Meeting Recap - March 29
Posted by Steve Lamon
Last week...
Keynote speaker Steve Swatt graced us with his presence at the March 29, 2010 meeting. You may recall that Steve spent 23 years at KCRA as its political reporter, and he updated our members on his views of the upcoming mid-term elections. Although November is still a long ways off in political time, Steve felt the upcoming elections will likely be akin to a "train wreck" for Democrats, with Republicans likely to pick up several seats in both the Senate and the House. While Steve doubts the Republicans will gain a majority in either House, their expected gains could make it more difficult for President Obama to pursue further significant legislation during his first term. Steve saw many parallels between the present political scene and that present in 1994, with Republicans presenting several strong candidates supported by right leaning public opinion. Much depends, according to Steve, on the overall state of the economy come October, and on the President's approval ratings at that time.
As far as California's governor's race, Steve projects it will be Meg Whitman versus Jerry Brown, with the former perhaps the favorite given her commitment to spend to up to $150 million of her own money to win the office. Finally, Steve projected that numerous upcoming initiatives are likely to raise several controversial topics for California's voters, from finance reform to part time legislators to legalizing pot. While he lamented the trend away from serious political reporting in television media, he urged our members to comment to our local stations whenever possible to request better coverage of our political landscape. - SL
As far as California's governor's race, Steve projects it will be Meg Whitman versus Jerry Brown, with the former perhaps the favorite given her commitment to spend to up to $150 million of her own money to win the office. Finally, Steve projected that numerous upcoming initiatives are likely to raise several controversial topics for California's voters, from finance reform to part time legislators to legalizing pot. While he lamented the trend away from serious political reporting in television media, he urged our members to comment to our local stations whenever possible to request better coverage of our political landscape. - SL