BLOGONAUT’S PICKS-PREDICTIONS FOR CA STATE-WIDE RACES

First and foremost, we doff our hat to the young talent that is the San Francisco Giants—for many reasons, but first and foremost making the Bay Area (and Californian’s) believe in themselves again.

Now, to our CA political picks-predictions:

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR:

There is a reason that incumbent Republican governor and kick-butt movie action star Arnold Schwarzenegger (isn’t that German name redundant?) refused to endorse Republican Meg Whitman for the top California post and her name is Maria Shriver. Just kidding; Meg Whitman—who did not even bother to vote for the better part of three decades preceding her run for California’s highest office—thought she could buy the Governor’s chair like the mega-gift annually featured in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, or (for example) like buying her troubled son out-of-an-expulsion at Princeton (after his “date” woke up with Whitman’s son on top of her, with a black eye and other bruises, but no recollection of the sex the boy admitted to). No worries, no expulsion either—just the fond memory of Whitman’s thirty million dollar donation to the university.

Our pick-prediction: Jerry Brown by at least 10 points. Done, by 12 points.

CALIFORNIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR:

Didn’t know there was any such elected office? Don’t feel bad, neither did our pick for the winner—incumbent San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom—before his people suggested that office as his next move on the way to—bigger and better things. We have always admired Gavin’s pragmatism—until the last several years—during which it appeared that Gavin was morphing into a kind of characterless, ultimately political, bland Grey Davis; always sooo politically correct but with no real core. Shape up, kid—this is your last chance the become a real human being--and to go all the way in Democratic politics. You need to spend more time with Jerry Brown--and learn to tell it like it is for a change. Done. Close, but he sqeaked through.

CALIFORNIA’S ATTORNEY GENERAL:

Where do we begin to discuss the disaster of an Attorney General that Kamala Harris would make? Should we mention how she dismissed all charges against the man arrested on our 6th floor balcony, high on meth and in possession of a knife, duct-tape and rope at 3:30 am in front of an entire shift of San Francisco’s finest and SF firefighters, separated from our apartment's sleeping occupants by a flimsy glass door, while the guy was on two PRIOR probations for burglary? Naw, we will just quote a columnist from Harris’ own hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle:

“I don't understand why San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris wants to be California's next attorney general. Then again, it's hard to understand why she even ran for DA -- other than because she has a yen for elective office.

"She hasn't been an aggressive prosecutor. She hasn't been a competent administrator. She seems more interested in advancing liberal causes than putting bad guys behind bars.” (Debra Saunders, “Race Pits Dream Prosecutor Against S.F.'s Nightmare DA”, 9/26/2010.)

Duh, our pick for California’s top prosecutor is—a career prosecutor, moderate Republican Steve Cooley. Still very close the morning after the election, but Harris leads by a teeny margin.


CALIFORNIA’S UNITED STATES SENATOR:

We don’t really care for Barbra Boxer. Maybe it is just a personality thing and/or that she is a shade too liberal for us. (In all honesty, it's probably both.)

But we have been following Carly Fiorina’s checkered career (and unethical tactics) ever since her proxy battle as Hewlett-Packard CEO with founding board member Walter Hewlett.

We thought Walter was right then (Carly won the proxy fight, Walter Hewlett resigned) and right now (which is why HP ultimately fired Fiorina)—so much for her corporate resume. Oh, and did we mention that while diluting HP’s superior brand by merging with a commodity PC company, destroying the morale and creativity of the R&D department, and running HP into the ground financially she simultaneously PAID HERSELF $100 million in compensation AND laid off THIRTY THOUSAND HP EMPLOYEES—in many cases shipping their jobs to China?

No contest: Barbra Boxer will and should be retained as California’s representative in the United States Senate. Done, by an amazing 12 points!!!! Can we judge character in this state or what?

Thanks for listening, and may the best man-woman win!!!!! (Except for Steve Cooley, they all did.)

Blogonaut