There is no doubt that California is a liberal state … beset with problems caused primarily by its one-party democrat rule and the inability of a jet-setting Republican governor to provide the leadership he promised when first running for office to replace the re-called tax-and-spend democrat Gray Davis.

What we got in Arnold Schwarzenegger was a ego-driven RINO (Republican In Name Only) who openly declared himself to be a “post-partisan” politician who was rich enough to withstand the blandishments and offers of the special interests while serving all the people.

What we got was a liberal democrat masquerading, with the help of Hollywood Smoke and Mirrors, as a fiscally-conservative Republican. A faux Republican who out-fund-raised and out-pandered Gray Davis. A man who presided over the destruction of California’s economy; and continues to propose wacky tax schemes to, once again, paper over a deficit and a budget that bears his signature.

Is Meg Whitman any better?

I am worried that Meg Whitman, the former e-Bay chief who would be our next Republican candidate for governor, will be in the same mold – and just as ineffective as Arnold Schwarzenegger when it comes to reining in a corrupt and complacent legislature beholden to the unions and big-money special interests.

The McCain kiss of death?

Now I hear that Meg Whitman is about to be endorsed by John McCain.

McCain lost the election because he wasn’t the real deal. No Ronald Reagan, the aisle hopping McCain gave us an election finance law (McCain-Feingold) that enlarged the amount of money which could be spent on elections, attempted to jam illegal alien amnesty down our throats with McCain-Kennedy and tried to further enlarge government and raise taxes with his McCain-Lieberman global warming legislation. Running on a platform which stressed his time as a prisoner-of-war  over the solid benefits which he would bring to the country. Only at the last minute did he infuse some semblance of life into his dying campaign with the entry of a relatively-unprepared (and conservative) Sarah Palin.

Now we seem to be faced with the same choice in California. A Republican candidate who may be able to win, but who might become as liberal as a Arnold Schwarzenegger or John McCain.

Yes, she has a storied background as a business executive and a relatively no-nonsense executive bearing – but then again, the executive branch of government, with its slow-moving bureaucracy and formal legislative  opposition, is far from being susceptible to the almost dictatorial policies and demeanor of a CEO operating in the private sector. 

I don’t give a damn about the fact that she can understand a balance sheet or income statement – she can look at all the numbers she wants. But in the final analysis, we know the books are cooked and the numbers are often conditioned on avoiding the public’s outrage. Hidden accounts and slush-funds; borrowing from internal State accounts as well as Wall Street. Borrowing that which we do not have based on "revenue anticipation bonds."

So, do we really care that John McCain is going to endorse Meg Whitman as a gubernatorial candidate in California?

I think not. McCain has proved that a wishy-washy RINO that seeks to enlarge the tent to accommodate independents and conservative democrats by moving away from conservatism is exactly what the democrats want. A “me too” candidate that does not offer a clear delineation between the parties and does not attract voters who are content to stay where they are.

The fact the Whitman is said to be writing a book to be used to introduce her to the public during the run-up to the campaign is also worthless – unless she were to give it away to all comers. Again, who takes time to read books by politicians – that is, other than reporters looking for story hooks.

I personally think that McCain’s early endorsement of Meg Whitman will only make me look harder for the signs that she will become so liberal -- as to hand the legislative democrats another relatively easy victory. Her likely democrat opponents are said to the Diane Feinstein and ex-Governor Moonbeam, Jerry Brown. We will have to wait and see who will appear on the conservative side of the Republican ticket.

But my real take is that we should throw all of the bums seeking re-election out of office and start over by electing your friends and neighbors. Enough with the millionaire or billionaire super-stars. When the are bedazzled by the power of the state, they turn into "go along to get along" media whores or worse, union sycophants and friends of the special interests.

-- steve

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OneCitizenSpeaking: Saying out loud what you may be thinking …

Reference Links:

Capitol Alert: McCain set to back Whitman for governor