Experts Expound

“Amid confusion, inconsistency and unprecedented campaign spending, California voters have spoken. But what did they tell us?”

Voters said, “Buzz off!”

They want limited, but efficient, government … managed by a professional, Jerry Brown. And they don’t want him to be high while he manages it.

They spoke from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: security, family, quality of life. No broad philosophical themes or money could attract their affection. The real question is: Is California a firewall or bell weather for 2012?

That California Republicans still don’t know how to win.

That they are still a conflicted, but ultimately centrist bunch – capable of electing liberal candidates (Boxer, Newsom) while voting against liberal ballot measures (Prop. 19) at the same time. But we already knew that.

They continue to expect to have everything they want and not pay anything for it.

The voters of California are confused.

This is why politics watchers go crazy. Voters approve Proposition 25 on the simple majority vote, then approve Proposition 26 on a two-thirds vote for new fees. Ask this question after we get through Brown’s first budget cycle and I’ll tell you what it means.

They want state leaders to solve state problems without more burden on local governments and individual taxpayers. They don’t want a system that rewards self-interested politicians, they want a system that yields good results.

That no matter how stupid the rest of the country is, the working people of California are too smart to let rich right-wing Republican tycoons buy control of our state.

California voters told us they will continue to have our state represent the Left Coast by bucking the conservative GOP tide seen elsewhere, (with Nevada’s re-election of Harry Reid a notable exception). May Whitman’s campaign advisers enjoy their Hawaiian vacations.

They’re frustrated. They rejected extremism, big money, and interest-group initiatives. They showed they don’t trust Sacramento but want leaders they can trust.

…Whitman was such a bad candidate she brought the whole ticket down.  Insurance companies remain untrustworthy in voters’ minds and are also subject to what happens when they think one can sell a candidate like one sells insurance. And one more thing – perhaps the most important: One can’t run a government like one runs a business.

Once again, the voters sent a clear message: “We want services, and we don’t want to pay for them.” Kudos to the voters for being consistent. Not sure why out-of-touch politicians are having so much trouble hearing them.

Andrew Acosta, A.G. Block, Mark Bogetich, Barry Brokaw, J Dale Debber, Peter DeMarco, Mike Donovan, Jim Evans, Kathy Fairbanks, Jeff Fuller, Rex Frazier, Ken Gibson, Evan Goldberg, Deborah Gonzalez, Sandy Harrison, Bob Hertzberg, Jason Kinney, Greg Lucas, Mike Madrid, Nicole Mahrt, Steve Maviglio,  Adam Mendelsohn, Barbara O’Connor, Bill Packer, Kassy Perry, Jack Pitney, Adam Probolsky, Tony Quinn, Matt Rexroad, Matt Ross, Roger Salazar, Dan Schnur, Will Shuck, Ralph Simoni, Sam Sorich, Ray Sotero, Garry South, Kevin Spillane, Robin Swanson, Angie Wei, Rich Zeiger