As California goes, so goes the country, they used to say. Well, yikes.
Golden State, an
n+1 piece by Nikil Saval, presents a bleak picture of paralysis and conflicted interests that has rendered "The Bellwether State" all but inoperable. (via Arts & Letters Daily)
posted by Trochanter
on Feb 13, 2011 -
97 comments
Yummy avocados. So delicious...so contentious...and at times...so expensive. Why have prices in the U.S., particularly California, been so high? And why have they dropped? Weather and a bad crop? Or are the causes often more insidious? A
one act play sums up one perspective on the situation.
[more inside]
posted by thisperon
on Feb 23, 2010 -
70 comments
Carly Fiorina, perhaps best known as the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is attempting to become the Republican candidate for Barbara Boxer's long-time Senate seat. But her nomination isn't sewed up yet; her potential GOP challenger is former Congressman and Stanford Law professor
Tom Campbell. So earlier today, Fiorina's campaign released
this political attack ad against Campbell. It features her newly-minted acronym
"FCINO", it's about six times longer than most political ads, it makes copious use of stock photography, and it stars demon sheep with red glowing eyes. Wait,
what?
posted by Asparagirl
on Feb 3, 2010 -
155 comments
Congressman dies of rare disease Congressman Bob Matsui, who was recently elected to a 14th term in Congress, has died due to a rare stem cell disease. Matsui, who was one of the leading opponents of President Bush's plan to eliminate Social Security, was the ranking Democrat on the Congressional subcommittee on Social Security.
posted by expriest
on Jan 2, 2005 -
26 comments
"I will hire an outside independent auditor, free of political influence..." Schwarzenegger breaks promise to Californians, hires Donna Arduin to head the 60-day audit of California. Arduin is "on loan" from Florida, where she is Jeb Bush's Budget director.
Arduin has been
criticized by economists and even
prominent Florida republicans for "surreal",misleading, unrealistic, and risky accounting procedures.
During her stint as Budget Director, Ms. Arduin oversaw numerous tax cuts aimed at the wealthiest Floridians, while most Floridians saw no significant decrease in taxes. Infact, today Florida has the
second most regressive taxes in the nation.The effects of these tax cuts? Unprecidented shortfalls in state tax revenues, with
massive budget cuts for public schools,
universities,
child welfare,
vision services for uninsured children, etc.
Class warfare, anyone?!
posted by insomnia_lj
on Oct 9, 2003 -
65 comments
The Cali candidates, Adam to Zellhoefer, are all listed at California-Recall.com ...and each gets their own page to tell you about themselves. Interesting lesser-known candidates include:
Angelyne ("I'm EXTRA large on top, I have a TINY waist, and my hips are JUST RIGHT!"),
Joel Britton, "retired meat packer,"
Art Brown - "I started for publicity, but now that I'm running, I kind of want to run" (such enthusiasm!),
William Chambers, "railroad switchman/brakeman,"
Mary Cook, an "adult film actress" who wants to tax breast implants and wire the Governor’s Mansion with live web cams ("We've had Brown, we've tried Gray, now it's time for some blonde").
Then there's
Michael Jackson (no, not that one; this guy's a Satellite Payload Project Manager),
Trek Thunder Kelly, "Business Executive/Artist,"
Paul "Chip" Mailander, "Golf Professional," and
Paul Mariano - "I am the only candidate who will appoint Davis as Chief of Staff in charge of the day-to-day governance of California, the job he was duly elected to do." And many more...
posted by Artifice_Eternity
on Oct 1, 2003 -
11 comments
The Gropenator will have to spin his wheels for awhile:
California's Vote Delayed by Court Over Punch Cards. And here's the kicker--it's deja vu all over again, Bizarro stylee:
Bush v. Gore Outlives Its Limited Warranty for Use in CaliforniaThe Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore was meant to be a ticket good for one ride.
"Our consideration is limited to the present circumstances," the justices said in their unsigned opinion in 2000, "for the problem of equal protection in election processes generally presents many complexities."
Three judges on the federal appeals court in San Francisco, all appointed by Democratic presidents, decided yesterday to use it for another ride anyway.
posted by y2karl
on Sep 15, 2003 -
8 comments
What about Blinky? (Link to PDF) CA Governor's candidate Bill Simon is taking an interesting approach in his campaign to appeal to a generation... a generation of Simpson fans. In this PDF, he compares incumbent Grey Davis to Mr. Burns... and how Blinky brought down Mr. Burns' campaign.
posted by darian
on Aug 1, 2002 -
13 comments
Boycott Berkeley , in the wake of the extreme leftist views expressed by the inhabitants of the California town, some are calling for the boycott of the boycotters. I find this ironic and extremely funny. If Berkeley doesn't want to support the US then the US shouldn't support them. (Via OpinionJournal)
posted by dancu
on Oct 22, 2001 -
60 comments
Hey Bay Area Nader fans --
get your tickets! (if you haven't already) -- 6:30 PM today at the Kaiser Arena in Oakland: the
only California Super Rally, featuring Cornel West, Medea Benjamin, Danny Glover, Jello Biafra, Patti Smith, Tom Tomorrow, and other surprise guests! For those who can't make it there will be a
Live Webcast available at
votenader.org.
posted by johnb
on Oct 21, 2000 -
3 comments
Get the petition. They need one million signatures before April 20 to get it back on the November ballot. If you're in California, print out the petition and start drumming up support today. It's not so often you get a second chance like this. Show the country that California does indeed, rock.
posted by veruca
on Mar 20, 2000 -
9 comments
