Last thoughts

Posted on October 16, 2003 in Gray Davis Recall

A few thoughts in the wake of the recall and the future of California.

• If opponents of Schwarzenegger are going to win one, I suggest that we keep the heat on him about the girls. He promised us an explanation and he owes us one.
  
• There’s the whole question of Ken Lay and Schwarzenegger. Pressure for an investigation is important. We control the assembly. Keep Ahnold fighting for his political life every day of his tenure unless he does a turn around and starts standing for working, buying folks.
  
• I heard that 36% of men and 52% of women voted for Ahnold. Is this a fact? If so, then it seems that men have got the message about sexual harassment where a slight majority of women haven’t. I’d like to have these numbers confirmed before I speculate more about what attitudes we need to address.
  
• Don’t save “dirt” for the last minute. I believe that if the Democrats had started putting the heat on Ahnold for his failure to debate, for his sexual antics weeks earlier, we would have won the Wreckall. These are important character issues that were starting to move voters.
  
• Maybe the Democrats should give a real liberal a shot at the governorship, someone who has character and commitment like Jerry Brown (who is unfortunately, unavailable.)
  
• We’ve given deregulation a chance. Bloggers should start researching and discussing why we have these institutions. There’s history there, a history of people stealing from the public trust. It’s not like unregulated industry has never had its day: it has and it robbed the people. If more Californians knew the history of why we turned to regulation, we’d win one.
  
• Every time there’s a price jump or a power failure, point to deregulation. Under regulation, utilities had to keep their lines in top shape. Profits were controlled, not eliminated.
  
• It is essential to put the point across that we need to curb unhindered wealth. The middle class and even the small millionaires need to unite with the working poor to see that the tax burden is shifted to those who generate the biggest costs.
  
• I’d like to see gas stations posting not only the taxes added on, but the expected profit margins on their pumps. The same for food, etc. I think of profits as the “hidden tax” which is taken out of every paycheck and every purchase without comment. How much does the farmer get? How much does big business get? Executive salaries should be computed as profits. I think when they see that the public sector gets so very little compared to the private, we’ll see a shift in public opinion regarding taxes and profits.
  
• It may be a time to return to old methods like door to door canvassing by committed volunteers. Take literature to your neighbors. Talk to them. Get them to think about the issues. It is healthy not only for the Cause, but also for neighborhoods. Contrast yourself with lazy Republicans relying on mass mailings and automated push polls. Emphasize that you are not being paid for this.