Hasta La Vista, Baby
I am no pundit, by any means. But I do have some concerns about last night's victory by Governor-Elect Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Why did Arnold win by such a decisive margin? I can't help but think that reality has become blurred to an almost dangerous point for many California residents.

Who did they vote for? Arnold the man? Arnold the actor? Arnold the superhero?
I pride myself on keeping an open mind in many aspects of life. My parents taught me at an early age to be accepting of others; that lesson has served me well and translated into a desire not to be judgmental or jump to conclusions about people. I don't have a problem per se with the fact that Arnold is an actor. There have been many others who began as entertainers and went on to achieve political 'success.' (Ronald Reagan, Sonny Bono, Jesse Ventura, etc...)
For some reason, however, I am bothered by this particular election.

Perhaps it is that this entertainer-turned-politician phenomenon is becoming more common. That one day interviewers will ask celebrities when they plan to run for office instead of when we can expect their next movie or album.

Perhaps it is the possibility that Californians were so unhappy with Governor Davis' inaction that they simply voted for the Terminator, the one man who can always get the job done.

Perhaps it is the discomfort I felt when I read the Oui article. Should this man really be elected to run a state, especially such a large state that so often influences the entire nation?

I hope that the interest generated by this uncharacteristic state election caused the voters of California to investigate their options and vote for the candidate that they felt would best govern their state. What I think truly happened, though, in this day of reality TV and idolizing of entertainers, is that California voters chose the most 'popular' candidate - based on their limited, 'tinsel town' perceptions of Arnold.