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Patience, non-California fans. It'll all be over soon.

Another usually reliable poll, the L.A. Times, gave Bustamante a double digit lead over Arnold, and this week the media finally came around. They're a bit befuddled because he's not the typical media candidate. With his formal diction he reminds me of newsreels of 1940s statesmen, though not staid--just good enunciation. He seemed a little nervous on national TV but he held his own and made sure he got his answers in before the anchor went into his act. He could catch on, who knows? The retro candidate.

The news continues to be good for Bustamante, as unions and officeholders continue to endorse him, and even Gray Davis is now publicly supporting a vote for Bustamante as well as a no vote on recall. That's pretty significant, although it may be an act of desperation. But it is a strategy that could work. It's now close to even money whether Davis will be recalled, and Bustamante is pretty likely to be the top vote getter. Things will probably get nasty from here on out, though, because he's the frontrunner. Arnold has tried to make him sound like another Gray. That won't wash. But expect an onslaught backed by those who suddenly realize that if he wins, they--being rich and corporate--will have to pay more taxes, more than Gray Davis could get away with levying on them. How many minutes will go by before we start hearing the inevitable charge of "class warfare"?

If he can survive that, Cruz will cruise.
More and more it looks like Bustamante could very well be the next Governor of CA, if not this year, next time.