Poor Phil

Poor Phil Angelides, he's running for governor of California against a multiple superhero who is variously seen by his adoring public as either the Terminator, or a U.S. marshall known as "the Eraser," or perhaps the commando he once played, or Conan the Destroyer, or even Hercules himself.

And, on top of that, this superhero opponent, who happens to really be incumbent governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course, is a chameleon who, as every election day approaches, changes color quicker than a blushing bride. 

Phil could no doubt see trouble starting to come down the road in July, when the governor filed a petition with the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture beginning the process to permanently protect 21 percent of California's 18 national forests.  But that was just the beginning, a mere spitball compared to the blitzkrieg that Phil had to take cover from in September.

First, against the backdrop of San Francisco Bay, the governor signed landmark legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Come again?  Protecting forests was bad enough, but a Republican going to war against global warming?  That's just not fair.  What's a Democratic opponent to do against such an outrageous act of treason?

And, just to make sure that no one missed what he was doing, the governor arranged to have Prime Minister Tony Blair participate in the occasion, via satellite, and the Japanese Counsel General read a letter of support from Junichiro Koizumi, the prime minister of Japan.  And, oh yes, Governor George Pataki of New York was also there.

And yet, while a vast majority of the public was absorbing this strange turn of events, only a few were aware that the governor had insisted that the act contain a "safety valve" that will allow him to suspend the emission caps in case of "significant economic harm," whatever that might mean.  And even fewer people might have been aware that, according to the Sacramento Bee, the governor had received more than $1.4 million from oil affiliated contributors since 2003.

But throughout all of this, one incontrovertible fact stands out more than any other.  California is the 12th largest emitter of carbon in the world.

If poor Phil thought that this kick in the backside was all he had to deal with, though, he was sadly mistaken.  The governor had barely digested his last meal in San Francisco when he arrived at John Muir high school in Pasadena to sign legislation to help low performing schools hire the best teachers.  This was nothing less than a political version of a low blow.  The governor couldn't have the teachers and the educational establishment.  They belonged to Phil.

And, in reality, the $22.7 million that this legislation is supposed to cost, is only a 1% return of the $2 billion that the teachers have persistantly and bitterly accused the governor of taking from their budget in times past.  And yet, here he was in Pasadena, wearing the mantle of the great champion of education.

But, before Phil could even say "hey, wait a minute...." the ubiquitous governor was back in Sacramento signing yet more liberal legislation to provide meaningful discounts to Californians who do not have health insurance.  Then, as an encore, just to make sure that no deadbeat was left behind, he also inked his name to a new law requiring landlords to give 60 days notice before making an evicted tenant move out.  And, to add insult to injury, the governor made sure he was surrounded by the legislature's smiling Democratic leaders for the photo ops. 

This withering onslaught into Phil's very own back yard reduced the now reeling challenger to one option - to play the Bush chip.  Every picture ever taken of the governor and the president together suddenly started appearing in Phil's ads.  There they were, smiling at each other, holding hands, practically kissing. 

This held the promise of a comeback, for sure.  Phil was back in the game, it seemed.

But that was before fate - in the form of a Bush visit to California - intervened.

Bush was planning two days in central California, and just prior to the trip, the White House announced that the visit would include a meeting with the governor to discuss things.

Phil's prospects were looking better by the minute, but then - lo and behold - when the president arrived, the governor was nowhere to be seen.  Actually, he did finally turn up about as far away as he could get, in San Diego, surfacing just long enough to say that he had "no plans" to meet with the president. Chock another one up for the incumbent.

Not surprisingly, Arnold is now enjoying a double digit lead in the polls and is generally credited with handling himself well in his recent, one-time debate with his challenger. 

At the same time, Democratic leaders are turning sour and are beginning to fear a repeat of the 1994 ticket-wide collapse.

Phil, meanwhile says stay the course.  "We will begin to now reach people through the....media, and we will also be able to go on TV and tell people where we want to take this state." 

Not the greatest game plan ever laid out - but stay tuned.