The republicans in California are identical to the republicans in Congress. The examples are so numerous. They allow the democrats to drive the ball deep into the red zone and when it’s 4th and goal on the 5 all the republicans fall down while the dem QB walks it into the end zone. I’ve seen that same play run so many times there is no doubt in my mind that despite wearing different colored jerseys all 22 players are on the same team. But the majority of the fans are still fooled. That’s what keeps them coming back for more and filling the stadium the next Sunday! Americans love to be entertained!

As much as some of you may have despised communism you have to give credit to the former the soviet citizens. For the last couple decades prior to Peristroika the soviet government had to provide free caviar, Pelmini, hot Solyanka and tea at the voting polls just to get the people to show up for the elections. The people had the system figured out. For whatever reason we have a very steep learning curve in America.

I’m really not worried about the evident lack of a viable GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2014. The governor is, as you note, all but unbeatable. The Republicans would do better to save whatever firepower they can muster for the 2018 race, when the Democrats vying to succeed Brown will, to a person, be far to his left. Just imagine Newsom or Harris (or any San Francisco liberal) operating in concert with the current Legislature. I know, I shuddered too. But apropos of your closing question, that sort of governing tandem just might be the most plausible bridge to a GOP victory scenario.

Maldonado provided the decisive GOP swing vote that hiked our taxes by $13B in Feb-2009 after he previously signed a “no new taxes” pledge for his constituents. The dems needed 6 GOP votes and Abel gave them the 6th and decisive one. lol. He took his constituent’s money and votes to attain his Ca senatorial seat and then before being termed out broke one of his sacred core promises that violated the basic principles of the republican holy mantra by increasing our taxes! And now the GOP is peddling him as ready for prime time as our next governor?

Donnelly was the one who got busted at Ontario Airport for trying to carry a loaded .45 and a separate loaded magazine onto an aircraft. No permit either. Cited and released. Convicted. Probation. Now, whatever excuse Tim offers for this….if he became the GOP gunernatorial candidate what are the chances his opponent would make a huge issue of this and eliminate any possibility whatsoever that Tim would get more than 25% of the popular votes? Running for governor? What’s he and the GOP thinking?

Finally, Neel Kashkari was one of Henry “Mr. Bailout” Paulson’s lieutenants in the US Dept of Treasury PRIOR to the 2008 meltdown. This was the time when the Treasury Department turned a blind eye to all the blatant acts of financial fraud being committed on Wall Street which culminated in the biggest economic meltdown in the history of the world. Neel did such a great job for ‘Mr. Bailout’ that he was appointed to head the ‘Troubled Asset Relief Program’ that was slated to buy up all the poisoned toxic assets from the Too Big To Fails and shove them down the throats of the US taxpayers. And a full 5 years after the meltdown the taxpayers are still bailing out the Too Big To Fails with about $400B in QE each year, with no end in sight. And our federal debt is north of $17T, mostly as a result of the complicity and shennangigans that led to the meltdown about 5 year ago in Oct. 2008. I don’t know about you. But I wouldn’t vote for a former lieutenant of Hank Paulson for dogcatcher. My memory just isn’t that short.

It’s really so sad that these are the best and the brightest that the GOP can offer for the highest office in California.

Forget about any of these 3 beating Jerry Brown even though he’s turning California into a 3rd world banana republic, rewarding parasites and punishing producers. Forget it.

Heck, I don’t even think they’d stand a chance against Gavin Newsom if he was the dem candidate, as much of a joke as he is.

Really a sad state of affairs all around.