The inference on rotten.com's part that Arnold is somehow a nazi by association should be taken for what it is, a fish that is clearly out of water. Rotten.com does movies very well and is a riot, but I wouldn't mistake it as a reliable source of insightful political commentary.

In my biography it will say that my father was a welder in a steelworkers' union. Very likely it will also say that I was not, though it may try to use that information byte for an angle on my life. I do not weld, and there are no unions for fiddlefarts. However, if unions are ever outlawed in this country and there is a Stalinist purge, I suppose I should probably expect to find myself burned at the stake for being guilty by association of birth or for who I choose as my friends.

What did your father do? Who are your friends? What does that make you? Not your father. Not your friends.

Let's be honest. Californians didn't have much of a choice. This is a common mechanism in politics causing outcomes that defy explanation otherwise. There are unpopular Prime Ministers and Presidents around the world who stay in power and others who assume power because of this same mechanism. Is someone like Jacques Chirac really all that popular in France or does he stay in power because he there is no clear better alternative? Other than the hollywood aspect, this recall election in California is no purely American phenomenon.

Looking at the (short) list of candidates those poor kids had...

McClintock: true conservative. far too right of the California center left. not a snowball's chance in hell. should probably move to florida.

Bustamante: right in line politically with most Californians but not seen as particularly, shall we say, honest. looked upon as a sleazy opportunist. the kind of candidate that if you go to the polls and vote for him, takes at least three martinis to wash down.

Gray Davis: spineless. the personality of wet concrete. not seen as having a clear vision. victim mentality. tries to please everybody and ends up pleasing no one. should probably move to vermont.

Arnold: his wife is a kennedy. she does the speaking and the campaigning and rallies people. she presents the vision. he says as little as possible. he promises to do something about...something. people think they're really getting a centrist democrat. the marriage between Maria and Arnold has worked this long, California ought to be a cinch. they seem like a good team. it's a two for one deal.

Huffington, Gary Coleman, various adult film stars, etc: C'mon, give Californians *some* credit!

In a real elections with primaries and the like, a candidate like Arnold would have never made it out of the primaries with the Republican nomination. The conservatives have a death grip on that party, and they would see to it that there man (McClintock) was there at the end. Look at what they did to McCain in South Carolina when he was running against Bush the Lesser for the Republican nomination in '00. Party politics are rough and tumble.

However, in a short race with no primaries and no chance for the parties or the media to control the process and who people may choose between, personality wins out. Two candidates had personality, but one had more character issues than the other, and surprisingly that person wasn't Arnold. Seems Arnold has some great character witnesses, people who know him and his wife and speak up for him, her and their marriage *unequivocably*. In the short term, without enough time for the media to fuck with first impressions, that goes further with people than obvious last minute smear attempts (i.e. his father was a nazi and he gropes women) by people hiding behind anonymity.

will the constitution be changed to allow foreign born Presidents? no. it's too difficult. we have our founding fathers for to thank for that. the constitution is a wonderful document. will people continue to try to change the constitution in an effort to strategize the future of their parties and leverage the star power of certain foreign-born candidates? of course. both parties have candidates affected by the law and there's an element in both parties at work trying to change things. keeps them busy. good for them.

is this a marriage of the Entertainment Industry and the Political Machine? i doubt it, although if there is some good investigative journalism that shows otherwise, i'd like to read it. besides, hasn't the marriage already taken place? we'll see. maybe with his knowledge of the industry, he can reverse that trend? the initial appearance is that Arnold isn't slavishly beholden to the industry that made him. after all, he ran on a platform, if the concept applies, against special interests. Arnold hasn't even worked with congress yet, and they hold the power of the purse. he is just a governor, after all. his job is just to make sure other people do theirs. he sets priorities. wish i felt like we had some clear ones in iraq. it's not rocket science. he's put together a team to help him settle in. i'm sure he'll do fine. if anything, i think this recall election proves one thing. shit happens.