I just heard Whoppi Goldberg on Politically Direct.

[Cleita]

She said she had toyed with the idea of running for office now and then. OMG, Californians, let's draft her and put her up for Governor against Arnold. Not only would she put him in his place but she would be a far more efficient executive than he is.

[azndndude]

1. Great Idea!

[caty]

7. And, since she was born in America,

she could run for president some day!!!!!!!!!!:think:

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. She would get her ass kicked in California

Be serious.

She might win a U.S. House seat, but that's about it.

[Cleita]

3. Why?

I ordinarily am against celebrities running for office, but since it's going to take a celebrity to beat Arnold, I can't think of a better one than Whoopi. Also, Whoopi got where she is because she is a sharp business person, not because she is a comedian. That was only part of the trip.

I guarantee you that Whoopi is a far better businessperson than Arnold is. Isn't he still trying to balanced the books in California? He can't. He's trying to trim the expenses at the expense of the most vulnerable, children, instead of bringing in more revenue like Warren Buffett advised him to.

I too was in business and I know that cost cutting measures are only bandaids. What you need is to bring in more income to keep the boat afloat.

[tinrobot]

9. I can't stand celebrities running for high offices

Running for governor or senator just because you starred in a movie doesn't cut it for me. Actor plus no political experience equals puppet in my book, and that's true for both liberals and conservatives.

If these actors all want to be in politics, then they need to run for mayor or something. That way, they can learn the ropes and prove themselves politically before running the sixth largest economy in the world.

[Piperay]

14. I agree

I think we should be able to offer up someone better than a celebrity or our party is in real trouble.

I have suffered enough here in CA under Raygun and Arnie and don't want anymore even if they are Democratic. If they want to run, let them start at the bottom. I'll say that for Sonny Bono he at least started with mayor and so did Clint Eastwood.

[goclark]

12. I'd support Whoopi or her Mama

or Brad Pitt, Angelina or ANYBODY that could beat that idiot.

What a loser.

[Garbo 2004]

13. That means raising taxes and pols of both parties are loathe to do that.

Last I looked appropriation measures in the Leg still required a two-thirds vote for passage.

Ahnold won't bite that bullet since his deal is more breaks for business and corporations, his real constituency.

I don't think a "celebrity" is required to beat Ahnold. He's alienated a large part of the constituency that voted him in as it is. I suspect a lot of folks don't want another amateur stepping in.

No offense to Whoopie, but no, it simply wouldn't happen. Ahnold wouldn't have gotten his party's nomination in the regular manner which is why the recall was his ticket in. Angelides has already declared and he's already gotten the backing of some influential Dems (like Boxer). I'm not fond of him, given his history as a developer in my area. But I'd wager he'll be a strong party insider pick.

[DawnneOBTS]

4. Rob Reiner?

My father told me that he had seen Rob Reiner on a show on television, and thought that he would be the one running against Schwarzafucker. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know that he is active in California affairs.

[mitchtv]

5. i can hear the "meathead" jkes on Leno now

Warren Beatty has said he can do a better job than Groper,but doesn't want to run. I would vote for "Bulworth" in a heartbeat.

[alittlelark]

10. Did you read this thread? Beatty may be IN!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1492450

[Cleita]

8. Another white male....sigh.

We're Californians. We're supposed to break the mold. Nothing against Reiner, mind you, but Whoopi as governor would be fantastic.

[Eric J in MN]

11. Rob Reiner already announced he WON'T run for governor in 2006 nt

nt

[thecai]

6. Recommended

That would be awesome!
She's honest and just, with a low bs tolerance, she'd be great for California!
She recently advised America "to keep your eye on Bush".

[The Animator]

15. Being a Celebrity doesn't make you inelligable for a political life.

I used to think like that.

"What the hell does Barbara Streisand know about politics? She's a singer, she should stick to singing."

Then I remembered that America wasn't always lead by career politicians. When our country was young, anyone could run, farmers, cobblers, blacksmiths, scientists, lawyers, doctors, bakers, and candlestick makers. If you thought you could do a better job as a representative of your community than the other guy, it was your patriotic, and civic duty to run for office. Now it seems people are born and raised into a lifelong career in politics. You have to have training and experience to hold any office, this leads me to believe that their truly is a Ruling class in this country. This Ruling class is isolated from it's constituents because those within it do not know a life outside the world of politics. They know truly nothing about the challenges presented to everyday people with careers outside of politics.

Many celebrities, actors, singers, etc... at least had to pay their dues before they made it big. They worked hard, following their dreams of being entertainers, but worked as waitresses, and bus drivers, and pizza delivery guys to pay the bills.

It shouldn't matter if you are a big time movie star, or a way off Broadway nobody, you are entitled to your own opinions, both in life and in politics. And no matter what you do to make a living in this world, if you think you can do a better job than the people in office now, it is your civic duty to run against them.

It is true, that celebrities often have the opportunity to voice their opinions to media outlets that wouldn't give an off Broadway nobody five seconds, let alone fifteen. That kind of exposure translates into power of a sort, and can give them an unfair advantage in a political contest, but this isn't a fair world and you work with the hand your dealt. Any celebrity with a passion for politics would be a fool not to use the ace up their sleeve.