Monday, September 29, 2003

Here We Go

Gird your loins, boys and girls, it's time for the California Election! The good news is that in 24 hours, it'll be over, unless someone manages to pull a Florida on us, which all things considered, would be the least surprising thing about this whole mess. But no matter what, Californians are about to get the government they deserve, and you can take that statement however you want to take it.

You ask: "John, if you were still in California, how would you vote?" Well, I'll tell you, since I'm not, so I can't. First, I'd vote against the recall, because, really, what a foolish idea, people. If some person with more money than sense can just spend a couple million to invalidate an election for no other reason than not liking the guy who is governor, you have to question the utility of elections in the first place. You might as well just punt to oligarchy. I don't have any special love for Gray Davis, but my personal threshold of recall involves undeniable criminal activity, which is not the case here.

But as I understand it, Californians also have to list their choice for governor even if they vote against the recall. And I have to say I'd probably vote for Schwarzenegger just to see what happens next. I realize, of course, that this is a terrifying reason to vote for anyone for anything. But if you're going to go screaming over the precipice of sanity, might as well do it in style. And who knows? Maybe he can pull it off. In any event, it saves us from that Conan movie that's loitering in pre-production.

The blog world is all over this. Here are some sources for commentary and such for today's election: PrestoPundit, CalBlog, The California Insider, Boomshock, and I'll be surprised if CalPundit doesn't have a few things to say by the end of the day.

Good luck, California! You're gonna need it.