Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Just Say No Today's LA Times front page headline says it all: "No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No."  It's not a temper tantrum thrown by a recalcitrant child, but the response of Kollyphonia's voters to the eight referenda offered to them, including four sponsored by our action-hero governor. Ironically, Proposition 80, electricity re-regulation, suffered the worst defeat, losing by a two-thirds margin.  This measure was in part a response to the Enron-engineered statewide power shortages and blackouts of 2001 that were a principal impetus for the recall of Der Terminator's predecessor, Gray Davis. Thus did the citizenry, confused by an endless barrage of attack and counterattack ads, vote out the baby with the bathwater. This morning on NPR's Morning Edition, I heard some tape of a chant by victorious union members whose political contributions to the Democrats da gubnah had sought to curtail with his failed "paycheck protection" Proposition 75: "We nurse, we teach, you can't restrict our speech!" Okay, so it's not quite as euphonious and stirring as "El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido!" but it will suffice. As for Schwarzie himself, today's money quote is "There is much, much work that has to be done."  Note the use of the passive voice, favored by politicians when seeking to deflect blame, as in Ronald Reagan's diagnosis of the Iran-Contra scandal, "Mistakes were made." Votes were cast.  A power-hungry politician's Godlike attempt to remake the state in his own image has been thwarted.  10:53:59 AM    comment []