The Informationist

The results are in . . .

. . . in California’s primaries, that is. I was rather disappointed to see Phil Angelides beat Steve Westly in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

Angelides’s candidacy is problematic. Not because of the candidate himself, but rather because of the parts of the party to which he has pandered--basically, the pacifist, protectionist, isolationist, environmentally extremist, economic redistributionist, “we love Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore” wing. Angelides’s victory over Westly reaffirms the strategy of pandering to the worst elements of the far left. It is now critical that Schwarzenegger keep the job. Not because he’s
performed well--he threw away what should have been a sure thing on redistricting and embarrassed himself, the state, and its voters by vetoing the gay marriage bill--but rather because it’s critical to show that when the Republicans nominate a centrist and the Democrats pander to the loony left, the Republicans can win even in a blue state.

I would have been much happier working to get Westly elected. That, however, is no longer a realistic option. The only way that Angelides could get my vote now is to explicitly repudiate the very people to whom he’s been pandering--and I do mean explicitly. (Perhaps something along the lines of: “Sheehan, Moore, and their followers can all go to hell. Whatever they think they’re doing, the economic and foreign policies that they advocate would destroy the country and have significant negative reverberations abroad.") Since I don’t expect that to happen, I will probably have to go work for Arnold’s people.

Does anyone know where to find a Republican in San Francisco?

Posted by Bruce Abramson from on 06/07 at 03:49 PM in American Government, Politics, and Domestic Policies