Last night, California’s Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi became the Member of Congress in CD-10. That means that Governor Schwarzenegger has the opportunity to name a replacement for Garamendi as Lt. Governor. He should pick Tom Campbell.
I say this not as someone who has chosen another candidate in the race for Governor – but as a Californian who would like to see the “right direction/wrong track” numbers reverse and our state get its fiscal house in order.
An overwhelming 75% of Californians say the state is on the wrong track. This, coupled with the legislature’s unsatisfactory approval ratings, shows that people want our elected leaders to work together to solve problems and provide a more welcoming environment for business.
Whether this state is ungovernable or not, we need someone who can get confirmed by the overly-dominant Democrat legislature and empowered by the Governor. We must get our economic footing back to remain competitive in a world economy.
There is not a single human being that I can name who will do more to bridge the partisan divide than Tom Campbell. Tom is a man of tremendous fiscal discipline whose heart lies with California. He has as many Democrat issues as he has Republican issues – and for that reason – he can bridge the gap. His appointment doesn’t put any legislative seats in jeopardy; he is a “safe” choice.
Remember when a rowdy California insurgency empowered an actor/businessman to clean up this State? Governor Schwarzenegger has a chance to do the right thing by those who voted for him in 2003. The opportunity lies in appointing Tom Campbell as his Lieutenant Governor and empowering him to fix things.