— The venal robot, Gray Davis, is governor of California today because Republicans nominated a hard-core, anti-abortion, drug-warrior conservative named Dan Lungren to run against him. As the sitting Attorney General, Lungren had great name ID (the AG’s job is generally regarded as the stepping-stone to the Governor’s office;) he had plenty of money, and he had a unified party. But Lungren ran a lackluster campaign and got totally creamed. If he’d run a magnificent campaign, he would have lost by a smaller margin, but he would have lost nonetheless. Pete Wilson changed the dynamics of California politics forever with his Mexican-baiting Prop 187 — the Mexicans and other immigrants applied for citizenship and registered to vote. Astute politicians know how to navigate these new political waters, as Riordan did in LA; the hard-core, religious right still dreams of Reagan and wishes for Happy Days. See Ken Layne on this issue, or, for perverse pleasure, Rand Simberg representing the knuckle-dragging Freeper point of view.
Stupidity watch 2002
— The venal robot, Gray Davis, is governor of California today because Republicans nominated a hard-core, anti-abortion, drug-warrior conservative named Dan Lungren to run against him. As the sitting Attorney General, Lungren had great name ID (the AG’s job is generally regarded as the stepping-stone to the Governor’s office;) he had plenty of money, and … Continue reading “Stupidity watch 2002”