California Faultline

Please indulge me as I color outside of California’s borders (and possibly political sanity) and propose for discussion a possible other dream ticket for the 2008 Presidential race:

McCain/Clinton.

Sure, there are countless reasons why this wouldn’t happen, but if The Huffington Post can suggest Republican Chuck Hagel as a potential running mate for Barack Obama based largely on Hagel’s anti-war stance, I think I can suggest that a McCain/Clinton ticket stands far more a chance.

Here’s six reasons you should spread this rumor, and why it isn’t that far fetched:

6. The Obama machine isn’t slowing down, regardless of who he picks as a VP. McCain, on the other hand, needs someone to energize prospective voters and prove he won’t be “another 4 years of Bush.” There isn’t a single Republican prospect who could improve on this (save for Condi Rice).

5. McCain and Clinton aren’t shy to hide their affection for each other, and have brought up their close relationship on countless occasions.

4. They’re already attempting to create policies and a shared platform - such as the summer gas tax cut plan (that California Progress Report believes will cost our state over 23,000 jobs).

3. On more than one occasion, Hillary has said endorsed McCain’s qualifications as President while decrying Obama. In a speech on March 3rd, Clinton said, “I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain has a lifetime he will bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.” She added that along with her, McCain had also passed the “commander in chief threshold,” but Obama had not.

2. Independent voters would go koo-koo for coconuts over a bipartisan ticket, as would anyone else feeling disenfranchised or disgusted by the partisan vitriol that has divided the country over the Iraq war.

1. The number of Clinton supporters she’s be able to carry over would far outweigh the Republican voters McCain would lose.

While it would certainly upset both party systems, I think a win would be virtually guaranteed.

Thoughts?

Los Angeles area billboards have recently been debased by guerrilla artist Ron English, as evidenced by the above John McCain “I Wanna Be Erected” ad, sponsored, apparently, by Viagra.

Found at the corner of Pickford Pl. and LaCienega, photo by JetSet Graffiti. More from English’s L.A., um, “gallery” at Slam X Hype!

(thanks to fellow Metblogs contributor Erica at Swirlspice!)

Traders on the Ireland based Intrade prediction market are investing real money on the chances of various political wins, in the US and elsewhere. Current odds include:

Democratic front-runner Barack Obama an 86 percent chance of being the Democratic presidential nominee, versus a 12.8 percent for Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady. [Reuters via Yahoo! News]

Besides Presidential elections, “stock options” include whether or not the US will boycott the Beijing Olympics, and, of special interest to California Faultine readers, if an “earthquake measuring 9.0 or more on Richter scale (will) occur anywhere on/before Dec 31 2008.” (the stock is valued at 12 points, compared to the 9 point value of a Clinton White House win).

In an interview with Freakenomics, Intrade head honcho John Delaney answered the obvious legality question this way: “It’s very difficult for our legal folks to know the exact attitudes, laws, precedents etc. of every country, but they do try.” (more…)

John McCain’s schedule today takes him along the coast:

8:30 am: Speech before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Private event.

12:00pm: $2,300/plate fundraising luncheon at the Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach.

6:30pm: $1,000/head fundraising reception (for $2,300 you also get a lapel pin) at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco.

This concludes his three day blitz through California, begun Monday in San Diego, and capped with a Tuesday visit to Nancy Reagen’s Bel Air home where she announced her endorsement of him. [AP]

That innocent office pool you put a few Hamiltons on? Your participation could land you in jail for a year and/or a fine of $5000… and that’s for first offenders.

If you want to put your money on anything, maybe a donation to Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries reelection campaign would be a good idea.* The Lake Elsinore Republican has proposed a new bill that, while not legalizing office pools, would make participation merely an infraction, with a fine no more than $500.

Jeffries told the Sacramento Bee, “Folks making a friendly wager with friends or co-workers should not have to worry about committing a crime.”

Coincidentally, if you’d like to John McCain’s office pool, click here.

ABC News found Barack Obama’s bracket picks.

*Jeffries has been in office for about a year, so it may be a while til the next campaign.

Anti-war (and anti-Scientology) protesters marched in Hollywood on Saturday. Photo by NoHoDamon, used under Creative Commons.

LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA

Washington State’s Dept. of Correction has settled to pay $2.25 million to five San Ferando Valley boys who “wounded or traumatized” when Bufford Furrow Jr., on parole from a Washington state prison, went on a shooting rampage at a Jewish Center in Granada Hills, injuring two female employees in addition to the boys, and killing a postal worker. [Daily News]

Be confident that at least someone is getting a paycheck out of the LAUSD: their payroll system, which has cost $40 million to fix, will likely take another $15 million to make glitch free. The school system’s COO David Holmquist is confident that in time the system will pay for itself. [Daily News]

The City of Long Beach budgets $3 million annually on sidewalk repairs, or $333,000 per council district. John Canalis of the Press Telegram looks at each districts repair needs and how they’ll quickly gobble up the funds.

911 insurance? As of May 6th, the City of Ventura allows residents to choose either a $1.49 monthly surcharge to cover the cost of 9-1-1 services, or pay $17.88 only in the event the number needs to be dialed. Of 158,000 phone lines, only 5,000 have so far opted out of the monthly fee. [Ventura County Star]

A week after Los Angeles was reported to have the bumpiest roads in California, with 65% needing repair, Mayor Villairagosa held a press conference on Sunday to show himself filling in the 800,000th pothole since he declared war on potholes in 2005. [KNBC]

Michael Higby outlines a number of controversial real estate developments and expansions throughout Los Angeles that he believes residents should be concerned about. [Mayor Sam's Sister City]

Click to read additional items from across the state.

From the “You Can’t Be Serious” department, last week a complaint was filed at a U.S. District Court in Riverside, CA to settle, once and for all, whether or not John McCain is a “natural born” U.S. citizen, and thus Constitutionally qualified to be President of the United States.

Indeed, when McCain was born on Aug. 29, 1936 it wasn’t within any of the then 48 United States. Instead, his entrance to this world was in the Panama Canal Zone where his father, a U.S. Naval officer was stationed.

Lawyer Andrew Aames, the Republican lawyer who filed the complaint said he had no stake in the matter, and just wanted to clear thing up for voters. [The Raw Story]