I think the post-mortem is long overdue. This all happened in 2005, with the propositions. The outcome was definite.
For someone who used to see the “Gray-Out” stickers on trucks around Sacramento County it’s discouraging
Nope. It started when he first took the political stage in 2001 with his Prop 49 (government babysitting) and LONG before the 2005 propositions. There is a long list of the liberal initiatives he undertook before that (Global warming laws, Cap-and-tax schemes, Mega borrowing, mega spending, massive land grabs, etc).
The myth "he tried but was beat on his conservative propositions" is just that -- MYTH! Those propositions weren't conservative at all (read the fine print) and it ignores the long-term damage Schwarzenkennedy had already been doing for years.
The post-mortem should read that the electorate was schnookered by a rich liberal celebrity saying whatever it took to get elected and gain power. Cult of personality is a dangerous thing.