Just last night, a friend and I were discussing the weirdly open nature of the California governorship in the post-Arnold era. The question of whether or not Jerry Brown was eligible to run again came up. It seems that he is and that he just might take the plunge.
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Back in Brown
22 Sep 2007 06:21 pm
Comments (10)
The expected Democratic candidate in 2010 was expected to be LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, but his messy divorce and affair with a local anchorwoman may get in the way.
Although nearly all the state office holders are Dems, and Dems control the legislature, except from Brown they are virtually unknown. In a state of nearly 40 million people - not that much less than the UK, Spain, France or Italy - none of the LA or San Francisco TV stations has a bureau in the state capital. The coverage of state politics except around elections is non-existent. Even a "star" like AS hasn't changed that.
And the House members are basically only known in their districts. The GOP ones are mainly far right and/or corrupt (and then there's David Dreier, who is gay and barely closeted). It is possible that faced with GOP minority and potential Dem president one of them might figure what do they have to lose. But chances are the Dem candidate wins next time once things get sorted out.
Maybe Maria Shriver will run. Hmmm - just thought of that. Who knows? (She's a Dem of course).
Linus-
I was actually going to post that exact same link(but I figured I'd already commented enough here today.) Great minds think alike.
Spare us Jerry Brown. I'm a conditioned reflex Democrat, but Brown was a terrible governor, and more recently, an ineffectual mayor of Oakland. Remember his excuse for keeping the University of California faculty on short rations? They derived plenty of "psychic income?"
Villaragosa might still be viable, or Fabian Nunez, speaker of the State Senate...but please, not Gov. Moonbeam redux.
The Democratic majority in the state legislature might be so entrenched that Californians may be deliberately electing moderate Republicans to keep an eye on them. We've seen this happen in other states.I would expect the post-Arnold governor to be another Republican moderate, perhaps another celebrity, or a Democrat at odds with the party establishment and with few ties to the legislature.
This in fact does get Brown an edge. But AS seems to be popular. How long does he want to be Governor? He is still constitutionally ineligible to run for higher executive office.
They are afraid of risk and that fear drives their behaviour?
Well we already knew they were cowards, how about why they don't work to make the Repugnicons pay for their votes, why they allow stealth filibusters that make it harder for Repugnicons to be blamed for their votes?
But AS seems to be popular. How long does he want to be Governor?
I'm imagining until second his term ends in 2010 and he's ineligible to run for another.
Bah, move that "his".
Linus,
That dead Kennedy link is funny because of the singer's haircut. It look exactly like the kind I see every day at work or the gym. Which is curious because video is from 1979, shouldn't there be sideburns or something?
California is too damn big. Split it up, Uncle Sam has already helpfully divided it into four federal judicial district. Just take that map and get rolling with it (though I'd switch San Bernardino and Riverside counties to the Southern District).
http://www.fedstats.gov/mapstats/fjd/06fjd.html
Villaraigosa's affair hasn't changed a whole lot. Before it broke, Vilaraigosa would have been the front-runner to succeed Arnold as Governor -- unless Jerry Brown decided to get in. Brown has vastly superior access to money and attention; Antonio was a rising star, and though his trajectory was more exciting than Brown's, Brown was simply at a higher place.
Now Antonio's trajectory can't run on excitement any more. He has a couple of years to get some things done to make him a contender. He's slightly more of an underdog if Brown gets in, and he's the frontrunner by a slightly lower margin if Brown stays out, but the underlying dynamic is still mostly the same.
Comments closed October 06, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
Soon he will be president.
Posted by Linus | September 22, 2007 6:38 PM