No, Really, She’s a Moderate

Interesting article from the New York Times yesterday entitled, Clinton, in Arkansas, Says Democrats Are ‘Wasting Time.’

It begins: “Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, returning to her red-state ties, chastised Democrats Saturday for taking on issues that arouse conservatives and turn out Republican voters rather than finding consensus on mainstream subjects” [emphasis mine].

Obviously, Hillary’s a centrist. Look, she’s in a red state! She wants to focus on mainstream subjects!

What? Does it look I’m nitpicking, seeing what I want to see? Hey, I didn’t say it, the article did: “But the trip to Arkansas this weekend had a more sentimental feel, reuniting Mrs. Clinton with her former political allies and giving her a platform to broadcast her more centrist background” [emphasis mine, once again].

Wait? You’re still not convinced there’s an agenda to portray Hillary as a centrist at any cost?

Well, er… what if I told you that the article misrepresented what Hillary said? Hillary was actually criticizing Republicans. Oops!

Now, I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the author really thinks Hillary is a moderate. Or misunderstood the speech… sometimes that happens, even to the journalists/immortals who could’ve prevented WWII.

Oh well, keep trying NY Times. Sooner or later, you’ll convince us…

hillary's a centrist *wink*

EDIT: Bah, what I wrote sucks ass, but I still like my comic.

EDIT: Added strike-through.

War in the Middle East? Cha-ching!

Every time Iran hiccups, the price of oil goes up. The price of oil is flying to record rates during this latest conflagration of violence in the Middle East. Who benefits when oil is more expensive? Why, Iran, of course.

Iran backs Hezbollah, a terrorist organization. Hezbollah has been launching hundreds of missiles in Israel, and Israel has no choice but to defend itself. Violence in the Middle East sends jitters throughout the market, which drives the price of oil higher and higher.

Others are speculating that this is being done to take attention away from Iran, or it’s Iran sending a message: Don’t mess with us. I don’t deny any of that, but I’m pretty sure one element in Iran’s calculations is the almighty dollar. It’s not a stretch of imagination at all to think that Iran is intentionally trying to destabilize the region in order to drive oil prices up.

EDIT: I wanted to emphasize: One element. The situation is infinitely more complex than my summary, but it would be foolish to think that Iran has no hand in this. Now, I’m more inclined to think that this is merely a pleasant side effect rather than a root cause. Still, I thought it was an interesting, different angle to examine, even if it is probably false.

Predictions for Election 2006 Follow-up

Last month, I said momentum had shifted back in the Republican Party’s favor and that the Republicans would retain the House and Senate. The Republicans were “out of the danger zone.” I still stand by these predictions. Two different events indicate to me that momentum is still slowly shifting away from a Democratic revolution.

Event one was June 11 when Gallup showed Bush’s approval rating moving up to 40%. Republicans seem to be happier with Mr. Bush, with 78% approving of the job he’s doing, as opposed to an average of 68% support among Republicans over the month of May. I have no idea if that actually means anything for the midterm elections, but I believe that in general, the less demoralized the base is, the better the Republicans will do in the elections. Bush has also improved his standing among independents.

And it’s not just gallup: Mystery Pollster says, “online releases by the Fox poll indicates a similar pattern on their surveys: They show the Bush approval rating among Republicans rising from 66% in late April and early May to 79% on their most recent survey in late June.”

The second item I will discuss involves immigration, which I believe helps the Republicans (for the 2006 elections). In a Utah primary, Chris Cannon defeated John Jacob. John Jacob campaigned as an immigration hardliner, but was unable to unseat incumbent Chris Cannon. It looked as if the anti-illegal immigration angle wouldn’t be enough to guarantee victory.

But wait… That’s not the whole story. In the first place, John Jacob was an inexperienced political newcomer who made mistakes early on. Secondly, Cannon campaigned on an anti-illegal immigration platform too!

However, when you put these two bits together, things don’t quite add up. After all, Bush is for the much-maligned “comprehensive” approach. Still, neither trend bodes well for the Democrats in November. The so-called New Direction for America is no Contract with America. They’re going to have to try harder.

