Boxer v. Fiorina?

Have you heard? Carly Fiorina is "seriously considering" trying to unseat Barbara Boxer. Although Boxer seems pretty safe, this one sets off my spider sense. Stay tuned...

***

In other news, the Bee's editorial tomorrow will call for an end to term limits. I am totally down with that. Here's why:

• In a truly free democratic process, the people should have the right to elect whosoever they deem fit to govern. If it is their will to put an 8-year-old in office, so be it. Legislation that inhibits the will of the people is always iffy. Placing constraints on their electoral will is outright disenfranchisement.

• There's a truism that goes, "Everyone hates Congress and loves their Congressman." That's because approval polls ask voters what they think about a body in which they have only a marginal bit of say. Obviously, everyone dislikes a body that forces their man in the Capitol to compromise.

• People deserve the elected officials they (don't) vote for. Today, the practical barriers to voter participation are primarily socio-economic, such as work hours or transit limitations. The real barriers to participation, however, are cultural - folks just don't feel the need to vote - and not voting is acquiescence to the eventual winner's mandate. It is the people's responsibility to remove lousy officials. If they fail to do so, that's their fault.

Sadly, voters sometimes vote against their own interests. It is frustrating to be in an electoral minority, especially in our winner-takes-all system and when you are committed to the propriety of what or who you vote for. Nevertheless, if we truly believe in the correctness of our positions, we should be unafraid to debate openly and vigorously with other citizens who disagree.

Infringing your opponents' rights is an immoral act of tyranny against yourself.