Kaus Komedy Klassics

With the final disgrace of disastrously inept former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s especially amusing to go back to the reasons for recalling Davis and supporting him offered by “Democrat” Mickey Kaus:

Bruce Cain, the overquoted Berkeley professor, was just on television sneering that the recall doesn’t get California any closer to solving its problems. What an idiot. Schwarzenegger as governor will have weapons Davis doesn’t have, the most important of which is the ability to go over the heads of the legislature and rally public support–behind a ballot initiative, if necessary. He might even be able to threaten to go into legislators’ districts and campaign against them (although the state is so heavily gerrymandered there may be no unsafe “swing” districts left). You want to amend the state Constitution to get rid of the paralyzing requirement that two-thirds of the legislature approve any budget? Schwarzenegger is the man who can do it. You want a tax increase if cutting the budget isn’t enough to close the deficit? Schwarzenegger’s the man for that too. As a nominal Republican, he is in a position to attract at least some Republican votes for a budget package that includes both taxes and cuts.

Yes, that Cain sure was an idiot for not understanding that Schwarzenegger could get initiatives passed and solve California’s fiscal problems by Sheer Force of Will. Listen to Mickey about how politics actually works! And is there hand-waving about why Schwarzenegger’s well-documented history of sexual harassment was no big deal while lesser or imagined offenses on the part of Democrats make them History’s Greatest Monster? Oh, yes. The whole post is a useful artifact insofar was whether it’s the center-right or right-right “fiscal discipline” has nothing to do with fiscal discipline and everything to do with punching hippies and unions.

In fairness, I’m sure that in the wake of the new scandal Kaus will give Schwarzenegger the all-out attack he saves for people like John Edwards and not respond with a short, tepid post about how the media should have reported unverified gossip along with the real news…