EDIT: I still believe the Republicans will most likely lose seats, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to give Democrats control.

That’s Poker

Why you gotta do that to me Lady Luck?

I check-raised all in on the turn. My opponent put me on trips and thought he had a lot of outs, so he called. I actually had a straight. He catches the flush on the river. Agh.

Earlier that night, I actually had trips. Caught it on the flop. The turn card was a king, matching the top card on the flop. My opponent bets. He might have 3 kings. I call. The river is a queen. He checks. He’s got a certain look on his face. I check right behind him. His full house beats my full house.

I’ve learned to accept the bad beats. They’re a part of poker. They’re a part of why I love the game.

They still rattle me, though, so I had to document them here in the weblog to get them out of my head.

Summer Facebook Status Listlog

We’re off for summer, so I’m surprised to see that people are still updating their statuses on facebook. It’s especially surprising since the status expires after like a week, so these should be up to date. Here’s the list, bit of summer facebook pointillism…

  • Anna is dying in Texas heat. Ugh.
  • Jude is with the sun.
  • Marcus is exhausted.
  • Ying is back from Alaska/Canada and boy does she have a lot to say aboot it.
  • Shana is loving summer.
  • Dave is spelunking.
  • Arash is back in baltimore.
  • Mark is going to party hardy.
  • Michael is at home.
  • Winnie is sunburned only on her shoulders from warped tour and is hoping her aloe vera gel works.
  • Robert is alone…
  • Heather is the lady in red while everyone else is wearing tan.
  • Kate is writing letters & addresses are lovely if you would like to share.
  • Keshav is putting a picture of Midas as him!
  • Jaclyn is craving Chipotle.
  • Gloria is somehow managing to live on her own.
  • Emerald is finding that it’s hard out here for a pimp.
  • Raphael is sleeping with a kitten on his toes.
  • Molly is watching the world cup… go italy!
  • Kalpana is watching World Cup Soccer 2006 Germany.
  • Monica is going to Lisboa, Portugal!!!
  • Steve is still recovering from the Def Leppard concert.
  • Amy is crying coz of worldcup finalz.
  • Frances is very happy! :D.
  • Stevie is at Cal.
  • Alex is tending to the sea and the things in it.
  • Cameron is partying on his b-day.
  • Padma is ..
  • Sean is at the pour house watching the game.
  • Cassie is losing faith in her favorite store of all time, Macy*s.
  • Paige is goin to see her love july 12 <3.
  • Grace is at home.
  • Jeff is pissed at computers that die by themselves.
  • Eric is teaching k-6.
  • James is wanting something else to him through this semi-charmed kind of life.
  • Nick is lamp.

Ah yes, and me? I recently updated my status as well…

The Latin American Leftist Demagogue’s Guide for Winning Elections

The Agnoiologist presents:

The Latin American Leftist Demagogue’s Guide for Winning Elections

  1. Campaign as the candidate for the poor
  2. Pretend you aren’t in bed with Hugo Chavez
  3. Lose the election
  4. Demand a recount
  5. Imply election fraud
  6. Have your people say there might be violence, wink wink
  7. Stage street protests to show how you’re a candidate for the masses
  8. When the recount isn’t going in your favor, declare the election a fraud
  9. Unleash the mobs… er, stage further “peaceful political protests”
  10. Lose the recount
  11. Military coup
  12. Declare victory for democracy and the people

Congratulations! You have won the election!

If That’s Not a Bluff, I Don’t Know What Is

Today, North Korea test-launched mid-range missiles. Should you be alarmed? I am definitely not alarmed. In fact, it’s almost laughable.

Not too long ago, Kim Jong Il threatened to launch a nuke if there was any military action from America. Big words. We’ve been worried about their Taepodong-2 intercontinental ballistic missile, which could theoretically hit the US. Yet after all that tough talk, North Korea launches mid-range missiles. Kim Jong Il is full of shit.

Will my hunch be confirmed? There are reports that North Korea may have attempted to test-fire the Taepodong and it failed.

