California Recall Update and Weeks Review

international | politics / elections | opinion/analysis Saturday October 04, 2003 00:18 by berniebird berniejbird at yahoo dot ie

Huffington is out, Schwarzenegger decides the race is now just between him and Davis… media agrees…

Without a hint of irony, Arnold chooses Twisted Sisters’ “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as campaign song.

Between the two polls (Gallup and LA Times) released in the last week since the Sacramento Bee debate, about 60% of Californians surveyed said they would vote for the recall. Of those, 40% will vote Schwarzenegger, 32% Bustamante and 15% McClintock. With the states Republican Party Committee now unanimously behind their new poster-boy, Arnold the Republicanarian, this makes McClintock the rogue, staying in with the backing of his largely Christian fundamentalist following. Ariana Huffington, sadly, has dropped out, with only 1% visible support in the polls. On CNN Tuesday (30/9/03) the pioneering anti-SUV activist announced, “I’m pulling out. I’m going to concentrate every ounce of time and energy over the next week working to defeat the recall because I realize now that this is the only way to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger.” [note: 1 ounce= 28.35grams]
With Bustamante being roundly ignored, the mud-slinging began in earnest last weekend between Davis and Schwarzenegger in both parties ad-campaign blitzes. Davis denounced the action-movie star as having no experience, ducking debates, distorting the records and dodging direct questions from the media… afterall, two terms as Mr. Universe does not count as “political experience.” Schwarzenegger, in return, is bringing out the heavy artillery- indeed, using every battle metaphor in the book… “Desperate Davis is going to do all kinds of tricks. He’s going to start a dirty campaign now. We know how he is,” he told 2000 frenzied adoring sycophants during a barnstorming tour last Sunday. “Let me just now tell you something, this is now hand-to-hand combat, we are in the trenches, this is war!”
Media response to the recall elections has been unusual… in fact, more unusual for what is not said rather than said… Several months ago during the massive worldwide protests against an imminent invasion of Iraq, many notable figures joined the ranks of dissent in the US, including, for example, Martin Sheen and Jeanneane Garofalo. Nationally, the media argued the ethics of using fame for political purposes, criticisms against protestors were harsh, rumours of Hollywood blacklists circulated… Indeed, when during a London concert Dixie Chicks singers denounced their idiot-boy president, back home their c.d.’s were pulled off the shelves and steam-rollered on the street. Oddly, the absence of the argument this time around is screamingly obvious in regard to Schwarzenegger. Apparently, the argument of “fame-for-political-stage” ethics does not apply to those who have portrayed inarticulate barbarians or robots, but to those who played ‘subversive’ roles, like Sheen as the liberal pres in ‘West Wing’ or Garofalo as Hoffmans’ crush in ‘Steal this Movie.’ However, deciphering the root of this double-standard would be a near impossible task and could lead to generalities (like Arnie’s wife Maria Shriver being an MSNBC director or somesuch crazy notion…).... (heavy heavy sarcasm there, peeps, sorry)
Fearless leader George the W., of course, can not directly endorse a candidate from his position… but when asked about Schwarzenegger’s run for Gov., smiles big, “I sure wouldn’t want to arm-wrestle the guy…” ha ha, yes, laughs all around, one of the boys…
So, given the way things are looking, Arnie could be the Governator of California by this time next week… and just in time to bolster the band-wagon for next years presidential elections… soon enough we’ll be seing Georgie and Arnie, hands clasped and very big shit-eating grins…


What will a Schwarzenegger win mean to Californians?

1) Humvee loving Arnie will “repeal the car tax immediately upon taking office.” The tax, similar to the idea of Central Londons’ new system, was to directly fund wider public transportation options in high-density areas. Los Angeles, a city of over 11million people, (or roughly 8million souls), has only 4 metro lines with fewer stations than Dublins Dart-Arrow network! The last time I was in LA, the bus system was on its 113th day of strike because of underfunding- a new survey released Tuesday by the Texas Transportation Institute found that LA residents spend an extra 90 hours over the national average each year stuck in traffic (not moving)… that’s nearly four days extra each year stuck in gridlock for the privilege of living in perhaps the most air polluted cities of the Western Hemisphere! Arnie is dangling the carrot for the environmentalists, just as George the W did, by promising state investment in hydrogen powered alternatives, stating they would see “tens of thousands” of hydrogen cars in California by 2010… but if you do the mathematics, “tens of thousands” comes nowhere near one percent of the vehicles on the road in California….
2) The program to issue drivers licenses to “illegal” immigrants will be scrapped. It really, really pissed off Arnie that time he was stuck in traffic behind that 30 year-old Chevy full of Salvadoran grape pickers stalled on the Freeway… Of course, “undocumenteds” should not be able to enjoy the same rights as “citizens.” Hey, but why can’t they live the American Dream? You know, live till you’re 84 in your extra-wide Pontiac and crunch down to the Santa Monica Farmers Market for pumpkin pie? This move does have wider implications, for insurance companies, as well as simply making it easier to zone out “illegals” in a state where, well, there is scant public transport. As a footnote, as I mentioned in my previous report, there are 2.3 million “illegals” in California.
3) You can forget about same-sex marriage, Buster! California has perhaps the largest ratio of co-habiting same-sex couples and parents in the world, yet Arnie is sticking to the party line by opposing gay marriage. Measures have been in the works of state government for years to allow same-sex union like Hawaii and Vermont, but it is likely they will be scrapped too with Arnie as governor. McClintock, the ‘other’ republican, has called on the bible and God almighty himself over this issue, this might attract Arnie to lean-in on “family values” to clinch some of those last-minute ‘other’ republican votes.
4) Relaxing of corporate taxes. With the CMTA (Manufacturers Lobby/Union) directors now firmly behind their man Arnie, industry bosses will enjoy a massive tax-break and subsidy free-for-all. Though how far this will go and how it will affect environmental policy has not yet been explained. How can a state so badly in debt, so much so they’re recalling their governor in panic, afford to cut industry taxes? The move, allegedly designed to entice employers to stay in the state, smells very strongly of trickle-down economics…. Reaganomics all over again… though I prefer to call it “Smash and Grab” capitalism…
5) Complete loss of esteem and regard for the state and all its inhabitants. A Schwarzenegger win will surely mean we will have to laugh robustly at any Californian we meet. Indeed, if you know anyone living there, and Arnie wins, call them up and laugh at them… It will be a new all-time low for the integrity of American politics… worse than the Florida fiasco…



More soon…
I’ll be back!