THE BOXER REBELLION – AT 7:50 A.M. ET:  In the critical California Senate race, Republican Carly Fiorina is pulling ahead of incumbent Barbara Boxer.  Boxer's problems stem largely from the fact that California is in awful shape, and it's hard to think of anything Boxer has accomplished that might help the situation.  One of the great intellects of the Senate she is not.  From the Christian Science Monitor:

Los Angeles – Sen. Barbara Boxer is losing ground to challenger Carly Fiorina in the race for California's Senate seat, which is considered key to both political parties.

Fiorina showed a five-point lead (47 percent to 42 percent) in a SurveyUSA poll released Aug. 12. The poll surveyed 602 likely California voters between Aug. 9 and Aug. 11 and had a margin of error of 4.1 percent.

“The 2010 California Senate race is very important nationally,” says Carleton College political scientist Steven Schier. “If the GOP is to gain control of the Senate, they must win the California Senate race.”

Because economic concerns lead the list of voter issues, Senator Boxer and Ms. Fiorina have been parrying over their plans to create jobs in the struggling state. Fiorina has accused Boxer of supporting “job killing” taxes and regulations by allowing Bush tax cuts to expire. And she has said recent small business legislation co-sponsored by Boxer “has done nothing to make it easier for small businesses or family owned businesses.”

Boxer counters that she has introduced legislation that would establish the Working Capital Express program – a new lending initiative that would encourage banks to extend more credit to small businesses. The US Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday endorsed Fiorina last week.

“Fiorina’s message may be resonating with voters,” says Jessica Levinson, an analyst with the Center for Governmental Studies. “She has styled herself as a savvy businesswoman with real-world experience who can help improve the economy and create jobs,” she says, noting that a July poll by the same organization showed her lead at two percent.

COMMENT:  California is a blue state, and has, in recent years, grown more blue.  It is not the state that Ronald Reagan governed 40 years ago.  But there may well be an awakening in the golden state, a recognition that it cannot continue its profligate ways, with a social program for every group consisting of two people or more.  Republicans have a real shot at Boxer's seat, but expect Dems, backed by funds from the vast army of Hollywood adolescents, to pour everything they have into saving her.

August 17, 2010