Everyone’s asking what does Kim Jong Il want. I’ll tell you what he wants: Power. Duh, it’s what every dictator wants.

Personally, I believe North Korea is trying to goad us into attacking first and then will use this as an excuse to invade South Korea. Then, his little missiles will matter because he can use nukes on South Korea and on US troops.

Anyway, there’s bigger news today. More controversy than North Korea! Kobayashi beats his previous world record to win his second consecutive hot dog eating title today, but should he have been disqualified?

The money quote: “Footage captured by ESPN confirms that some hot dog slush did spill through Kobayashi’s fingers and pieces of liquid bun spouted out of his nose, but footage shows time had already expired.”

[Note: This entry was written while listening to the initial reports on this story on Fox News Channel.]

Upcoming?

It seems to me that whenever I post about upcoming entries, these entries never materialize. So, I’m not going to write anything of that sort in this entry.

Discourse Update

You may or may not know that I am attempting to write a political discourse this summer. I am finding that as I dig deeper, I am not coming to the conclusions I thought I would come to when I began jotting down notes for this discourse. It is very exciting to be traveling in these new directions. Alas, I am far from completing this tome and so I am reluctant to post any of the results at the moment. Suffice it to say, I believe that my discourse will repudiate certain elements of modern American conservatism.

Head On

Apply directly to the forehead.
Head on
Apply directly to the forehead
Head on
Apply directly to the forehead
Head on
Available at Walgreens

That is the most fucking annoying commercial ever. EVER!

Go is Stuck

By “stuck” I mean “stuck in my head” and by “Go” I mean that song by Kelly Clarkson that they’re playing in the Ford commercials. For some reason, I absolutely love the song. This is totally bad for my street cred, so I’m trying to compensate by continuing to read Tom Paine.

Reevaluating Tom Paine

I am currently reading Rights of Man by Thomas Paine. Since his Common Sense was critical to the American Revolution, he was someone I thought I admired. Rights of Man, though, is an answer to Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France. I got a little box on the left hand side that says Edmund Burke is my hero. I picked up Thomas Paine last summer and didn’t get around to reading it until now, which was before I discovered Edmund Burke.

I think it’s important to read people you disagree with, so you can widen your horizons. And every once in a while, they actually have a good idea. This book is getting the gears turning in my mind, and is leading to many thoughts that will end up in my discourse I’m working on. (Most of which will be in contradiction to Paine’s principles, I think.)

From the back cover, this also got me riled up: “Thomas Paine was the first international revolutionary… He generated one of the first blueprints for a welfare state, combining a liberal order of civil rights with egalitarian constraints.” International revolutionary? Welfare state? Blech.

Skeptic’s Paralysis

I find myself flabbergasted by this story: Warnings on WMD ‘Fabricator’ Were Ignored, Ex-CIA Aide Says. I will ignore the politics of this issue and speak of a broader issue. This line stuck out in particular: “Drumheller, who is writing a book about his experiences, described in extensive interviews repeated attempts to alert top CIA officials to problems with the defector, code-named Curveball, in the days before the Powell speech” [emphasis mine]. Instantly, alarm bells are raised in my head. How can I know to trust this source? How do I know this ex-CIA aide isn’t exaggerating his story in order to write a good book?

Then again, with all the intelligence failure going on, how can I trust George Tenet or John E. McLaughlin? How do I know they’re not just trying to cover their asses?

Who do I trust? I find myself wanting to trust neither. At this point, I am struck with skeptic’s paralysis. I can believe neither side and therefore I know nothing. I don’t know what to believe, but I want to believe something. I can’t just ignore the issue, can I?

The answer, however, can be a yes. If you answer yes, then skeptic’s paralysis evolves into a worse disease: apathy. I can know nothing, so I will do nothing.

I find myself mired in the same situation with global warming. (Excuse me, global “climate change.”) Frankly, I don’t know who to believe. I am not fond of Al Gore. I am also not fond of the writer of Jurassic Park who supposedly “debunks” global warming. Supposedly, there is a scientific consensus, but how do I know I can trust those who say there is a consensus any more than I can trust those who say there is still a debate. I hear that there’s more and more evidence, but I have no idea what this evidence is, so I cannot base an opinion based on the concept of evidence.

