News
Briefly
Calendar of Events
Commentary
Opinions
Sports
Diversions
World News
Login
Letter Submission
Search
Archive
Publishing Policy
Classifieds
Mail Subscriptions
St. Cloud State University
College Publisher
Home
>
Commentary
Schwarzenneger plagues politics
Published:
Thursday, October 9, 2003
We don't know how many of you were surprised by Arnold Schwarzenneger winning in California. Most of us probably expected it given all of the hype surrounding his campaign. We didn't really know what he stood for, but we knew he was running. And that was all that mattered.
Maybe the election of a movie star to the seat of governor represents a lack of hope on the part of the people in California. Vote for a man whose biggest experience in life has been playing robots fighting for a future yet unwritten.
That's what California faces now: a future yet unwritten. Maybe Arnold will help that future, or harm it. No one will know anytime soon. It's possible that this whole recall situation is a representation of the American people's lack of faith in politicians. Maybe this will send a wake-up call to other officials in office.
It's hard to screw things up more than they are screwed up in California. The state, long known for being probably the most eccentric of the 50 states, has been through a spate of trouble over the past few years. Energy companies, after being de-regulated by the government, started charging more for power, leading to blackouts around the state and news attention around the world. California's economy, the fifth largest in the world, has also seen better days.
So maybe in retrospect, the decision to get rid of a governor who is obviously not doing his job makes sense. But turning the recall into a circus? That takes away from the seriousness of the event. That's democracy in action. Only in America could everyone from Larry Flint to Gary Coleman apply to run as a candidate in a race for governor.
This event is another embarrassment to the democratic process. With the 2000 elections still fresh in our minds, this latest farce is just another indication of how our system might not be working quite as it should be.
Americans love novelty.
From cell phones that take pictures to Joe Millionaire, we like what is different, or at least untried. Maybe that's why this race got so much attention. It was different and had all of the characters for a decent sitcom (maybe just one season). There was the famous actor, the porn star, the former child star, even the paralyzed smut-hustler in a wheel chair.
It makes for good entertainment, but not for good government.
Forum:
No comments have been posted for this story.
Post a comment
Privacy Policy
Network Advertising
Article Syndication
