The following comment may be a small consolation to Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Meg Whitman:
"Almost all of the massively self-funded candidates running nationally this year lost…"
That's political analyst Leo McElroy who says California voters have sent this message before to other wealthy candidates. Remember Bill Simon and Michael Huffington?
"The public may want the best government money can buy but they don't want government that buys its own office."
McElroy says voters opted for the "comfort factor" in choosing
Jerry Brown for Governor. He's someone who's done it before
and knows how government works.
But Sacramento State University Government Professor Kim
Nalder says Californians want to try something new to tackle
California's unruly budget. She says that's why they approved
Prop. 25. It gets rid of the two-thirds requirement for a
state spending plan in favor of a simple majority vote-and
lawmakers won't get paid if they're late.
"I think it was really smart of the Prop 25 people to put
in the penalties for the legislators for a late budget and that may
have really been the selling point as much as the actual two-thirds
going to simple majority."
However, voters also approved Prop 26 that will require
certain fees now be approved by a two-thirds vote. Leo
McElroy says that shows voters still want limits on
lawmakers.
"Voters came in, looked at it and said I don't
trust these guys and went bang-bang and voted for both
measures."
McElroy says that sentiment is echoed in voters' rejection of
a measure to abolish the newly created citizen's redistricting
commission-which will take the job of re-drawing political district
lines out of the hands of politicians.