So, you say, find the evidence. Yet, I’m not a scientist. I can be easily fooled into believing either position. Plus, the advocates of both sides are prone to exaggeration. That only exacerbates my skeptic’s paralysis. I want to trust the scientists, but how can I trust these people to predict the weather years and years into the future when they can’t predict the weather two weeks from now?

Even with that silly problem out of the way, it doesn’t end my skeptic’s paralysis. First, I can’t trust evidence I don’t understand and which can be easily manipulated. There is no way around it: I need to trust an authority. But then, I don’t know which authority to trust. I must rely on another authority to direct me to the proper authorities. How can I trust that person?

I cannot trust anyone, but I want to trust someone.

Luckily, I think my problem can be solved. I trust television, and the Discovery Channel is going to have a special on climate change. I think I will trust that. After all, I trust the MythBusters.

Still looming, though, is the even bigger issue, hinted at in the beginning: I don’t trust know whom to trust in my government.

Spare the Air

I utilized the free BART day to visit SF instead of watching cable news while being incapacitated by the heat.

I was going to make a list, but Daryl sums it up best in a comment on myspace:

BART fare to San Francisco: $0.00
Won-ton dinner…for TWO: $10.75
Miles Davis’ 2-Disc Anthology: $9.00
The Clash’s London Calling: $9.00
Being with The Shawnsy instead of some flakebitch: PRICELESS.

And if you’re not down with that, we got two words for ya:

SUCK IT!

Today was very cheap and very satisfying.

Third Party Thinking

I’m a happy Republican, and I don’t foresee a third party coming to power any time soon. The likely thing that happens is that a third party will siphon votes from another party. With that in mind, I decided to do a little thought experiment: Create a party that cuts across ideological lines. This entry does not imply any endorsement of third party ravings, nor an endorsement of my hypothetical party’s ideas, and is simply an exercise in the realm of the hypothetical.

I would call it the Secure America Party. Here’s my platform:

  • Victory in Iraq
  • Secure our borders
  • Energy independence
  • Universal health care

Let’s explain each bit in full:

Victory in Iraq – Iraq is one of the major concerns of the American people. For any party to win, it needs a strategy for victory in Iraq. Most other third party ideas lack a plan for Iraq, and I think that’s a recipe for losing the election. The third party allows itself to distance itself from both the cut-and-run Democrats and the bumbling Bush administration’s handling of the war. Most Americans, on both sides of the political spectrum, want to win the war. The Secure America Party would have two prongs in its Iraq strategy. Since sectarian violence is threatening to tear Iraq, the first prong is dedication to stability in Iraq via an increase in military action. No more pussyfooting… take the shackles off the military and let it do its job. The second prong is to conduct this war in a responsible manner that respects civil liberties and will bring the international community in to help, especially with the bill, since we pay so much for Iraq. The SAP will attempt to placate some hardliners, libertarians, fiscal conservatives, and liberals who want us to win.

Secure our borders – Polls consistently show that Americans want the border secured. They also want some path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who have been here a long time and who have families. This is an issue that splits both Democrats and Republicans, so the SAP would have a good chance of siphoning off votes from both parties. It will advocate a phased solution: secure our borders first, and then amnesty. The SAP will call for all criminals who are illegal immigrants to be instantly deported. It will also call for all back-taxes to be paid, for additional penalties to be paid, and require all immigrants to learn English. SAP will also crack down on businesses who hire illegal immigrants, which is critical for any immigration plan to work.

Energy independence – SAP will support a Clean Energy Initiative that will provide massive funding for science and will also put strict requirements on businesses to build cleaner cars, etc. Or something like that. Since this isn’t a real party, I don’t really have to worry about the exact details. SAP will grab votes for those who care about global security. We will take away funding from dangerous regimes. SAP will also grab votes from environmentalists who care about clean energy. Many people are also angry about high gas prices and this will alleviate some of those worries.

