The New York Times reported this lovely tidbit in response to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s victory yesterday in California:
Republicans asserted that the unseating of a Democratic governor in an overwhelmingly Democratic state was the latest phase in a realignment that began with last year's Congressional elections and would continue in 2004.
Democrats of course argued otherwise, noting that Gov. Gray Davis is extremely unpopular and Californians are just dumb enough to elect an inexperienced movie star as the state tumbles into an increasingly severe fiscal crisis.
Nevertheless, we must all be diligent about nipping in the bud this whole notion of a conservative realignment. California voters chose to limit state spending and then punished Gray Davis for not being able to staunch the bleeding from schools, police and social services. We are hard pressed to imagine what Arnold can do to solve the state’s myriad problems, particularly since he has yet to articulate a meaningful agenda.
In the real world, big problems can’t be solved with a gun or an orchestrated Hollywood ending.
