8/13/03: I am about to embark on my first barnstorming trip through the great state of California. Leaving from San Diego, heading to the paradise that is Yosemite, and then on to Sacramento where I will begin my voyage on mass transportation. I will attempt to make it from Sacramento to Los Angeles using mass transit in an effort to better understand the choices those without cars like me must face in this state. A quick note before I leave:
California is a wonderful place full of natural beauty, friendly people, and great promise. We must not forget though that Hollywood and its millionaire actors are not representative of the entire population. Those people are found in towns like Modesto, Fresno, and Bakersfield, places I hope to visit on this trip down the coast. I am sure that I will find more true Californians in these places then I could if I spent a month in L.A. at casting parties and driving around in new sports cars.
The people are taking back their democracy!
8/25/03: To be obsessed… I should have written a few days ago, but the first two weeks flew by. I have done my best to keep the public aware of my whereabouts, but can a guy have a day off. I missed the chance to be on ABC news because I was in Yosemite, and on the news in San Diego while in Sedona with my family. That’s o.k. though, this race is more of a marathon than a 40 yard dash, or in Arnold’s case a weight-lifting contest. First thing I learned, People Want Change. If the slogan for Bill Clinton’s ’92 campaign was “It’s the economy stupid,” then this one should be “it’s the people stupid.” This campaign was inspired by the need for a shake-up of the normal ways of doing politics. I would say thus far it has been a tremendous success, people are actually demanding what they want instead of being told they might get something in return for party loyalty or special-interests.
This has become a revolution, I heard the new UC board of Regents, Robert Dynes say that this is only the beginning of a much larger movement of the people taking back their government from the politicians.
Last week I went to Gray Davis’ office in Sacramento to visit the Capitol Building. Nobody there would even talk to me, I even waited for twenty minutes in the lobby, explaining that I was on the ballot but I wanted to know Gray’s positions so I could defend him on the recall. But once again I was a nobody, a young graduate student. But then I walked next door to the Secretary of State’s office where they reassured me that Yes, I was on the ballot for the Governor of California.
It was then that I realized what this was all about, not Gray Davis, but the People.
I saw some of those people on my trip. I went through counties like Kern and Inyo on the way to Yosemite. On the return after going by the Capitol building, I rode the Greyhound bus from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I thought the ride was beautiful through Central California, and anytime I thought the ride was long I looked to my left. There was a 12 year old boy traveling from San Jose to Los Angeles, then on the next bus to El Paso, Texas before going deep into Mexico. He spoke no English, but through my minimal Spanish I learned his name was Jose and he was 12 years old. He was a great kid and when I was later asked about prop 187, I could remember his face.
On the Roger Hedgecock show in San Diego I got fired up by the host’s hostility towards what he called illegal immigrants. I reminded him that they were still human beings and that we had a humanitarian obligation to aid for the ill, and educate the youth. This is a forum to rant and rave so I guess I should admit that I let it fly on the show that Arnold probably couldn’t pass a single class at Princeton. I made amends today though by writing a letter to the editorial board of the New York Times explaining that the reason people like Arnold is he is essentially a good guy, even if his politics might be a little wrong, if he even has any. I’m still not sure if he is a puppet for a certain group of people who don’t like Change.
Links
to Nate in the News:
(You
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October 1, 2003 Daily Princetonian
September 30, 2003 The Stanford Daily
September 15, 2003 Mercury News
September 7, 2003 Boston Globe
September 3, 2003 Princeton Athletics
August 17, 2003 Arizona Daily Star
August 14, 2003 The SanDiegoChannel.com
August 12, 2003 Arizona Republic
August 10, 2003 The San Diego Union Tribune
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© Copyright by Nathan Whitecloud Walton 4 Governor 2003.
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