I don't think so. The Qualifications for Pres and VP are the same Last I looked now a cabinet position . . That maybe open Arnold - Secretary of Fitness .. .or something Rocket River
I think the best alternative is to let Davis finish his term and then vote his arse out!!!! I don't trust the Terminator. He needs to be subjected to the scrutiny of a primary and full length election. I don't like how Arnold and his advisors feared the idea of this election being held in March--because if too much time passed Arnold would have to get specific. The guy hasn't spelled out his agenda. I can't march blindly into that. Don't get me wrong, I don't have an agenda against him and I am actually a really big fan of Warren Buffet (but not of Pete Wilson) and Arnold, the actor. But I need to know what Arnold plans to do. So far he has run a hollow election. In this election, where you essentially must vote for the lesser evil, I vote status quo. Let Davis finish his term, amend that stupid loophole, and in the mean time, keep the political pressure on that slimeball Davis and find a real replacement one can actually trust. And the Issa thing has only re-inforced my cynicism toward this whole deal. Issa funded and organized this whole thing--pushing himself as the new choice for governor. But the Republican gatekeepers opted to support Arnold. Then a few weeks ago, Issa is on TV literally crying about how he has to drop out of the race. Now, he is turning against his "grass roots" movement and advocating the "No" vote. What happened to all that principle that spurred this whole movement?
SPEND SOME, LOSE SOME In California, the Propositions Keep Rolling Along By DEAN E. MURPHY Published: September 28, 2003 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It was the last question of a long and raucous debate here, almost an afterthought, and for many television viewers it probably sounded like a lot of bureaucratic mumbo jumbo after the evening's theatrics. But perhaps more than any of the other questions posed to Arnold Schwarzenegger and the candidates seeking Gov. Gray Davis's job, the one asking whether they supported Proposition 53 struck at the heart of the chronic budget and taxation problems in California that have fueled the recall campaign and will undoubtedly haunt any new governor. Proposition 53, which will appear on the Oct. 7 ballot with the recall vote, would set aside up to 3 percent of the state's general fund for things like new roads, sewer improvements and public building renovations. It has attracted virtually no attention in an election dominated by the recall itself, and to a lesser extent, a second proposition on the ballot that would ban the collection of certain racial data by government agencies. But the measure is a quintessential example of California's propensity for "ballot box budgeting," a trend that when matched with the state's formidable obstacles to raising taxes, has tied Mr. Davis's hands in keeping the state fiscally afloat. Over the summer, confronted with a $38.2 billion deficit and a Republican legislative caucus refusing tax increases, Mr. Davis was forced to make unpopular cuts in spending while also papering over much of the crisis until next year. "Most initiatives lose, but most of these initiatives to lock up money have passed," said Edward L. Lascher, a professor of public policy at California State University at Sacramento. "The problem is that there is no mechanism forcing people to equilibrate one thing with another, no mechanism that says given a choice, which do you want to protect, this or that." Already, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan California Budget Project, about 90 percent of the state budget is spoken for each year, in large part because of huge voter-mandated set-asides for things like public education and transportation. The trend seems unstoppable. Proposition 53 was killed last year by the State Legislature, but was revived and placed on the ballot at the insistence of Republicans as part of a last-minute budget deal. Also last year, Mr. Schwarzenegger, the leading Republican candidate to replace Mr. Davis, led a successful campaign that would require state spending for after-school programs. "It is great, because you tell the voters you get something for nothing," said Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project. "Then the voters get frustrated when the Legislature and governor can't figure out where to cut spending. And you wonder why we have paralysis." There is a certain paradox, Ms. Ross said, that while Mr. Davis's chief critics campaign against his handling of the budget morass, they have also lined up behind Proposition 53. Mr. Schwarzenegger and his chief Republican rival, State Senator Tom McClintock, both of whom have made fiscal conservatism and tax restraint pillars of their campaigns, openly embraced the measure during the debate. "I think it's a good beginning," Mr. Schwarzenegger said. "The fact of the matter is that we need a lot of infrastructure in California." Mr. McClintock spoke of the halcyon days of Gov. Pat Brown in the early 60's, when the state spent as much as 20 percent of the general fund on roads, bridges, colleges and water projects. "It seems to me that the importance of our infrastructure has been completely overlooked," Mr. McClintock said, adding that during the earlier era, "we were building highways faster than Detroit was building cars." Professor Lascher said most people would agree that the state's infrastructure has been neglected and that a strong case could be made for Proposition 53. Ms. Ross said the ballot measure, unlike many others in the past, was written with language that would prevent the siphoning of money during tough economic times. But the merits of the proposition become almost incidental when the state's fiscal woes are considered. Good or bad for California, Proposition 