OK, so the recall won and Arnold won, yes? Well, out of a state of 35 million people, 4,188,199 people voted for the recall, 3,552,787 voted for Arnie.
I'm utterly baffled by this quote from CNN.
Julie Vandermost, of the California Women's Leadership Association, said her organization was pleased with the results. "We are very happy," she said. "We were very upset about all the regulation, the taxation and the pandering that was coming out of the Davis camp. And we are very excited that we'll have common sense back in California."
I do not think that word "common sense" means what she thinks it means.
Anyway, who voted yesterday? Apparently 52% were female, 40% were between the ages of 45 and 64, and 70% of them were white. Half of them were Republicans, and half were Democrats. More than half of interviewed voters reported a household income of at least $50,000.
Two items that caught my eye: "Almost a quarter of people who voted, said their total family income topped $100,000, and half of them voted for Schwarzenegger. Most of Bustamante's voters reported earnings of less than $30,000. " and "Fewer women voted for Bustamante than the victor. Many voters perceived Bustamante to be closely aligned with Davis and the failed economy, analysts said. And exit polls showed 36 percent of female voters selected Bustamante, and 43 percent favored Schwarzenegger in spite of last minute allegations of groping and sexual harassment that dogged the actor cum politician." (CNN)
There are several morals to this sorry story. One: people are friggin' DUMB. Two: Money and charm can cover up other deficiencies. Three: VOTE, PEOPLE!!! A lot of you guys stayed home and effectively handed over power to somebody else. Sure, voting is frustrating, and watching your side lose is even more frustrating, but what are the alternatives? I'm afraid we'll find out.
--> "Exit poll shows women, whites recalled Davis", CNN, October 8, 2003, www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/08/recall.results/
--> "The California Recall: Returns", SFGate.com, October 8, 2003, www.sfgate.com/recall/