Universal health care – Mostly, I put this to pull in more liberal votes, since I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job. Still, SAP will try to put a pro-business spin on this, as well. After all, businesses can make more money if they don’t have to worry about paying for all those health benefits.

There you have it. That’s my idea for a third party that could cut across ideological lines and steal enough votes from both parties so that it can win. Of course, what it’s missing is something all moderately successful third parties have: Powerful personalities. Without this, even with my aforementioned platform, the Secure American Party will go nowhere.

Bush Lied? I Guess Not

Breaking news (heard on Fox News): A recently declassified document reveals that America had found some 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003, and there are still more sarin-filled and mustard gas-filled artillery shells out there. We found WMDs.

Now that’s some big news. Let’s see what fronts the big newspapers tomorrow.

The biggest question is: Why was this kept secret so long? Senator Santorum and others had to fight the Bush administration to get this declassified. My guess is that they didn’t want insurgents looking for those chemical weapons, finding them, and then using them. They can’t look for chemical weapons if they don’t know they’re there.

Smart move? Not so smart move? I’m undecided.

I’m not saying this revelation should change anyone’s mind, especially since now we’re focused on what we should do next, not why we went in the first place, but this should force some people to reevaluate their ideas about Iraq.

The Big Mo: Predictions for 2006

Momentum is a tricky thing. In a football game, you could say one team has momentum on its side, and then — BAM! — interception! Momentum has shifted to the other side. It’s even worse in politics when things aren’t so cut and dry as to who has the ball. Thus, I preface this entry with the caveat that things can change very quickly. With that said, I will make my tentative predictions.

Not too long ago, if you had asked me if the Democratic Party had a chance, I would’ve said, “No way.” No matter what Democrats did, they could not change the tide. Cindy Sheehan? No. Katrina? No.

The Democratic Party’s ineptitude combined with the forces of gerrymandering made me sure the Republicans would retain control of both the House and Senate. There were too few competitive seats to make a Democratic takeover likely. In fact, I began wondering if the Dems were on the road to political suicide.

Then, I started to worry. It wasn’t an interception moment, though. It was a combination of things. To me, it started with the Dubai Ports deal. For the first time, people trusted Democrats on national security as much as they did Republicans. National security was the reason Bush beat out Kerry. Our vice president also shot someone in the face. The State of the Union address was lackluster. Bush’s approval ratings kept dipping. More and more sour news came from Iraq. Corruption scandals abounded.

Bush appeared adrift. I have this May 29, 2006 U.S News and World Report sitting on this table (along with an old copy of the Atlantic and Discover) with the cover, “How Low Can He Go? Even Republicans Worry Whether Bush Can Still Govern.” The shake-up of the Bush cabinet was an unconvincing bit of political theater.

The final straw was immigration. The Senate was about pass a horrible bill on immigration that would enrage the base. (We got a different bill that still enrages the base.) This seemed to be the issue that would make the Republican base sit at home instead of going to the ballot box during the midterm elections. Instead of contemplating political suicide of the Democrats, I wondered if Bush was going to commit political suicide with his immigration speech.

Rove looked like he was out to lunch — everything seemed to be catching Bush off-guard. This was probably because of the whole Scooter-Libby investigation/fiasco going on.

All these factors indicated a momentum shift. Polls showed approval of Congress at the same level as 1994, when Republicans swept the Democrats out of office. Now, the Democrats had control. All they had to do was not do something really stupid and they would coast to victory.

However, the political winds have shifted once more. After the killing of top terrorist in Iraq, al-Zarqawi, and a secret visit to Baghdad, Bush appeared re-energized. He was cracking jokes at his press conference (accidentally making fun of a blind reporter’s shades). Plus, he’d recently managed to snag Henry Paulson, a Wall Street all-star, as his new treasury secretary.

In other good news (for Republicans), Rove wasn’t indicted. This should start to free him up for the midterm elections. Moreover, the White House shake-up gave him one job instead of two, so he could focus on politics and not policy-making.

