Wednesday, October 6, 2010

California


At the risk of opening a can or worms since I rarely discuss politics in this space...

It's that miserable time of the year again-- Campaign elections are in full, nasty, swing here in California, and perhaps your area too, with a record amount of money being spent to sway your vote.

We have one business woman candidate running for governor who makes no excuses about spending $140 million of her own money on the race. She's a billionaire so I guess that's a drop in the bucket if she really wants the thankless job, but in my book it's reckless spending and not confidence inspiring. Sadly though, her opponent doesn't inspire me either so I won't even bother to mention their names. All I will say is that I'm sick of their commercials smacking me in the face every single time I turn on the television.

For the senate race we have two women running against each other and let me tell you-- The. Claws. Are. Out! Little substance is conveyed in their tv commercials beyond caddy (bitchy) sniping and for one, it seems, a little too much Botox to go with her perfectly coiffed, expressionless, presentation.

Again, the senate candidates leave me uninspired and wishing we had real options to consider putting in charge of our failing state. This short commercial really gets on my nerves. Every time I see it all I can think is.... MEOW!


What do you think?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com

47 comments:

  1. California always has the most awesome elections. Gotta love democracy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am similarly dismayed, but this does not mean I will not vote. In each instance I will vote for the lesser of two evils. California may be one of the few states who retain Democratic Party control in the elections, and I'm all for that!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'll pass on commenting because I'm Canadian...
    but
    also because I'm completely uninspired by politics of late...
    which is kind of a comment. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't like ANY of the women running..and u know I'm from Cali...Blondie is in a big bag of sh*% right now..lol...Boxer, I am tired of... Fiorino reminds me of the wicked witch of the east.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Political ads always strike me that way.. meow.. hiss.. growl. It's always an attack. They say more to discredit the opposition than to try to make a positive impression for themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  6. There's no honor amongst thieves.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, Diane said it best.
    All the ads--I tune them out. They make watching tv horrible this time of year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think We are where we are because of crap like this,.. when did it become about what kind of shoes you wear or other nonsense,.. I am sooooooo Not about anything but getting back to when You work hard for everything you get and if you are going to be an entitled hot mess,.. you should go live somewhere else,.. I am thinkin Iraq,.. Idk, Just sayin'....

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think Diane has put it perfectly!

    ReplyDelete
  10. We have our own problems here in Maine with a guy running for governor who's been causght by the media in several lies, looses his temper and swears at newsmen when they as tough questions, and tried to cheat the state on his property taxes, and his supporters seem to think he is Christ reincarnated!

    ReplyDelete
  11. We are having local body elections here in New Zealand at the moment. (Postal voting, which closes on Saturday.) I am really concerned about the number of people who equate nastiness with ability. "Oh yes, he's tough, he'll be able to get the job done." Excuse me? It's a neck and neck race for Mayor here in our biggest city. I have voted, have a sign on my fence for the non-nasty-but-very-good person :-)and now I will await the results with my fingers crossed!

    ReplyDelete
  12. It used to be that politicians kept the weirdness and deception from the public but now it seems to be the in thing to be as bat sh*t crazy as possible.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I, too, wish we had real options when it comes to voting. To me, there's no difference between the Repbulicans and the Democrats. They all make the same poor decisions. At least, the one candidate is wasting her own money. It's hers to waste. I often wonder if I had money to burn, would I run for public office. Maybe, but you make a good point about how thankless the job is. I'm not sure I see catiness in that ad. There's no substance, that's for sure. I think if I were a fly on the wall, that the military person probably called the male senators sir. That's what military guys do. He doesn't mean any disrepect. It worries me a little that "Senator" Boxer's ego is whacked out of shape so easily. Maybe she was having a bad day.

    ReplyDelete
  14. good LORD wrong wrong wrong! There is plenty of difference between dems and repubs: repubs being the party of lies and bullying for SURE. I sometimes wonder if we could just fence off the red states and let them fester in their ignorance :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I hate the political ads! And the junk mail is even worse. Last election, we got multiple fliers every day from a woman running for state rep. I can't imagine the amount of money wasted. I wouldn't even consider voting for someone who threw away money like that.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love me some California - Bring on the Botox!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I think that there should be no negative ads. Every ad should promote what the candidate has done in his/her past and what they will do / plan to do in their future.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm from the mid-west so I'm not familiar with these people. But it proves that polititians from every state use the same tactics. Mud-slinging and talking about unimportant issues. Do you also get the annoying recorded campaigne phone calls at all hours (especially during dinner)? Or do I live in the only state blessed with this irritating polical practice?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Lots of ugly politics here in Colorado this time around too. And don't even get me started on the robo-calls.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Carly has also spent millions of her own money. Must be nice. I think she and Whitman are cut from the same cloth. They want to use California as a springboard for their own political ambitions.

    Senator Barbara Boxer, on the other hand, has always worked her butt off for the state. I admire her outspokenness and willingness to take on the old boys network. She always fights the good fight for the middle class and I admire her.

    Who ever thought I'd be voting for Jerry Brown again. But I have to tell you -- money and power are not his things. He's as close as we come to an honest "every man" type who wants to do some good. Plus he and his family go back generations in California and he genuinely cares about the state.

    It's no contest for me. I'm voting for Brown and Boxer.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Good luck in California. We've got our own fights going on here in Washington State, Murray and Rossi slugging it out in really nasty television ads.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Joanna, you will get no argument from me. In Washington State, the Senate race is equally disgusting. And the amount of money being thrown at these TV ads disgusts me. I hate politics.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Nothing sucks more than knowing that all your choices suck! WE just had local elections... and I chose NOT to vote cos I thought both candidates sucked. *sigh*
    Politics is a no go on my blog too... and religion...

