AP Analysis: Popular revolt fueled by governor's shortcomings

[unfrigginreal]

By BETH FOUHY
Associated Press Writer

California voters' decision to oust Gov. Gray Davis and replace him with Arnold Schwarzenegger reflected a deep sense of anger and a craving for leadership in troubled times that more than trumped concerns about the actor's lack of experience or allegations about his personal behavior.

<snip>

Former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta called the recall result a warning shot to all incumbent officeholders, rather than a message sent squarely to Davis.

"It's a revolt of people who are increasingly angry at the crises that face them, and at the failure of leadership," Panetta said. " If I were a Republican, I wouldn't get too cocky about what happened."

<snip>

"The gravity of the allegations are bound to be fuel for those Democrats who immediately want to launch another recall campaign," Trounstine said. "There are a lot of really angry Democrats out there. It may turn out that Gov. Schwarzenegger is President Bush's worst nightmare."

http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031008/APA/310080607&cachetime=5

[truthisfreedom]

1. californigroption is just beginning.

this recall was just the postering for the circus that's about to arrive.

[cyclezealot]

2. Voters not interested in details

In talking to people, they just did not care of the particulars of what caused the electric swindle..Whoever is in power is at fault.
Arni's chief aide talked of the state's unfair tax structure. It got his sent to the back benches. The anger of the people was more like the rage against the King in the French Revolution. That added to the determination of the gun nuts and anti choice people.
Gray Davis had bad pr. That was his problem. Plus a competent technocrat just is not what this time demanded.
When the Republican budget hits, tuition skyrockets and we still have a deficit, the sour mood will return. Add the prospect of civil litigation by those women grooped by Arni..
Heah, California Democrats lets start the next revolt. Don't get too glum, this will be fun.
In fact these same forces could easily be channeled against the big goon in Washington.

[CreekDog]

3. The election was about snide jibes and personality (2% issues)

Monday night on CNN International, CNN-i (aimed at Europeans I'm guessing) covered our election as it should be. They put up a list showing the issues and where each candidate stood on them. They emphasized Davis', Bustamante's and Schwartzenegger's positions.

I thought all 5 minutes of it was more substantive and informative than weeks of coverage on US and Local Television --with the cable news networks the worst overall.

I felt particularly grim when on MSNBC's, "The Abrams Report", the host was interviewing some politicos and one mentioned that Arnold had suggested eliminating Cal EPA. The host abruptly cut him off saying, "that's already been covered...I want to talk about..." --more gropinating I suppose. But since when have these policies been covered in detail?! I was yelling at the tv, "since when has it been covered?!" --I only knew because I read it in the paper, buried in the 7th paragraph I think!

Further, after Arnold said that, people I know from Cal EPA didn't know he'd said it, but they all knew the tag lines, "Hasta La Vista Gravy" (somthing like that --I can't really understand him). And that was pretty much the sum total of the 'news' coverage most of us could see.

Our journalists and producers need a serious civics lesson!

TV news in this country has become an oxymoron.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Same experience watching CBC

They had far more depth on it in half an hour than any of the cables
had in the states.

[moondust]

4. Superficial election.

Perceived strong celebrity who gets a lot of attention vs. perceived weaker alternatives blamed for botching the budget.

It obviously doesn't go much deeper than that. Don't bother voters with details.

[dbt]

5. Let Ahnold now GOVERN

Let him now actually DO something about the mess(es) in California. Does he have even one year to walk the walk?

John Mitchell said it so well back in the days of Nixxon:

"Let them listen to what we say, but WATCH what we do!"

:evilgrin:
dbt

[Spentastic]

7. I've been watching with trepidation

From the U.K.

I'll never again say "Americans can't be that stupid can they?"

The intelligent ones had better pull their fingers out or they'll be over run by the FOX news consuming ignorami.

[OneBlueSky]

8. say what???

California voters' decision to oust Gov. Gray Davis and replace him with Arnold Schwarzenegger reflected a deep sense of anger and a craving for leadership in troubled times that more than trumped concerns about the actor's lack of experience or allegations about his personal behavior.

trumped concerns? . . . is that all they were? . . . well slap my ass and call me Sally!!! . . . here I was, thinking that lack of experience and a documented record of demeaning women actually meant something to voters . . . silly me (slapping forhead) . . . guess I just don't understand politics anymore . . .

[J B]

9. ...Dude. 'trumped' was a verb there, not a noun.

Just for the record.

[teryang]

10. Ahnold will turn California into Argentina

He's there to forgive the lawsuits for billions against the energy companies he and he his fellow fascists own stock in.

His call sign "ma king cauliflower busyness frienly" means privatising and globalizing its assets for his business friends and making the middle class and poor pay for it.

Many democratic idiots took Maria Schriver's endorsement as evidence that Ahnold is a Kennedy family trojan horse. Sorry, he's a neo con.

My condolences to the naive and ignorant idiots who sold themselves a bill of goods.