Pacific Views

Thoughts on California's Democracy

I've been listening to the reports this evening and wondering what does Arnie's election mean for our democracy. In most of the reports I heard, there was very little about the fact the Arnie received HUGE amounts of free air time, and that he was able to conduct his campaign in an enormous bubble. Arnie has not had any real scrutiny until this last weekend. And I suspect he will get a free pass for a long time. So who will hold him accountable, Larry King?

There is a LOT of anger in the country today. It was Davis who reaped that anger today. But I do believe (and hope) that the same anger will be directed at the White House next year for their mis-management of our country because I do not believe there is anything that the Bushies will do that can fix their mistakes on this front. The anger against the world the Bushies created will continue to grow.

They say that this is Democracy. But the American forefathers didn't want to see people going to the polls without understanding the issues. Yet, I don't see any sign that people have understood the issues (unless you say the issue was get rid of Davis). They are throwing out Davis because of their anger and installing Arnie because he is a star. But how does this play next year? Here are some of the quotes from the local PBS news tonight. Quote: "Voters are pretty smart, and they do pay attention. With more turnout this [result] is good." And: "Frankly, I think the voters like this control..." Were they smart or is it a matter of "cut of your nose to spite your face"? We will definitely find out soon.

California is almost ungovernable. The initiative process (direct democracy) has created a budget process that is totally stuck. It will be very hard for anyone, much less a novice, to get a budget that works and doesn't really hurt a lot of Californians. Can anyone make the government work in California? The political reporters were opining that this will make politicians more cautious. During the last 20 years, politicians have been totally stymied by the "can't make a decision without getting the people's vote". California refuses to trust professionals to make decisions -- so no decisions will be made and nothing will get done. Not exactly a harbinger of success. This will be a real problem for Arnie.

So what are Arnie's priorities and what does he support? The thing to watch is to see how much Pete Wilson affects Arnie's choices and governance. And to watch how much Arnie abets the plutocrats. Arnie says he is working for "all the people". But he is also on record to help his friends in the Energy Companies. The rubber hits the road when you see which sides he picks. Prediction: he won't be for the little guy.

Can Arnie be successful? Word is starting to spread that the Republican White House will be willing to help a state that has a Republican governor. This will be another thing to watch. Will Bush spend some of his precious money to "rescue" California? Or will he continue to slam the state because it is a blue state?

Finally, how is Arnold going to govern? This election gave him some credibilty because they say it was of LANDSLIDE proportions. What will he do with it? Will the legislature be happy to cut services to make Arnie look good? And will people be happy with the cuts? What will the people want next? And who really is in charge (Pete Wilson, Karl Rove)? Should we just give up hope on being able to govern California at all?

Update: Why does California pick "B-grade" actors for governor?

Posted by Mary at October 8, 2003 03:34 AM | TrackBack