Governor Davis, who won re-election a year ago by trouncing Mr. Simon, finds himself fighting an uphill battle against a recall insurgency that has pitted him not only against his former adversary but also a virtual menagerie of potential governors, including the man who has been sucking up most of the media oxygen and leading in all the early polls, Arnold Schwarzenegger. A root cause, a $38 billion deficit, and no real plans to solve this significant shortfally [can anyone say property tax increase?]. The rating agencies rate California's credit just slightly above junk.
Among the other candidates are a stripper [Mary Carey], a young woman who is publicizing her campaign by handing out thong underwear with her name on it [Georgy Russell], a rock star, the political commentator [Arianna Huffington], comedian [Gallagher], a former television star [Gary Coleman], a smut publisher [Larry Flynt] and an aging billboard queen to name but a few.
The recall voting will have two parts. First, voters will be asked whether the governor should be removed from office. A simple majority gets that job done. Only then will voters be asked to choose from among the scores hoping to replace him, and in that race the candidate receiving the most votes wins.
Will California be better off with a new governor, and who is the best person for this assignment? |
