• California,  California Budget,  California Governor 2010,  Jerry Brown

    Is California Decline Real or Just Right-Wing Propaganda?

    November 30, 2010 /

    Graphic Courtesy of Sacramento Bee

    As the graphic above so clearly demonstrates, California has changed dramatically since Jerry Brown (the Governor-elect) was first elected California Governor in the 1970’s. Now, there is a sense that California is in a state of decline with massive budget deficits, high real estate prices and large numbers of unemployed denizens.

    Today, Tim Cavanaugh over at Reason has a piece that aptly makes the point that the California Decline is real and not just hot air spewed forth by conservative pundits who are smarting for the recent shellacking of the GOP in the recent elections.

    Any column about California that gets thumbs up from both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown is cause for deep suspicion, and in the case of Market MarketWatch columnist Brett Arends’ sustained defense of California, the suspicion is justified.

    Arends’ thesis is that a cabal of rightwing pundits are manufacturing the story of the Golden State’s economic troubles. He makes some points that are true: California pays out more than it receives in federal funding; the state’s $2 trillion economy is the eighth largest in the world; and housing is way too expensive. (Arends conspicuously avoids looking at some of the reasons behind that last problem.)

    Does this mean all the grim forecasts you hear about the Golden State (most emphatically from Gov.-elect Brown, though Arends says critics of Californianomics are motivated by animus toward the incoming third-termer) are bogus? Only if you’re really willing to cherry pick your data.

    Read the entire piece.

    There is little doubt that California is hurting big time, too many people are out of work and prospects for a quick turn around as in the 1980’s and 1990’s are not promising. So, what will the Democrats who control the legislature and every statewide constitutional offices do?

    Well, they have two choices – either cut state spending or declare bankruptcy and beg for a federal government bailout. 

    Neither option looks forthcoming, so California will muddle along, but decline nonetheless. I believe it is called attrition.

  • California Governor 2010,  Gavin Newsom

    San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Announces for California Governor Race in 2010

    April 21, 2009 /


    Gavin Newsom made it official today.

    San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is no longer flirting with a run for governor of California — he’s officially in.

    The 41-year old mayor announced his bid through Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, a sign the mayor intends to make his next-generation appeal a centerpiece of the 2010 campaign.

    “I’m a candidate for governor of California because I know we can do better,” Newsom says looking straight into the camera in his YouTube announcement video.

    The two-term mayor will tour Facebook’s headquarters later this afternoon. Newsom has already being “followed” on Twitter by nearly 275,000 people as he has been criss-crossing the state for townhall-style meetings in the last few months. His campaign hopes his new media announcement will directly reach a half-million people by the day’s end.

    Look for Newsom to have a difficult Democratic Party primary campaign against California Attorney General Jerry Brown (also a former California Governor) and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

    This campaign will be costly and brutal.

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  • California Governor 2010,  Meg Whitman,  Steve Poizner,  Tom Campbell

    Poll Watch: Meg Whitman Leading in California GOP Governor’s Race

    March 5, 2009 /
    Meg whitman feb 17 2009

    Meg Whitman, a likely candidate for California governor, speaks in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009. The former eBay chief executive stressed her goals of job creation and limited government

    The latest Field Poll in California has former e-Bay CEO Meg Whitman leading the Republican Field (298 Republican Primary voters sampled).

    • Whitman: 21 percent
    • Campbell: 18 percent
    • Poizner: 7 percent
    • Undecided: 54 percent

    Here are screenshots of the poll details:

    gop-governors-poll
    ca-gop-gov-poll-2

    ca-gop-governors-poll-3

    It is very early in this race and Whitman’s lead is not commanding with a whopping 54 per cent of California Republican voters undecided.

    Let the campaigning begin…….

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  • Arnold Schwarzenegger,  California Budget,  California Governor 2010,  Meg Whitman,  Steve Poizner

    California Budget Pandering and Math 101 – Do Poizner and Whitman Have the Right Stuff?

    February 22, 2009 /
    Meg Whitman feb 17 b

    Meg Whitman, a likely candidate for California governor, speaks in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009. The former eBay chief executive stressed her goals of job creation and limited government

    Dan Walters has a piece this morning that makes it nauseatingly clear – Both the LEFT and RIGHT are pandering to California’s chronic structural deficit problems and offer little in solutions:

    Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who often utters fact-challenged pronouncements, told the simple truth about the state’s budget deficit just before the Legislature adopted billions of dollars in new taxes, spending cuts and loans to close the gap, to wit:

    “Anyone that runs around, I think, and says that this can be done without raising taxes, I think has not really looked at it carefully to understand this budget or has a math problem and has to get back, as I said, and take Math 101.”

    Given the hyperventilation we’ve seen in the last few days, this state must have lots of innumerate people.

    Governor Schwarzenegger replaced former Democrat Governor Gray Davis via recall because of his California budget failures and increasing tax burden. Arnold has done little over the past six years except bloviate about post-partisan politics, global warming and accept every increase in spending the California Legislature delivers to him. The Governator has failed.

    California needs fiscal leadership and budget reform with a specific plan – not pandering.

    California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former e-Bay CEO Meg Whiman, both Republican candidates for Governor should direct their energies towards solving California’s problems and leave the political hyperbolic pandering to John and Ken. Both bloviated at this weekend’s California Republican Party convention in Sacramento.

    Two wealthy Silicon Valley titans courted support for their 2010 gubernatorial campaigns Saturday before riled-up party activists angry over taxes, fed up with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and distrustful of moderate candidates.

    So state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner promised at a news conference that he would never raise taxes as governor.

    And former eBay CEO Meg Whitman carefully explained to more than 900 state party delegates why she registered as a decline-to-state voter from 1998 to 2007 before re-registering as Republican.

    She also apologized for “failing to vote on a number of occasions,” including in the 2003 recall election of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

    “They have things to prove to party activists,” said Republican political consultant Dave Gilliard of the top two GOP contenders to replace Schwarzenegger. “They have to give some red meat to demonstrate their commitment to Republican principles. Taxes will be the litmus test.”

    Time for leadership instead of “RED MEAT.” Time for a plan not a website.

    What is their excuse?

    Poizner-Not-Another

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  • California Governor 2010,  Peter Foy

    Ventura County Supervisor Peter Foy – A Credible Conservative GOP Candidate for California Governor?

    February 21, 2009 /
    PeterFoy

    Ventura County Supervisor and Businessman Peter Foy

    Yes, Supervisor Peter Foy is interested and has the conservative creds.

    Ventura County Supervisor and leader of a state anti-tax group is plotting a conservative challenge in the 2010 gubernatorial primary to deep-pocketed GOP moderates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner.

    In an interview, Peter Foy, state director for Americans for Prosperity, said the state party should have a strong conservative candidate and he may be just what it needs in the gubernatorial field.

    “There’s no question we need some leadership up in Sacramento,” Foy said at Friday night reception hosted by the anti-tax group at the state Republican convention in Sacramento. “I am thinking about it.”

    Foy, who has served on the Ventura board of supervisors since 2006, runs an insurance and employee benefits consulting business – Peter C. Foy and Associates – in Woodland Hills.

    Foy can wish and then hope for a split vote between Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner and Tom Campbell to win the GOP Governor’s Primary Election in June 2010.

    But…….

    Foy’s name recognition statewide is zero and he is NOT a billionaire like Whitman and Poizner. So, despite his position on conservative issues, his chance to win is not very likely.

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