Editorial: State must rise above recall mess

Californians were bombarded with messages over the past few
months: terminate special interests, oppose the right-wing power
grab, vote “no” on the recall, say “yes” to
Bustamante, and vote your conscience.

But now all Californians ““ whether they voted to
recall Gov. Davis or not, and no matter whom they supported to be
the new governor ““ should embrace one message: Move
forward.

The last few months were not good.

Throughout the recall campaign, discussion about the roots of
California’s problems was missing. None of the major
candidates articulated ways to ensure that tax revenues ““
and, consequently, state spending on public programs
““ don’t swing so violently with the economy. None
addressed squarely the potential harm California’s initiative
system causes. And there was little serious debate about how
government can actually serve people rather than partisan
interests.

After weeks of campaign finance controversy, vague promises, and
a televised debate that turned into an open forum for bickering,
the all-important issue that gubernatorial candidates addressed in
the waning days was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s alleged groping
of numerous women.

As a nice, election-eve final touch, crowds at the Staples
Center on Monday night turned rowdy as Schwarzenegger and Davis
supporters clashed, engaging in chanting matches while waiting for
the tardy governor to appear for a speech.

It’s time to move forward ““ away from this
mess.

Luckily for all Californians, early indications show that state
leaders are ready to do just that. Davis, clearly hurt by
Tuesday’s vote, was as gracious as he could be in defeat,
wishing Schwarzenegger the best of luck. Candidates Lt. Gov. Cruz
Bustamante and state Sen. Tom McClintock expressed similar
sentiments. State senate leader John Burton, D-San Francisco, said
he would work to make the gubernatorial transition as smooth as
possible.

Predictions of terrible vote-counting problems and layers of
legal challenges appear to have been overblown. And, hopefully,
attempts to recall Schwarzenegger will not be taken seriously.

Schwarzenegger said that while he celebrated Tuesday night, the
hard work begins today ““ and hopefully he’s
prepared for it.

All indications are that he’s not.

Schwarzenegger says he’ll cut pollution by 50 percent, but
lacks real plans to do that. He says he’s opposed to raising
taxes and to cutting education spending, but it will be nearly
impossible not to do at least one of those two when facing a
multi-billion-dollar shortage. Schwarzenegger says he’ll be a
governor for all people, but he has surrounded himself with
polarizing figures like former Gov. Pete Wilson.

Moving forward ““ getting to the bottom of the
state’s many problems ““ does not mean rolling
over. But it does mean giving the new governor a fair shot to serve
the public.

Any bitterness about Tuesday’s election results should be
set aside. If state leaders continue to play politics, Californians
will continue to suffer the consequences.