Former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, whom I voted against in the first ever election I got to vote in, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison. Considering how popular the Dukester was in his day, I kinda doubt his seat is ever going to a Democrat; that region of San Diego is pretty exclusively servicepeople and their families. It's a very conservative area. But at least now the greater North County region won't be represented by such a clownishly corrupt congressman. Maybe. Or maybe the state GOP will pull another blowhard out of its hat.
It's astounding how California's Republican Party manages to do so poorly when the national Republicans are doing so well. You'd think they'd learn how to compete, like Republicans do here in the Northeast and like Democrats do in the South. But no, they keep investing political capital in unlikeable far-right conservatives and eccentric dot-com billionaire libertarians. Yes, I know the governor's a Republican right now, but that's only because he got to bypass a primary. Does anyone honestly think that, if given the opportunity, the California GOP wouldn't have traded Schwarzenegger in for some magic beans?
This is a really dorky thing to say, but California's goofball politics are one of the reasons I wanted to get out of the state. Between the initiative system, the Republicans' incompetence, the Democrats' corruption, the unworkable Prop 13 taxation system, the hamtied budget process, and a strict term limit system that ensures that noone involved in elective state government has the time to learn to do their job well, it seemed like the whole thing was heading in a very bad direction. I've calmed down a bit now, but I'm still cautious about the Golden State. I'd lay better-than-even odds that there's going to be a massive fiscal and governmental crisis the next time there's an economic downturn. I'd prefer not to go back until at least something on the above list gets fixed. Preferrably the initiative system, but I'd settle for just deep sixing Prop 13.
