[tallhappy]

McClintock could be elected, clearly, in this environment

Yes. A conservative Republican could have won in this environment. A conservative could have beaten Davis in 2002 but a horrible candidate, Simon, was chosen. And now the same people who supported Simon are now saying McClintock can't win, only Schwarzenegger can win. But they were wrong about Simon.

Schwarzenegger is the loose cannon.

[=Intervention=]

Good point. It's instructive to remember that Simon lost only because of his own personal missteps, and not because of any widespread opposition to his agenda. If he had been more competent, he would be in the governor's office right now. Was it possible to foresee that he'd self-destruct like he did? I'm not sure. I didn't see any warning signs, but then again I didn't follow the election single-mindedly.