[Vision2020] Something a Tad Different

[Tom Hansen]

A clear sign that your political career is in trouble:  When you lose to a
cadaver.

Courtesy of the Huffington Post at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/jenny-oropeza-wins-califo_n_778113.html

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Jenny Oropeza died last month, but her political career lives on.

The deceased California Democrat won re-election to the State Senate by a
comfortable margin, besting Republican challenger John Stammreich, 58% to
36%.

Oropeza passed away on October 20, too late to replace her on the ballot
for the state's 28th Senate district, which includes parts of Long Beach,
Los Angeles and the South Bay. She had been battling health problems and
died of complications from a blood clot that first developed in May.
Oropeza, 53, was successfully treated for liver cancer in 2004.

Tuesday's result will trigger a special election.

The Daily Breeze reports that the campaign's final stretch was fraught
with controversy:

The tone of the campaign for the 28th District turned sour on its final
day, with Stammreich and the California Republican Party filing complaints
accusing the Democratic Party and Secretary of State Debra Bowen of using
a late-hour campaign mailing to "illegally influence" voters to cast a
ballot for Oropeza.

The correspondence, titled "Election Information," was sent via mail to
Democratic and decline-to-state voters and outlined what would happen if
Oropeza won.

The Los Angeles Times has more about the controversial mailer, which was
paid for by the California Democratic Party. It claimed that "Republicans
are trying to take unfair advantage of Jenny's tragedy" by suggesting that
a vote for Oropeza would result in a "costly Special Election."

The complaint filed by Republicans says that the state's top election
official gave "her name and her office to an illegal attempt to sway this
election." Democrats dismissed the charge as frivolous.

Oropeza was elected to the Senate in 2006 after serving six years in the
Assembly. The Carson lawmaker was known for championing health and
environmental causes, including unsuccessful legislation that sought to
ban smoking at state parks. Her illness forced her to miss most of this
year's session.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown