Tuesday was election day across the nation. Most important were those watching to see if Republicans would win any seats and they did. Republicans won the governerships of Virginia and New Jersey.

It was quite a blow to the Obama adminstration who had campaigned heavily in both states for the Dems. And Republican leadership all across the country see it as a positive sign for next year's elections. As usual, the majority party loses seats in Congress the following election year. Yesterday's elections were seen as a litmus test.

What does this mean for the Obama administration? It means that the party is over. No more smooth sailing as the United States' first African American President. Its time to act like all the rest and fight for what you believe in. People are no longer going to lay down now that the hoop-la is over.

What does this mean for Republicans? As I said in earlier posts, the Republican party will rise from the dead next year. But what party? The party that stood for lower taxes and smaller government (i.e. Ronald Reagan's Republicans) or the party that former President George W. Bush led astray with larger government(i.e creation of Homeland Security) and out of control spending (i.e. two wars).

Either way, the chickens are coming home to roost.

With 2009 coming to an end, that means it is almost time for the 2010 election cycle. The biggest race in California undoubtebly will be that for governor. Already, a couple candidates have stepped forward from both sides.

On the Republican side we have three candidates. There is Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner, and Tom Campbell(pictured below). Meg Whitman is the ex-ceo of Ebay, Steve Poizner is our current state insurance commissioner, and Tom Campbell is a former Congressman.

Democrats currently have Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown heading for a showdown. Gavin Newsom is current mayor of San Francisco and had an affair with his campaign manager's wife(ouch!). Jerry Brown has also been around the block. He was Secretary of State, Governor, Mayor of Oakland, and currently holds the office of Attorney General. 

If you're not sure who to vote for, don't worry you still have plenty of time. I'm not sure myself who I am going for. George Skelton had a nice write up of Tom Campbell and his centrist views. A lot of local republicans are lining up behind Meg Whitman. But how you can not vote for someone who has been putting up with the insurance companies. 

So whats a young Republican to do?

I disagree with Glen Beck. Do you?

Well the tide is turning and Democrats are now starting to turn on each other. Yesterday I reported on how the Blue Dog Democrats were scared that Obamacare would not be fiscally responsible.  Why? Of course over money and influence from special interest groups. The Wall Street Journal says:

"[Blue Dog Democrats] don't want private health insurers to compete with a federally funded plan, and seek to reduce the share of lower-income Americans who would receive health-care subsidies."

According to Paul Krugman the Blue Dogs might be the straw that breaks the camels back if they don't get on board.

The only thing I like about the whole healthcare plan is the public option. If you do not have insurance through an employer, you can always buy it from the government. Here no one will be turned away because of pre-existing conditions or rejected for care. Insurance companies are scared that this public option will run them out of business when in fact it should only promote business. Competition will force insurance companies to shape up or ship out.

Only time will tell if President Obama gets healthcare reform passed. One thing is for sure, the Democrats are starting to crumble. As they turn on each other, power will soon fade.   

Early last week, the Republican Senator from South Carolina had some sharp words for his colleagues and President Obama. Senator Jim Demint said "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him." So if the Republicans could stop Obamacare from moving forward, they could stop the President, and in fact it would be the beginning of the end for him.

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Like everyone else, I would like to see healthcare for all. The system is so flawed though it could create more mess than needed. The pace at which Congress is trying to pass healtcare is just too fast.  President Obama wants his healthcare reform bill passed before the end of the year because he knows that once the new year rolls around, most of his luster will be gone. Anything as huge as healthcare reform needs to be done while people are still starry-eyed with the President.

It is not only Republicans who are shying away from universal healthcare. There were grumblings from conservative Democrats who say too much money would be spent.

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Concerning large amounts of momney, you can not just shore up $26 billion. Like the last California budget, I am just waiting for this new one to fall apart at the seams. It is really a shame too because so many people are losing services and funding for any number of particular projects. As California will continue to brace for impact in these shaky economic times, lets see if the "leaders" in Sacramento can begin plotting a new course for our state.

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Food for Thought: If we spent $3 trillion in Iraq over 6 years, is it worth spending $1 trillion on healthcare over 10 years?