In a special election in California’s 50th District, Bilbray beat out his Democratic challenger in a district tainted by the corrupt Randy “Duke” Cunningham. This does not bode well for the Democrat’s “culture of corruption” strategy, which attempts to paint the Republicans as corrupt and, hence, need to be thrown out. In addition, a Democrat, Congressman Jefferson, was caught taking bribes. So much for a Republican culture of corruption.

Although you won’t see Bush’s approval ratings climbing really high once again, I still believe momentum has shifted in the Republican’s favor. Remember, I predicted the Democrats wouldn’t gain Congress in the wake of many possible political disasters for the Republicans (like Katrina). I think the Republicans have pulled out of the danger zone.

The hot button issue of immigration helped Bilbray win. Other House Republicans can campaign on this issue, taking a hard-line stance, and also win — all over the country. Of course, this is the House. The Senate did pass its amnesty bill, which means Republican Senators may be in trouble. With a re-energized Bush and Rove — remember, Bush is a great fundraiser–, I think Republicans will retain the House and probably the Senate as well.

This prediction is based on the idea of a shift in momentum. Momentum could shift again. We’ve still got an eternity left, in political terms, until the actual elections.

Nacho Libre

Did Jack Black seriously say “douche” in a PG movie?

EDIT: “The theme of a PG-rated film may itself call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity in these films. There may be some violence or brief nudity.” And now you know. Still, I question the usage of “douche” in a movie that was targeted towards youngsters.

The Latest Good News From Iraq

I’ll still be commenting on Election 06 today, but I thought it’d be nice to provide some linkage to the latest good news from Iraq.

Papers show ‘gloomy’ state of insurgency: Papers taken from raids show the insurgency struggling and reveal their latest tactics. Here’s the actual text of the document.

Post-al-Zarqawi raids kill 104 insurgents. The numbers: 104 insurgents killed, 28 significant arms caches discovered, 759 anti-Iraqi elements captured, 452 raids, 143 of the raids carried out by Iraqi forces alone.

Now that’s progress.

I’m going to refrain from further analysis until after I’ve done some posts on religion.

EDIT: Never mind, I will be posting Election 06 stuff tomorrow.

To Talk About Soon

Tomorrow, I’ll try to read those Election 06 tea leaves and give you my predictions. After that, I want to delve into a topic I haven’t talked about much lately: religion. Then, I’ll move on to analysis of the situation in Iraq and the global war on terror in general.

This Would Be Irony If It Was True

If you’re a Democrat and you want to know what the big fuss is about illegal immigration, this is required reading: Illegal Immigration a Problem for Democrats, Too. Heck, I’m making it required reading for anyone reading this entry.

There’s only one part I take issue with: “The tragedy for the party — and the nation — is that Democrats could do a much better job than Republicans controlling illegal immigration. That’s because Democrats are not afraid to do the only thing that could stop it, which is go after the companies that employ undocumented workers.” It would be irony if it was true.

However, it’s simply not true. The crux of the “enforcement-only” argument is that many undocumented workers will self-deport if they can’t find any jobs. How do you make sure they don’t have any jobs? By going after the employers, of course. Who’s trumpeting this view? Why, Mr. Sensenbrenner himself, the guy who is Mr. Big Bad Republican Enforcement-Only Immigration Hard-liner.

In the recent US News & World Report interview that I just linked to, Sensenbrenner says that it’s not possible to deport millions of illegal immigrants, but “if we shut off the jobs by enforcing employer sanctions, many of the illegal immigrants will simply decide to go home because they cannot make money in the United States.” See, straight from the horse’s mouth.

Other than that, the RealClearPolitics article is very good, showing why Democrats should care about this issue too.

A Good Day in Iraq

The big news today is the death of Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. It’s a good day.

Something that piqued my interest… When Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki announced the death of Zarqawi, the press broke out in applause. Just wondering what the reaction of the American press will be if bin Laden is captured.

