In retrospect...

the Wisconsin recall election might've swung in favor of the democrats if they had nominated an Arnold Schwarzenegger type, someone who could self finance with high name recognition and no real political record.

Someone who could have as a consequence gone after Scott Walker from a different angle, perhaps someone from out the ranks of professional sports, who can say?

I know that sounds awfully mercenary, and I hate to promote a culture of disposable politicians, but sometimes renominating the same candidate and expecting a different outcome is the height of folly.

California Uber Alles?

Let us see now, California is FORTY BILLION BUCKS in the hole, the state legislatures is chasing it's own tail...ardently....bureaucratic lay offs and furloughs...building projects rust in the bright pacific sunshine and the list goes on and on.
Where is all the glitzy hope and optimism that attended Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's seizure of power in 2003?
It is the nature of the coup d'etat that they engender buyer's remorse....Arnie is no different than any other bombastic banana republic dingbat on horseback....Juan Peron and Ferdinand Marcos both suffered the same fate.
Of course, Gray Davis got ousted from the Governorship in a "recall election" for a bill of particulars not half so terrifying as ones Schwarzenegger has rung up so when is Arnie gonna get recalled??
And if he does I say the dems get behind Vin Diesel or maybe Bruce Campbell as their candidate.
That is if a ticket of Bill Goldberg and Duane "The Rock" Johnson could not be arranged.
Failing that maybe we should all consider an amicable separation from California...set em' up as a satellite republic with appropriate defense guarantees and let the global free market work it's magic...think of Finland but with desert scenery.
Otherwise the rest of us will have to save these bggers and I dunno, is it really worth it?

California Notes...

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after much hemming & hawing came out against a proposed anti-SSM ballot initiative, the local wowsers all screamed like stuck babcon and vowed to do awful evil things to him post-haste.
Schwarzenegger is still listlessly talking up repealing "no foreign born citizens" requirement to the Presidency, but you can tell the wind has gone out of his political sails. I mean does Orrin Hatch even call him anymore?
Arnold looks old and tired, coping with the recession sired by his pal George Bush must take up a good sixteen hours of his day.
A mere two years ago the man was the GOP's best hope going forward...now he is a hack and worse a hack caught between witchburners and small gummint fanatics.
He tried governing as a conservative, that gat no heat now he is discovering that the GOP centre is pretty stony ground all of itself.
So be it, the man seized power in a legal coup engineered by the late Enron Corp, he should have problems.