Governator.

I just saw an interview with Arnold Swartzenneger (sp?) on This Week with George Stefanopoulos (sp?).

I had the opportunity to vote in the special referendum election in Calfornia. The two referendums were: 1) should Gov. Gray Davis be removed in accordance with the iniative proposed? 2) if removed, who should be governor in his place? I voted to keep Davis in office not because I thought he was so great but because I thought the iniative was unfair. 1.6 million people signed a referendum to remove a governor who was elected by ~14 million people. That's ridiculous. (Not too mention the $2 million referendum was funded by a Representative who had hoped to be the replacement governor candidate). However, if Gray were removed, I voted for my first (and only) Republican, Sen. McClintock. He was a pretty hard-edge conservative, but at the same, California is the place of Liberals Gone Wild. I saw it as balance. I love baby seals as much as the next guy, but not to the tune of underfunded education, no healthcare policy and labor union tyranny. (Wow, I just sounded like a Republican... "you can either save baby seals or healthcare and education... PICK ONE! You can't do both!") Not too mention, in the election, all the Democratic candidates were boobs anyhow. And Ah-nold just was not my type of candidate, and forget even addressing, the pornstars, actors and other know-nothings who decided to run.

Anyways, on This Week, I never thought I would say this, but the Governator gave off an image of sincerity and that he sort of had a clue. My bar is set pretty low, I guess. He was critical of the Bush Administration on Iraq, Katrina, immigration, healthcare and education. Would it be so bad to have a Republican candidate who is pro-choice, pro-civil union, pro-stem cell research (the bill he passed on this topic was visionary), anti-deportation of immigrants and capable of criticizing his own party when appropriate? I mean, he's certainly a Reagan Republican in the sense that he is a triumph of style over substance. But maybe that is what an executive politician should be. Leave the policy design to the think tanks.