Dear Editor,
Last week it struck me: California no longer decides who’s president. The biggest state is mere pipsqueak when determining who makes war, threatens foreigners, or promotes torture.
Thanks to Electoral College weirdness, our “one man, one vote” barely counts compared to “battleground” states like Ohio or Florida.
Nevertheless, the president this state twice rejected raised $400,000 for Rep. Richard Pombo, adding to his money leverage over challenger Jerry McNerney. Bush also collected cash for Rep. John Doolittle, repeating his fantasy if Republicans can just stay in power we’d all be safe, have victory in Iraq, and end the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
Is there a better response to empty claims than defeating two Bush loyalists and remind the Decider the will of the majority disagrees?
Maybe California doesn’t decide the president, but we can send clear messages and new representatives to Washington to save our country from ruin. In that sense, all Californians live in Pombo’s (and Doolittle’s) districts.
Robert Becker, Mendocino
