Well, It Wasn't a Total Loss

With all of the precincts now reporting, I respond to the results of the November 8, 2005 election with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am very disappointed that Donna Frye did not succeed to her rightful position as Mayor of San Diego. I mean, how many times do we have to vote to get her into office?! It was clear that she won the first time, but noooooo, that wasn't good enough. Because some people forgot to fill in that stupid bubble, we had to vote again. The second time around, she still led Sanders at the polls. But noooooo, that was not good enough, either. RUNOFF! So, maybe people just got sick of seeing her name on the ballot and decided to give the other guy a chance. Perhaps they thought that maybe this time, the vote will stick. And it appears as if it will. I guess I'm willing to give Sanders a try, if he really does what he says he will (unlikely if he is a true politician).

Despite this loss, the good news is that ALL of Arnold's initiatives failed. At least most Californians have their heads on straight. The initiatives I was most concerned with were Props 73 and 74. Prop 73 would have required doctors to notify parents 48 hours before their teenage daughters had an abortion. It was leading early on but the margin narrowed and ultimately failed with 52.6% of the voters saying NO. Prop 74 would have lengthened the time for teachers to become a permanent employee, from two school years to five. The measure failed with 55.1% saying NO. The remaining 6 initiatives also failed.

Where does this leave Arnold? The voters are obviously saying that his "rebuild and reform" California plan is not the correct solution for our state. Will his failure impact his bid for re-election next year? Only time will tell.