GOVERNOR
I don't think I've ever been as conflicted between two GOP candidates as I have been on this one. The choice is between Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO who rarely ever participated in the political system by voting and hasn't held elective office before, and Steve Poizner, the current Insurance Commissioner and former Silicon Valley businessman. I met Poizner at a small campaign event on May 8th, and while he talks a good game, there's a deal killer in his background that's going to be a problem.
Many conservatives are concerned that Whitman will be another version of the Governator, someone who's never been in elective office and will cave to the left when the pressure's on. I don't know if that't true or not. It is true that she's the candidate the Dems are most afraid of. Right now Democrat organizations are pouring money into pro-Poizner ads, not because they like his politics, but because they think he'll be easier for Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown to beat in November. That's a big concern because California cannot afford a liberal legislature and Jerry Brown as governor. Meg may not be Ronald Reagan, but if she can beat Brown we're still ahead of the game.
The deal killer I mentioned before is Poizner's support for Al Gore in 2000 and his contributions to the Florida recount. That to me is the unpardonable sin. I don't care what he's saying today, anyone who worked to overturn the election results in Florida 2000 is not going to get my support.
Therefore, the HolyCoast pick for Governor: MEG WHITMAN
SENATE - GOP
This is another tough race with three candidates: Carly Fiorina, Chuck DeVore and Tom Campbell. I can write Campbell out of the equation immediately because of his continuous support for higher taxes and bigger government. Classic RINO. We've already got a liberal in office, the GOP doesn't need to send another one. Polls suggest he's the only one that can beat Boxer, but I think that will change after the primary.
Carly Fiorina's past somewhat matches Meg Whitmans - CEO of big business who rarely even voted. Her politics are somewhat unknown - there's fear she could be another RINO masquerading as a conservative. Hard to say, but given that her general election opponent Barbara "Dumb-as-a-Box-of-Rocks" Boxer is borderline communist, even a mystery guest would be an improvement.
Chuck DeVore is the classic conservative, hitting all the right issues. He also can't win. He's trailing Fiorina by a huge margin and would probably trail Boxer by even more. While my heart supports DeVore, it would be a guaranteed loser in November.
Therefore, the HolyCoast pick for Senator on the GOP ticket: CARLY FIORINA
SENATOR - DEM
I have no interest in seeing a Democrat elected Senator again, but Boxer does have an opponent in the primary that she and the media have tried hard to ignore - journalist Mickey Kaus. Mickey's a smart guy and certainly far more centrist than Boxer. That's why I'm going to make a Dem pick.
The HolyCoast pick for Senator on the DEM ticket: MICKEY KAUS
Some of the rest of these I'll do quickly:
The HolyCoast pick for Lt. Governor: SAM AANESTAD
The HolyCoast pick for Secretary Of State: DAMON DUNN
The HolyCoast pick for Controller: TONY STRICKLAND
The HolyCoast pick for Treasurer: MIMI WALTERS
The HolyCoast pick for Attorney General: JOHN EASTMAN
The HolyCoast pick for Insurance Commissioner: MIKE VILLINES BRIAN FITZGERALD
I took another look after I was reminded of Villines' role in pushing a huge tax increase.
I took another look after I was reminded of Villines' role in pushing a huge tax increase.
The HolyCoast pick for Congress, 42nd District: GARY MILLER LEO MCGROARTY This and comments below, changed my mind.
The HolyCoast pick for School Superintendent: LARRY ACEVES
The HolyCoast pick for Orange County Sheriff: BILL HUNT
CALIFORNIA BALLOT PROPOSITION
As always there are a bunch of contentious ballot propositions in this primary:
PROPOSITION 13 - YES
Just seems like a good idea.
PROPOSITION 14 - NO, NO, A THOUSAND TIMES NO!!
This measure was put on the ballot by the governor and legislature to buy off Abel Maldonado's vote for a huge tax increase. Maldonado is a moderate who can't win a statewide GOP primary against a conservative opponent, so he demanded an open primary initiative to give him a chance to one day become governor.
This measure does away with party-only primaries. Instead of each party choosing a candidate for the general election from their party, all candidates from all parties will be lumped together in one primary with only the top two vote getters going on to the general. This is being sold to Californians as a way to "fix Sacramento", and "increase participation" but will in fact eliminate all the minor parties from the general election and may leave the voters with choices in some races between two members of the same party. The law also allows candidates to hide their party affiliation on the primary ballot so you may not even know which party a candidate supports. There's more info here. Conservatives and liberals should be equally angry about this since this measure attempts to marginalize anyone who's not a moderate, and members of third parties, such as Libertarians, Green, Peace and Freedom, Constitution...etc. must realize they will never again see a member of their party on the general election ballot if this passes.
PROPOSITION 15 -
NO, NO, A THOUSAND TIMES NO!!
This measure would take your tax dollars and use them to fund political campaigns in California. No thanks.
PROPOSITION 16 - NO
The electricity companies seem to be pouring an awful lot of money into supporting this thing. That makes me suspicious of their motives.
PROPOSITION 17 - NO
Looks like a disguised insurance rate hike to me.
CITY OF MISSION VIEJO MEASURE D - YES
This measure would take the responsibility from major zoning changes away from the City Council and give it to the voters. While I have a friend on the City Council who opposes this measure, I have to support it. I believe it's the best way to remove the influence of developers who would transform parcels in our fine city into high density apartments or other housing that would increase traffic and possibly crime rates. This city was master planned very well and I don't want developer money screwing that up.
There you have it. Don't forget to vote on June 8.
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6 comments:
I pretty much agree with all your picks except for Gary Miller. He voted for all the bailouts in congress. He is under investigation, is running a very dirty campaign, and is one of those incumbents with a sense of entitlement who needs to go. I'll be voting for Lee McGroarty ( http://mcgroartyforcongress.com/main.html)
Thank you for your confidence in recommending me to your friends...I appreciate it! Sen. Sam Aanestad, candidate for Lt. Gov.
Rick.
At least you have all of the Ballot measures correctly selected.
I am sitting on a blog story that deals with the dilemna that many Republicans are facing this cycle. Do you vote your personal preferences based on both fiscal and family values or do you bail out and support those with the deepest pockets whom pundits feel have the best shot in Nov?
We disagree on the two top picks but that's what great about bloggers. We can all agree to disagree and make a case for either side.
And NO, you are recommending turncoat Mike Villines. That's a major disappointment.
Best regards,
Larry
One other disagreement.
I have recommended Lee McGroarty for Congress in the 42nd CD.
Gary stopped to shake hands at the MV Memorial Day Services yesterday knowing that I am not happy with his recent voting and my refusal to sign his nominating papers for the first time in years.
I had no idea Poizner had supported Al Gore and the attempts to undo the election. We're really caught between a rock and a hard place. I can't believe a state as big as CA can't produce better candidates. But maybe the state's size -- and the need for money to cover it all -- is part of the problem.
Best wishes,
Laura
Note to Bob and Larry: You've convinced me that Gary Miller should not be re-elected. I'm switching to McGroarty. Thanks.
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