53 would amount to another spending obligation without any new way to pay for it, a fact that inevitably brings up the question of new taxes. "Let's not romanticize the days of Pat Brown and Ronald Reagan," said the only Democrat at the debate, Lt. Gov. Cruz M. Bustamante, of the projects the measure would support. "Back then, they raised taxes to pay for it." Nevertheless, he supports the proposition. Should he become governor in October, Mr. Bustamante would be counting on another ballot measure to help Democrats solve the problem. In March, voters will be asked whether to change the state Constitution so that legislators could raise taxes with 55 percent of the vote. Currently, raising taxes requires the approval of two-thirds of the legislature, effectively giving veto power over taxes to the Republican minority. If Mr. Schwarzenegger should win, there could be another outcome. He has complained that Californians are overtaxed but has not ruled out new taxes. If Mr. Schwarzenegger were elected with a broad base of support that extended beyond Republicans, he might be able to persuade enough Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature that a tax increase was the only way out. Mr. Schwarzenegger's aides don't like to talk about that possibility. But there would be ample historical precedent. As governor, both Pete Wilson, who is a chairman of Mr. Schwarzenegger's campaign, and Mr. Reagan, who is one of Mr. Schwarzenegger's political idols, presided over some of the biggest tax increases in California history. ------------------- This particular measure is crafted differently--more intelligently--than measures passed by Californians in the past. But this article gives a good idea of the problems any governor of California, democrat or republican, will have to confront--having to balance the budget with one hand tied behind your back.
Poll: Davis in peril, Schwarzenegger strongman Sunday, September 28, 2003 Posted: 12:31 PM EDT (1631 GMT) LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Voters in the California recall election might be poised to kick Gov. Gray Davis out and vote Republican Arnold Schwarznegger in, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Sunday. When asked how they they would vote on recalling Davis, 63 percent of probable voters said they would vote yes, compared with 35 percent who would vote no. In a separate vote to choose a replacement for Davis, Schwarzenegger was the choice of 40 percent of respondents. Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante was the choice for 25 percent of voters polled, Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock received 18 percent. The poll showed Green Party candidate Peter Camejo with 5 percent and syndicated columnist and independent candidate Arianna Huffington with 2 percent of the respondents' support. The poll of 787 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. It was conducted over three days from Thursday through Saturday, following Wednesday night's debate among the five leading replacement candidates. (Full story) The poll used a model for probable voters that assumes about half of the state's voting age population will vote on Election Day. If the poll is an indication of what will happen in the October 7 election, Schwarzenegger could win even if his remaining major Republican rival, McClintock, stays in the race. GOP leaders have been pressuring the senator to drop out to improve Schwarzenegger's chances of beating Bustamante, the only major Democrat in the field. Sunday's results are the first CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll numbers in the California recall campaign. Earlier polls conducted by other organizations have shown a much closer race between Schwarzenegger and Bustamante and less support for the recall. Schwarzenegger and Davis have been invited to debate on CNN's "Larry King Live." Davis, a Democrat who formally challenged the Republican actor-turned-politician to a debate Friday, accepted. The Schwarzenegger campaign declined. (Full story) Davis and Schwarzenegger are not running against each other. Voters will first be asked whether Davis should be recalled. They will then pick a replacement from a list of 135 candidates, including Schwarzenegger, who would take over if Davis were removed from office. The recall was triggered by voter anger over the state's economic and energy situation. A recent budget agreement between Democratic and Republican legislators in Sacramento eliminated the state's $38 billion deficit through cuts and borrowing, but it created an expected shortfall of at least $8 billion for the next fiscal year. A former candidate in the race, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, financed much of a successful petition campaign to allow the recall election. http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/28/recall.poll/index.html
So you and B-Bob think Davis really sucks, but would rather keep him in power for two more years? Are you sure this is not motivated by party preference (rather have a really bad governor from our preferred party than give someone from the other party the chance to do it better)?
Davis is awful, the recall is worse. As was pointed out in the debate there are already groups preparing to recall the winner of the recall, then I'm sure that person can be recalled as well. The process will go on and on. The recall makes elections meaningless.
No, (for me at least). I didn't even vote for Davis last time, but he was elected, and our state is no worse off than many others.* Please see FranchiseBlade's post above -- I agree with him. This recall makes our real elections unreal and meaningless. We can't afford this tomfoolery. * actually, the San Francisco chronicle reported a statistical comparison of California versus the nation's averages during the last few years. Davis scorecard.