    ReplyDelete
  24. Meow is right!! Hissing and spitting as well! Ha!
    It is going on everywhere...cats fights abound!! Sad!!
    I wish they would put limits on campaign spending. This stuff is obscene!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

    ReplyDelete
  25. It always has been, is, and always will be like this in the world of politics. Candidates were slinging mud at each other for hundreds of years, and it's never going to change.

    I would rather hear what a candidate stands for, rather than them taking shots at their opponents.

    The negative ads annoy me.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Pass the saucer of milk.

    Here in Delaware, we have Christine O'Donnell running and she's Wiccan. Oh yes. Amongst other things.


    There's a drawing on my Wed post you might enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  27. ...and I love the "flattering photo" she found of her opponent- I can hear the screeching here in South Carolina- here in the south, we just tell everyone she can't make biscuits worth a damn- that's enough- she won't make it ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I just get so frustrated with politics in general!

    ReplyDelete
  29. JJ,
    Here in Michigan too! And BTW, we're kindred spirits on the political blogging issue too. I stopped posting anything political on my blog and Facebook after things got so ugly with the Obama/McCain campaign in '08. All sorts of nasty/angry/embarrasing feelings between neighbors, friends, and relatives came out. I've never seen anything so divisive in my life.

    I do think the economy was tanking then and people were worried and totally terrified -- so politics became the scapegoat for everything, no matter which side you were on.

    I am 56 now, and I can't recall politics ever being as ugly as they've been since 2008, and continue to be today. It seems to be getting worse. Mudslinging, name-calling, the most UN-Christian behavior coming from people claiming to want a return to God and religion ... that sort of thing. Mostly, to me, it's sad.

    ReplyDelete
  30. For whatever reason, Dan is watching your state's politicians (especially Brown and can't think of her name) go at it. I call this time of year PBS...you can transfer that to eitehr Political Back Stabbing or Political Bull Sh--!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I agree with you 100%. It is no longer by the people for the people. Now, it is about personal power, status, control....don't get me started.

    I just wonder how many more votes a person would get if they took their $140 million and spent it on the people, changing real lives in a real way.

    Word of mouth is a powerful thing.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Ish!

    I feel sorry for you -- then again, Minnesota has Michelle Bachman, a genuinely embarrassing person and all-around creep.

    Pearl

    ReplyDelete
  33. You have some guts to open up to politics on your blog.
    Well at least you didn't bring up religion - oh wait that's the same thing for some people.
    The only way to return to a more sensible election process would be to shutdown cable news and the internet. I'm not sure when it happened but some years ago a politician connected with a marketing guy and it's never been the same since.
    It would be nice to hear about real issues instead of this lady practiced witchcraft.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Yes, politics and religion are touchy subjects and ones I avoid on my blog to prevent any ugly debates.

    It seems that it is now the norm for political candidates to throw mud at one another instead of just sticking to the issues. I am so over the political ads and public sniping at one another.

    ~ Tracy

    ReplyDelete
  35. Yeah, Carly missed the point. Men up there are called Senator, why not Boxer? She HAS earned it. She's no less of a senator because she has boobs, and yes, Carly, it's taken women of Boxer's ilk to make the inroads women are beginning to enjoy in Congress today. Whether you like Boxer's politics or not, that was a stupid, catty ad on Carly's part, I think. If that's the best argument Carly can come up with, she's already a loser.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Politics is so confusing!! Never know who to believe!!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I'll be very happy to see the first Wednesday in November when all the political ads will stop... at least for the time being..

    ReplyDelete
  38. Mud-slinging at its best. Everyone is SO rightous and pompous.

    Whatever.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Can't comment on your politics over there but this ad does nothing to endear this person to me. In fact, ironically, I'm more interested in finding out more about the lady who is asking to be referred to as 'Senator'. Yes, I can see that this ad would quickly irritate. Maybe you should go and buy a sponge brick to throw at the screen when these politico-heads pop up!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I think I'm sick of the commercials too.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I heard on Friday that Donald Trump is thinking of running in 2010. It's gonna get even uglier!haha

    Not living in CA, the ad didn't bother me much. I actually know nothing about Barbara Boxer, but I know I would hate anyone calling me Mam.

    ReplyDelete
  42. What do I think?

    I think all them politicians will keep doing what they do, and generations of them to follow -- forever. Unless I really get in there and DO something, I won't make a change no matter how much I worry about things.

    So... I don't worry . I do what I can in my own sphere, and that's the sphere I like to be in -- the one where I can get things done and choose to be happy in.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I also live in southern California and am sick and tired of the elections and the sad state of our education. We are trying to sell our house and move to FL. My youngest son chose to leave OC and go to a military school in NM. He is much happier there than in OC.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I am doing a write in campaign for my cat Stella Koontz. She doesn't spew a bunch of sound bites...but she is reliable, predictable, and doesn't shit all over her brothers and sisters. She is against any type of unecessary grooming..unless it makes her feel better physically.

    ReplyDelete
  45. For some reason I have not seen many ads and I'm thankful. Must be the cable channels I watch, if any. What bothers me are the opinions people have when they don't know the facts but make their assumptions on perception. It will be an interesting Nov. Though my mom always said something was wrong with Jerry Brown because the Jesuits don't kick anyone out of the corps. If he wins I'm sure I'll hear thunder clap and it will be her. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and commenting, I really appreciate it.