The governator won

[the_mask]

As the news told me this morning, when the radio blared into my ears, Arnie won the governor post.

 

Then later I saw it on Tv, the referee was holding a pair of fingers up and talked to two dismembered feet : "Davis, how many fingers am I holding up ?"

(Maybe I'm mixing something up with Mtv's Celebrity deathmatch )

 

Anyways, what do you think ? Is he up to the job, or not ?

[BoShek]

Where on earth do voters get the notion that it´s a good idea to elect an actor to do a politicians job ? It seems fame and connections are everything in american politics.

 

As the saying goes: Every people has the government they deserve (ours explicitely NOT excluded).

 

Anyone remember the "Schwarzenegger Presidential Library" joke in Demolition Man? Somehow this never struck me as especially unrealistic...

[R2-Opus2]

Actually I think this is closer to a lemming mentality. Not unlike all those other lemmings that feel they absolutely must go shopping the day after Thanksgiving, which incidentally, are the same lemmings that absolutely must return stuff the day after Xmas I think people were looking for a candidate who seemed the most charismatic, not whether or not they actually thought they could do a better job. If it wasn't charisma they were after, they just wanted someone different in office and they didn't care who.

 

Honestly I couldn't really tell at all what the previous Gov had done wrong, though I hadn't realized he served a complete term before last years election until last week. That's how much I give a crap about California's elections, I live in Maryland for chrissakes heh so I've been tuning out what's been going on. But like anything that comes off as a train wreck in the media...we have to watch it, cause frankly, they aren't going to show anything else even if you begged them.

[dinochick]

Anyone remember the "Schwarzenegger Presidential Library" joke in Demolition Man? Somehow this never struck me as especially unrealistic...

 

At lest we don't ever have to worry about that happeneing. Schwarzenegger (gee thats a mouthfull to type) can never be president of the United States, since he was not born here.

[Evaders99]

Basically: The result [of Davis's term] has been spending that has climbed 40% in four years, a $38 billion budget deficit, and business and energy costs that have caused tens of thousands to flee the state.

 

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110004126

 

Let's not get too debated here. He won, now its time to get things done.

[ElvisMiggell]

And to be fair, just because he's an actor, doesn't mean he won't be a deceent politician. Give him a chance i say.

[R2-Opus2]

True, time will tell if he'll be popular in the job as was his film buddy Ventura. Now that was a guy who fought an uphill battle. If he approaches his policies with an air of common sense the way Ventura did, I think he'll do alright. Course, whether or not his state legislature will go along with any of them is a different thing entirely.

 

If he's wise enough too to surround himself with decent advisors, he shouldn't look all that bad though politically speaking.

[BoShek]

At lest we don't ever have to worry about that happeneing. Schwarzenegger (gee thats a mouthfull to type) can never be president of the United States, since he was not born here.

 

But still the first politicians can be heard advocating a constitutional amendment to change just that ...

 

On a personal note I think that would be logical. Why should the presidency be restricted to people born in the US if the entire Union was created by immigrants ? Question is: can we really imagine a Pres. Schwarzenegger ?

 

But then : We got used to a President Reagan didn´t we ? (Though not to GWB, never that ...)

[ElvisMiggell]

Yeah, i think you should have to be a citizen, and have lived there for a decent amount of time. But to be born there? What about an Ambassadors child that was born in the countries hospital. Off American ground?

[Evaders99]

Yes, you have to be born on US soil. That includes American bases around the world. If they are born in a hospital off American grounds, they cannot be POTUS.

[ElvisMiggell]

Isn't that a bit odd? Or do Embassies have their own hospitals?

[Evaders99]

Just don't have pregnant ambassadors Of course, if their parents are American, they are American.. so it really doesn't matter too much, unless they really really want to be POTUS. To paraphrase someone, "He who desires such power should not be given such power."

[masterjojobinks]

A United States Embassy and United States Military Base are considered US soil. I was in the Army when my son was born. He was born in a German Hospital. He can not be the President of the United States. If he had been born on base he could have been. To answer you question most US embassies do have a small medical staff.

