OK, I have had about all that I can stomach of this post-primary Abel Maldonado ‘flame out’ on Arnold Schwarzenegger. While it is true that Senator Maldonado was an ally to the Governor — both in supporting his candidacies and in authoring the Governor’s controversial mandate on businesses, requiring them to pay a higher wage to employees — it is also true that the Governor was certainly very helpful to Maldonado in return. Maldonado wrapped himself in the Governor’s image, and happily sucked up to a lot of the Governor’s big donor friends. If the Governor had formally endorsed Maldonado in his contested GOP primary against former Assemblyman Tony Strickland, I don’t think it would have brought anything more to the table for Maldonado.
But you have to ask yourself, is it really that unexpected for an incumbent Republican Governor who is seeking re-election to not endorse one candidate over another in a contested Republican primary for statewide office? After all, it’s not like Tony Strickland was some gadfly opponent. Strickland is a well-respected conservative leader — who is also supporting the Governor’s re-election, and who has a cadre of supporters around the state who are also part of the Governor’s donor and grassroots teams. Maldonado lost his primary after a hard-fought battle. You know what? Politics is a contact sport with winners and losers.
Somebody famous once said that you can measure someone’s character better based on how well they lose than on how well they win. Since losing the primary, Maldonado has attacked the Governor’s budget (which was worthy of attack, but given Maldonado’s glowing praise of the Governor’s May Revision not too long ago, very inconsistent of the Senator), and attacked him in the Los Angeles Times. I guess it begs the question of whether the Senator would like to see a Republican or a Democrat in the Governor’s Office come January.
Now for those of you who want to roll your eyes, saying, "Hey, Fleischman, you have leveled plenty of criticism on the Governor in your commentaries," — I will say this — like or don’t like where I am coming from, but I am consistent. I’m a conservative Republican who gets excited when the Governor does more conservative stuff, and who gets less than enthusiastic when the Governor does something more moderate or liberal. That’s just me. I will also say that despite my sometimes pointed kicks in the shin, I’ll be voting for Schwarzenegger in November because it is an EASY CHOICE between he and Angelides.
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