Another interesting thing… The Washington Times, in Democrats call Zarqawi killing a stunt, reported this: “‘This is just to cover Bush’s [rear] so he doesn’t have to answer’ for Iraqi civilians being killed by the U.S. military and his own sagging poll numbers, said Rep. Pete Stark, California Democrat. ‘Iraq is still a mess — get out.'”

That’s my Congressman, the one who represents my district. I wish I could get the full text, but if he’s dismissing this as a stunt, that’s disgusting.

Perhaps the bigger news today is the appointment of an interior minister, defense minister, and national security advisor in Iraq. This just might be a turning point in Iraq’s struggle for stability.

Angelides and Schwarzenegger

This from my (very) local paper, the Argus, a contrast between Schwarzenegger and Angelides, the two candidates for governor in California:

“Angelides wants to raise taxes on high-income earners and corporations; Schwarzenegger wants to hold the line.

“Schwarzenegger blocked giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants; Angelides would endorse it.

“The governor signed an order deploying National Guard troops to the border; Angelides opposes Bush’s plan to use troops to curb illegal immigration.”

And there you have it. Angelides will raise your taxes and give the money to illegal immigrants. (Hahaha.) No, really, anyone who’s serious about the problems illegal immigration poses should vote for Schwarzenegger over Angelides. Moreover, can anyone count on Angelides to stop with “high-income earners and corporations”?

Judging from the way Californians recently rejected all those measures that would raise taxes (even the preschool one that taxes high-income earners), painting Angelides as someone who’ll raise taxes is a good strategy.

California Elections Roundup

My redesign for The Chalkboard Manifesto is nearing its final stages. Things are winding down. As my energy for the redesign ebbs, my energy will start to flow back into this weblog. In fact, I’ll start writing some things about the latest election results in California, my home state.

Item 1:

In the biggest race, Angelides defeats Westly in the Democratic primary for governor. Angelides will now go on to run against Schwarzenegger. If you live in California, and you’ve been watching network television at all, you’ve probably seen the negative ads Westly and Angelides were running. The campaign was pretty nasty. After Westly pledged to run a positive campaign, he turns around and runs an attack ad. Thus ensued the mudslinging. The winner after all this mud was slung? Schwarzenegger.

In April, the polls showed Schwarzenegger gaining a significant lead over both Democratic challengers for the first time. Meanwhile, in March, Schwarzenegger was dead even with either candidate. This is definitely the result of all the negative campaigning.

Now, since in this particular poll Schwarzenegger led Angelides 49% to 36%, while he led Westly 48% to 40%, I suppose Republicans might be happier with an Angelides victory, but we’ll see.

It’s funny. Westly campaigned as a moderate, but he and Angelides were practically indistinguishable policy-wise.

My main concern: How nasty will the general election be?

Item 2:

Prop. 82 was rejected. It was a measure to fund preschool for all 4 year olds in California. How were they going to pay for it? By raising taxes on the wealthy.

Preschool is a good idea, but this was the wrong way to go about it. First of all, with our K-12 school system in tatters, money should be going there first.

Secondly, making only rich people subsidize preschool? Ah yes, let’s tax the rich, that’s the solution to all our problems. If we want preschool for all Californians, then all Californians should help pay the burden.

Item 3:

In the 50th Congresssional District, Bilbray (R) beat Busby (D). This race was interesting for multiple reasons. First, it was a special election to replace Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who “resigned from Congress and was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for taking bribes.” In this heavy Republican district, the Democratic challenger was able to mount a challenge because of corruption of the Republican candidate. It was seen as maybe a sign of things to come, depending on who won. I guess Democrats can pride themselves on a surprisingly strong showing, but that’s not going to win them the House or the Senate.

The other interesting thing was the focus on illegal immigration. According to the blog Right Wing News, “The Republican candidate, Brian Bilbray, beat out a crowded field in the Republican primary by making illegal immigration his primary issue.” Bilbray’s victory in the primary and the special election helps vindicate the appeal of the “enforcement-only” approach to illegal immigration. Republican Congressmen out there might want to take note. So should Bush and Rove, who are pushing amnesty.