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"It's Not a Tumor."

Recall exit polls point to a comfortable "yes" margin, and a comfortable win for Der Arnold. A few thoughts:

California's conservatives are completely fucking clueless. For about a decade now, they've been sacking moderate Republicans who could actually win in the primaries in favor of wing nuts who then get trounced in the general election. Along comes the only feasible scenario in which they could put one of their own into office, and the state Republican party lines up behind the squishy movie actor, all starry-eyed like.

This is a guy, let's not forget, whose previous forays into politics involved overseeing federally-funded intitiatves to get America in shape, and a ballot measure promising taxpayer-funded after school activities. Both touted, I might add, in this interest of the children.

This is the guy who's going to put the state budget in order?

Ramesh Ponnuru made a great point over at NRO yesterday. Moving left to get 51% of the vote is strategy. Moving left to get 38% of the vote is selling your soul.

And let's not forget how Davis got elected to begin with. The state's conservatives blackballed Richard Riordan in the primaries in favor of the atrocious Bill Simon. Well, congratulations. You now have a guy every bit as liberal as Dick Riordan, but without the executive experience, smarts or political savvy. You also have a guy with huge potential to both embarass your party and hurt your president in 2004, and you made yourselves look like complete hypocrites by standing behind a lecherous womanizer after ragging on Clinton for the last ten years over similar offenses.

So what of the serial groping charges? Come on. Does anyone really believe they aren't true? Okay, perhaps a few of them are digging for gold. But there's no question the guy's a creep.

Many years ago I read an interview of Arnold and his wife shortly after they were married. Shriver was desribing how they met. I don't remember the exact details, but I do remember her saying their first encounter involved him patting her on the backside and telling her, straight-up, "You have a great ass."

Think you're the only one he met that way, Maria?

The most laughable aspect of this has been how conservatives have railed against the media for such "dirty politics." Give me a break. If Arnold had actually been a Kennedy instead of merely married to one, conservatives would be lapping this stuff up, and calling for his head....