radio report where some of the conservatives are demanding that the transition of power be as fast as possible (as in, less than 30 days) because they don’t want Davis to have time to make a bunch of lame-duck decisions.
These people have no respect for process at all. None.
“I’ve tried not rant too much ’bout da whole election boondoggle, confident that other bloggers has done that shiznit death better than I could hope n’ shit. But that shiznit’s da night before, ‘n I’m feeling genuinely frightened.” Also genuinely bummed that I can’t vote fo’ Arianna.” Feel da need be like anyone out there who is still undecided (fat chance) that this is not a game, not a joke, know what I’m sayin’? This is da world’s sixth-largest economy (not that I feel states should necessarily be run like businesses) n’ shit. This is yo’ life, fo’ shizzle, know what I’m sayin’?” Clickly El Linky.
>>But it’s the night before, and I’m feeling genuinely frightened.
Why? Arnold’s going to go along with 75% (or more) of what you want, so what’s to fear (except fear itself ;-)?
http://www.etherzone.com/2003/pyne100303.shtml
>>Also genuinely bummed that I can’t vote for Arianna.
Why couldn’t you vote for her as a write-in candidate?
>>Feel the need to say to anyone out there who is still undecided (fat chance) that this is not a game, not a joke.
Just so!
http://blog.lewrockwell.com/lewrw/archives/001899.html
http://blog.lewrockwell.com/lewrw/archives/001830.html
http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2003/10-06-2003/vo19no20_recall.htm
http://www.etherzone.com/2003/lang100703.shtml
http://www.etherzone.com/2003/stang091903.shtml
>>This is the world’s sixth-largest economy (not that I feel states should necessarily be run like businesses).
This state government /has/ been run like businesses — Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing….
>>As for the recall itself, if this one works, get ready for this process to become the norm.
Actually, I hope it does, if only because it’ll throw a large monkey wrench–or sabot, if you prefer–into the gears of the entrenched Demopublican political establishment in Sacramento. (Hey, a man can dream, can’t he? :-)
>>Give Arnold three months, and wait for some rich liberal to start the process all over again, but in the opposite direction.
“Great minds,” and so forth . . .
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html?uc_full_date=20030928
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/10/03/134041.php
>>California will be in a state of perpetual recall.
Outstanding! Where do I sign up? :-)
http://www.etherzone.com/2003/sart061803.shtml
>>Every time approval ratings dip we’ll turn the state upside down.
If you mean “the state /government/”, then you’re correct.
>>This is a dangerous precedent.
It is “dangerous” only to those whose political careers depend on fostering the illusion of consent (in this instance, the once-for-once-only kind of consent) in order to keep looting the taxpayers with impunity.
>>You don’t have to like Davis to oppose the recall. Just have the huevos to live with your decisions. We’re living with our decision to keep Davis right now.
“Our decision to keep Davis”? Kindly include me out of that one.
Why should we Californians “live with” “our” decisions until elected politicians arbitrarily decide that /they’re/ ready to hold the next regularly-scheduled (scheduled at /their/ convenience, that is) election?
Who are the masters, and who are the servants?
>>By the end of tomorrow you may be living with your decision to turn our state into celebrity special ed.
If “celebrity special ed” reduces at any level the state government’s efficiency in coercing individuals, then bring it on. California itself is (potentially) just fine; that is to say, it would be if its incompetent, parasitical state government was minimized, or at least sharply curtailed (either one’s fine by me).
http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2003/10-06-2003/vo19no20_california.htm
But I fear RINO Arnold won’t do that.
>>Meanwhile, don’t let the swiss cheese security of the new electronic voting machines stop you.
Just vote absentee permanently — you don’t /have/ to make it easy for the political classes to steal elections. [.PDF file]
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/Outreach/absentee/links/absgde_long.pdf
Mark, you’re a walking URL factory.
>Why? Arnold’s going to go along with 75% (or more) of what you want, so what’s to fear (except fear itself ;-)?
What I fear is the fact that the ass won. That most people wanted the inexperienced ass. When all the jokes are done, you’re left with one embarassing fact: Arnold never would have been considered by anyone if not for his celebrity. Yet his celebrity had nothing to do with his office. I’m as afraid for the mentality this exposes in our population as I am for what will happen to this state under Arnold (I heard today he plans to gut the EPA. Not confirmed, but … kill me now).
Write-ins? I’m too practical to waste votes.. but I do like Ted’s Borda Count suggestion.
Throwing a boot in the works sounds great on paper, but you need a full term to get things going. I’ll take my chaos in art and music, not in politics thanks.
> “Our decision to keep Davis”? Kindly include me out of that one.
Hey man, “we the people” and all that… But I should bite my tongue — Look what “we the people” just did.
> until elected politicians arbitrarily decide that /they’re/ ready to hold the next regularly-scheduled
Huh? Arbitary? Only when under perpetual recall… it was never arbitary before.
> Who are the masters, and who are the servants?
Not getting your drift.
> California itself is (potentially) just fine; that is to say, it would be if its incompetent, parasitical state government was minimized, or at least sharply curtailed (either one’s fine by me).
You’re starting to sound like one of them there libertrarians, Mark… :)
What is RINO?
Why can’t you vote for Arianna? And why isn’t everyone voting for Arianna?
I feel that everyone needs to see this. California here comes your governer:
http://www.nilsparker.com/mm/arnold-is-coming-louder.mov
John, Arianna pulled out of the race days before the election. She was still on the ballot, but that would have been a truly wasted vote.
It’s not like I am going to come back here or what not – you might not even read this if you don’t care about the comments, especially one’s for days old topics… I was just browsing around one day for django tracks using index apache queries on google…came here…. read the blog on gubernatorial candidates… I can disagree with tons of what you say, but Coleman more ready than Arnold? Coleman, during an interview, couldn’t even answer simple questions on who currently were the members of the president’s cabinet.
California will be fine, all the state needs is direction, and it’s what it is getting in Arnold.
Dan, that’s true about Coleman not knowing about members of the president’s cabinet. I was not “for” Coleman. What I was saying was that it seem people only care about celebrity, not qualifications. And that if it’s celebrity they want, Coleman has a much better political head than Arnold (who didn’t even vote in most of the elections over the past decade!, and whe refused to debate Gray Davis!)
Why anyone thinks CA is going to get direction from Arnold is anyone’s guess. There were a dozen candidates up there with actual experience. Why in the world would anyone prefer Arnold over any of them? Makes no sense.