Wednesday, August 13, 2003
California Governor's Race - What The Media Does When Its Bored
Alright, so California's having a possible recall of their governor, and then, if they choose to recall him, a chance to choose a new one. So, yeah, this is important, in a lot of ways - it is the biggest state in the Union, with a massive economy, and governor's have power within their own states that make the powers of the President often look like a mere formality of a position. But... well, it's just one gubanatorial race. I mean, seriously, how many people even knew that Gray Davis was governor? OK, but out of you, how many knew that his popularity ratings were that bad? Outside of California, probably not many. So, why has the race been in the headlines? Prior to a certain someone deciding to run, there really was no front runner - in fact, with at least 130 candidates, with possibly 40 more to be added to the list, it looked more like the Boston Marathon than the Sacramento Sprint.
Sure, the California Governor Recall has the possibility to be a big story - but it's not, yet. The election is still a ways away, and, no matter what Arnold has said about "cleaning house", there aren't really any issues on the table. What is on the table are familiar faces, from Schwarzenegger to Larry Flint, and a lack of other news that's got that kind of star-clout. Lets face it, Iraq may still have vast oil reserves, but as a story, its run dry.
The possibilities of a recall with 130 candidates is profound - if 49% vote to keep Davis in office, then he's out - but a candidate with a few percent (or, if the race stays tight, possibly even less than 1% (mathematically)) of the vote could win the office. But for now, lets face it, it is just a media frenzy, with many more stories being written than stories being told, many more photo ops than photos of a good story.
Sure, the California Governor Recall has the possibility to be a big story - but it's not, yet. The election is still a ways away, and, no matter what Arnold has said about "cleaning house", there aren't really any issues on the table. What is on the table are familiar faces, from Schwarzenegger to Larry Flint, and a lack of other news that's got that kind of star-clout. Lets face it, Iraq may still have vast oil reserves, but as a story, its run dry.
The possibilities of a recall with 130 candidates is profound - if 49% vote to keep Davis in office, then he's out - but a candidate with a few percent (or, if the race stays tight, possibly even less than 1% (mathematically)) of the vote could win the office. But for now, lets face it, it is just a media frenzy, with many more stories being written than stories being told, many more photo ops than photos of a good story.
