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I'm the newly-appointed Future editor at Business 2.0 and the former San Francisco correspondent for Time Magazine.
Wow, so does this mean everything you write reflects Time Inc's opinion? Or do you perhaps have some sort of standard disclaimer to the effect that it doesn't?
Naturally, the opinions contained in this blog are not those of my employers. In fact, some opinions may be the polar opposite of my employers. Some may be the same, for all I know. Hey, it's not like I ask my employers their opinions about everything in the news, okay? Let's just say that if this were a Venn diagram with one circle marked "my opinions" and the other one marked "my employers' opinions", there would doubtless be some overlap. But neither I nor my employers are able to pinpoint exactly where that overlap is.
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An experiment for a column I wrote about blogging back in December 2001. All these years later, I haven't been able to kick the habit.
If it's called Daily Blah, how come you don't ... hey, wait, you're writing every day!
See? Told you I'd try harder.
Mister, you talk funny. Are you one of them furrners?
Why yes I am, as it happens. I was born, raised and educated in Great Britain. I've been living in the U.S. since 1996 and identify as British.
I say, old chap, you forgot the "u" in "colour."
No I didn't. I may identify as British, but I am also an American journalist writing for an American audience about mostly American issues. These two different sides of me are a constant source of tension. Nevertheless, Daily Blah will adhere to American English grammar and spelling.
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Daily Blah for... Monday, August 11, 2003
A Sure Bet
Okay, I got $50 here says Ah-nuld's not going to be our next governor. Anyone willing to take my money? All I ask is $500 if I'm right.
Sure, it's hard not to be swept along in the Schwarzenegger frenzy now engulfing the state. California right now is like a bookish valedictorian who has just been invited to the prom by the hot school quarterback. Oh, I know I said I didn't like muscles, but he asked me! Isn't he dreamy?
But the first blush of mismatched teen romance fades quickly, because there's nothing substantial behind it -- and because, invariably, the quarterback turns out to be a jerk. The same is true here. Does anyone really know, almost a week after he announced, what Ah-nuld stands for? His policy currently consists of saying "I will pump up Sacramento" any time a TV camera gets close. That line is going to get old fast. His advisers are mostly old Pete Wilson hacks, none of whom are remembered fondly in this state. As for Ah-nuld's jerk side, what he did to beloved former LA mayor Dick Riordan -- told him repeatedly he wasn't running, sent him a five-page fax to that effect, allowed Riordan to put a team together -- should be warning enough for the rest of us. Gray Davis may not be remembered kindly for the attack ads that put Riordan out of the running in 2002, but you expect that kind of treatment from your political enemies. You don't expect it from your friends.
By October 7, the bloom will be off the rose. The Clintons, Bill and Hillary both, will likely spend most of September campaigning across the state (where, for the most part, they are adored like rock stars). That will give voters what they so far lack: a reason to vote for the Governor. All they need to do is persuade a majority of folks that he's worth a second chance, and question 2 on the ballot -- who should replace him? -- doesn't even come into play. Ah-nuld has to effectively win both questions; Davis need only win one.
We will by then know a lot more about Cruz Bustamante, our blessedly unassuming Lieutenant Governor. Bustamante already beats Ah-nuld among registered Democrats, who make up the majority of voters (and "not sure" beats them both hands down; most moderates are waiting to pick their candidate). He's the safe, solid choice, the one with no Hollywood glitz and a lot of government experience; the kind of guy our valedictorian would come running back to after her summer fling with the quarterback. More importantly, he's the only serious Democrat in the race. The GOP vote will be split between Schwarzenegger, sore loser Bill Simon (the conservative's favorite) and Pete Ueberroth (registered Republican and Time's man of the year 1984). GOP moderates looking for a safe pair of hands will, I predict, defect to Ueberroth in droves; the man who turned the '84 Olympics from disaster to dream can sure as hell deal with an $8 billion deficit.
California voters are smart and media savvy. They are enjoying the media circus right now, and having a collective "what if" dream: what if Schwarzenegger were this generation's Ronald Reagan? But quite frankly, as I think even most Reaganites would attest, he isn't. Reagan had a decade of experience with the Screen Actor's Guild. Ah-nuld has no hands-on experience leading anything whatsoever. I've been in the room when Reagan walked in; the atmosphere was electric. I've twice been in the room when Ah-nuld walked in; there were gaggles of autograph hunters, but no electricity. He's two-dimensional. Look behind him and all you see is a lot of bodybuilding, skiing, steroids, bad scripts -- and jerk-like behavior masquerading as political machination.
Still willing to take me on?
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