Post-Election Musings and the Future of the World

General elections tend to excite the masses; primary elections tend to excite the junkies.  I am a junkie,  so I stayed up until 1:00 in the morning following the results and hitting "refresh" on various web sites I had open.   The results are basically known an uncontested, and a few musings are in order ...I was an early supporter of Steve Poizner.  I made a large contribution to his campaign and decided he was my candidate after hearing both him and Meg Whitman on school choice (she is abyssmal on this issue; Steve was quite strong).  I have never in my life had such a mid-cycle change in my opinion of a candidate than I did on Steve Poizner after his hideous Goldman Sachs campaign against Meg Whitman.  I announced a few weeks ago (and I meant it) that I was seriously going to vote for Jerry Brown if Steve got the nomination.  It was easy for me to say because, (a) He was never going to win this nomination, and (b) I really do not care who the Governor of this state is.  Until the legislature is turned on its head the Governor is an empty suit.  The public school system in this state is the worst in the country, and it will be responsible for bringing the whole state down until someone comes in with the guts to change it.  So in the meantime, I love the beach, I love the desert, and I love the dining here, so I guess I am stuck.  I am not one of the millions of small business stakeholders who has to leave just to survive, so I have the luxury of living here while I watch the state go down the tubes.  I do not expect the gubernatorial results in November to change anything.  If Meg comes to Jesus about school choice instead of this juvenille "we must fix the system within the system" approach, I will become more enthusiastic about her campaign.  But in the meantime, I will vote for her and go home - no money, no passion.  But with Steve, I would have put a Jerry Brown for Governor sign in my front yard.  I start with the premise that 99% of politicians are dirtbags, and I do that because I don't want to get into complicated decimals when I type (necessitating the addition of 99.675%, or something closer to the truth).  I should not be surprised or offended by dirty campaigns.  But in this case, Steve Poizner borrowed from the playbook of the most immoral people in America right now - those that have waged a war against business and the capital markets.  People are free to hate Goldman Sachs all they want.  Heck, as a competitor of theirs, I hate them for being so darn good at what they do!  But Steve Poizner never for a moment though Meg did anything wrong with Goldman Sachs.  Her mere presence on their board ten years ago was pure "guilt by association" in an environment when the company has become a poster-child for a statist crusade.  I will never in my life put up with someone calling himself a Republican who participates in such a vile and hypocritical act.  Steve road that wave all the way to a complete butt-kicking at the polls.  So congratulations.  it was unforgivable, and I hope he leaves my memory, soon.  I am seriously that angry about what he did, and I have already made clear I am hardly a Meg cheerleader.Speaking of Meg, did I mention that school choice and tax credits and competition and vouchers will give viable options to low-income people who desire better opportunities for their children?  Please join the movement.  I promise to write nice things about you if you do.The Shawn Nelson victory over Harry Sidhu was the best race of the night.  Shawn is a proven advocate of property rights and he took on the establishment in defeating the union-backed Harry.  Harry carpet-bagged his way into the race, and the Board of Supervisors picked up a principled member who can join John Moorlach in fighting union corruption and public employee abuses.The big winners of the night across the country were my dear friends and allies at the Club for Growth.  The notion that "moderate Republicans win elections, while the CFG stands for principles while losing", is untrue.  Moderate Republicans lose in conservative districts, and the Club for Growth is a national player in primary and general elections now.  I am so proud of what they are doing, and look forward to joining them in more fights this fall.Carly Fiorina is a good candidate in California, though she faces a very tough fight against Barbara Boxer.  I personally admire Chuck DeVore, but obviously the results of this race are not a surprise.  I suspect Carly just beat Chuck for the right to be beaten by Boxer, but I hope I am wrong.  I can not understate my pessimism about the moral and political depravity that exists in the Golden State.So we now get ready for November.  I prepare for it knowing that politics is the fourth most important institution in my life.  I look forward to this race because I think Obama's agenda is going to get its ass kicked (hey, he said it!!!!).  But for the long-term change our country needs - the kind of change that permeates our culture, and lasts for generations - I pray for deep cultural transformation.  Join that fight, and in the meantime, will someone talk Meg out of this nonsense that public school reform is ever going to happen?