[Jahled]

Just an observation I picked up from the BBC tonight, but who voted for Arnie? The electrate or the audiance?

[ElvisMiggell]

Good point, well made!

[R2-Opus2]

I don't see what the big deal is, I mean sure, maybe he couldn't be president, but he can still go as high as senator. I'm not to sure if he could be Speaker of the House for instance, since that is part of the higher chain of command (i.e. if the pres and vice pres were out of the picture for some reason, I think that's the next highest office holder that can assume the role).

 

Its been a long time since my civics lessons, so I might not have that right about the speaker (maybe its Chief of State after pres and vice pres, I dunno)

 

Anyway, the reason I don't think that's such a bad law is cause they can still get positions that have plenty of influence on the office of the presidency. Governor is not too shabby a position, but better still would be a member of Congress if he chose to go that high.

[Evaders99]

As I can find, this recall election was controlled by the electorate (read: people) of California, not any form of representatives.

 

It is each state's right to determine their own election procedures. It is mainly the Presidential election that requires the voters to get electoral votes to the college for state.

 

I don't really see a problem with this election. All governments need to be held accountable. Though Davis himself may not have been the problem, hopefully this will spur some people to work on fixing the problems in California.

 

http://vote2003.ss.ca.gov/Returns/recall/mapN4.htm

 

Even as highly liberal as California, the majority voted for the recall. There were many people unsatified with the Davis, and so by California's laws, they had the right to recall him. That's our government for you... inefficient but still better than the dictorial regimes around the world

[R2-Opus2]

Well while I think their recall procedures are a bit whacky, I'll say this for it. At least its one way to impose a term limit on someone they feel is ineffectual. The only other way is to impeach them when they've abused their office but this wasn't one of those occasions.

 

I think its strange sometimes on some issues. You won't find politicians voting in some term limit rules any time soon, but you'll sure as heck see them vote themselves raises without taking it to the people first (I don't know what that issue has been like per state, just in reference to Congress a few years back).

[ElvisMiggell]

My point still stands as a matter of principle. If i happened to be born in Ffrancee because my parents were on holiday, and was told i couldn't be the PM because of that, i'd be pretty peeved. If my parents had gotten home a day or two earlier i could've been born in GB. Hypothetical ituation, but it then seems even worse if it's happened because your parents were abroad serving your countrty. Because then you're being penalised for your parents doing a patriotic duty!

[R2-Opus2]

Well its about sovereignty, and what lands by extention include that, such as bases, embassys and the like, that grant you those rights.

 

What I'd be curious to wonder though if there is any nation for instance, that does not recognize like the US does for instance, that being born here makes them a citizen. i.e. If I had been born to American parents in Saudi Arabia and that country didn't count me as one of their citizens...would that put me in some kind of non-citizen lymbo?

[ElvisMiggell]

What's the situation rearding those born over or on international waters?

[Evaders99]

I'm assuming if its an American ship, its American ground.

 

Err R2-Opus2, if they were born to American parents, they would be American, period.

 

And ElvisMiggell, why would you want to be PM anyway? Have some desire for political power?

[Jahled]

And ElvisMiggell, why would you want to be PM anyway? Have some desire for political power?

 

I certainly hope so, given some of the political sagas we've all gone through, I'd say Elvis has impressed me the most with his composure and level headed stances, when others around him have been loosing the plot big time... ( )

 

Hopefully when he's done with his flying extremely fast in extremely fast planes bit I doubt him not of being capable of doing, given he's just signed up for water polo as a 'leisure activity,' (ARE YOU WITH REALITY BROTHER? ), he has made a lot more compassionate yet objective sense than the choices of mob running my life in the UK at least.

 

Just my view. And just think, we all got to tease him here!

[ElvisMiggell]

Hmmmm, got a few skeletons in my closet though. One's that could potentially cause problems. It's something i would have to think about before saying no. Not sure who i'd run for though.