When I read things like this, my brain hurts

Bruce Walker at Men's News Daily writes :

And then there is another dimension to the Governor, one that becomes increasingly apparent as he governs. Arnold is very shrewd. He has political savvy, but more importantly, he knows how to hide that savvy, much like another Republican chief executive.

What the hell does this mean? Arnold has political savvy that he likes to hide from view for what purpose? Clearly the savviest thing to do was campaign for Governor by claiming you won't be fundraising all the time and then go out and fundraise everywhere. Calling nurses little more than a special interest group who's butts you're gonna kick was politically savvy. This, of course, was savvy gold for Arnold. Calling for a highly unpopular $40 million dollar special election is political savvy. Screwing teachers out of a $2 billion dollar promise... oh, you get the idea.

More Bruce:

As one example, the multiple initiative reforms which he has supported all have to do with reforming education or ending gerrymandering. These all may lose, but that will not damage the Governor at all: he is taking a clear position of change on issues that most Californians feel need to be changed, and, moreover, he is willing to be courageous in championing real change. While Democrats will doubtless pile on after those particular initiatives fail in November, the hangover for Democrats will be dreadful. Having opposed everything and supported nothing, they will be perceived as simply Sacramento polls.

Arnold is taking a clear position, yes, but it's clear that these positions are unpopular ones, and I would hardly call lengthening the time it takes teacher's to gain tenure a real education reform or something that Californians have been clamoring needs change.

By the way, if most Californians feel these issues need to be changed, wouldn't Arnold's initiatives to change them be doing a whole lot better?

His veto of same sex marriages on the grounds that the people of California cannot be trumped by the California Legislature both appeals to those who resent the insider game of Sacramento politics, but also it will quietly win over more enthusiastic support from social conservatives who, based upon the initiative squarely on this issue, constitute a huge though silent majority of Californians.

Except that's not true. Both the left and the right are upset with Arnold's veto on the same sex marriage bill for one reason or another. And while there was a "huge silent majority" (so silent, they all came out to vote, apparently) against same sex marriage in 2000 when Prop 22 passed, Californian's are now evenly split on the idea.

Bruce:

And now he has vetoed a bill by the Legislature which would have allowed illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses. Conventional political wisdom is that this will offend Hispanic voters, but Governor Richardson, himself and Hispanic in New Mexico, obviously does not think so.

Does anyone proofread columns at Men's News Daily? Seriously?

This is one position that Arnold has taken that could be a popular one, even though he has claimed in the past that he would pass a bill similar to the one offered to him this year.

What Leftists in Hollywood and Manhattan do not grasp is that illegal immigrants take jobs away from legal immigrants and from Hispanic-Americans working their way up the economic ladder. Illegal immigration is scandalous and everyone knows it. What will the Democrat nominee say in 2006 about the veto of a bill which would allow illegal immigrants to get California driver's licenses? Will Westly or Angelides actually support illegal immigrants getting driver's licenses? No.

And what Bruce Walker doesn't seem to realize is that the jobs that these illegal immigrants take are the worst of the lot, jobs that no one who is legally here would do for the rate of pay illegals get. Farmers are already discussing the impact of paying minimum wage to workers in the fields and the effect that would have on prices for produce to the consumer. And even at minimum wage there's no guarantee that people will want to labor in the fields like they do.

And why does Bruce say that illegal immigrants are taking away jobs only from other Hispanics? If these jobs are so awesome, wouldn't everyone want to take them?

I'm not arguing that I'm in favor of illegal immigration or paying them pennies a day, by the way. But the impact will be far reaching and one that those who demonize immigrants won't want to bring up.

The impulse to hurt political competitors, the need to obstruct reform, and the itch to fight like savages to preserve "“the system" plagues Democrats in California as much as it plagues Democrats nationally. Much of the problem is simply bigness.

Democrats actually tried to negotiate with Arnold on all the issues appearing on the initiative ballot this fall. They disagreed with the special election itself because these are all issues that may have waited until next year and saved a cash strapped state another $40 million dollars.

But it's not just Democrats who oppose the "gerrymandering" initiative, either:

Lawmakers of both parties, meanwhile, have expressed reservations about the redistricting initiative, which could jeopardize the safe seats of many incumbents. Two U.S. House members -— Rep. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin, and Howard Berman, D-North Hollywood -— won a ruling from the Federal Election Commission allowing members of Congress to spend unlimited sums to oppose Proposition 77.

Those Republicans will have to run for their seats again, too. Will they face the same backlash the Democrats supposedly will?

I hate to break Bruce's bubble here, but Arnold is a wildly unpopular governor who so far has done little to boost his stature with the public and is now facing an uphill battle to save face. The only thing he has going for him is a couple of lesser known Democrats are the only two guys to throw their hat into the race. A friendly campaign between them could quite possibly boost both positives and stature for whichever man eventually comes out on top. And that's Arnold's worst case scenario.