Remember when I mentioned that some of the conversations I've had with my fellow Californians about the impending recall vote would make your damn head spin? No? Me neither. But, anyway, there's a great article (which can be found here) in the Village Voice about Rick Perlstein's recent visit to California to figure out this whole recall thing. Part of it involved picking people at random. Like this:

I move on to my next Republican. He has a company that sells roofing materials. When I ask him why he thinks Davis should be recalled, he echoes a criticism of Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub: that Davis counted on continued high stock-market returns while planning state employees' pension fund contributions. I observe this was a common enough mistake to make at the time. He returns a thoughtful retort—a conservative one, you might say: "You don't base your future on the high-rolling returns in the stock market. We all know that the stock market has ups and downs." I can't stop myself before I bait again—"So you're against things like putting social security money in the stock market?" I predict what his answer will be. Bingo: "No, I'm not against that at all. In fact I'm for that."

Luckily, he heard from some clearer-thinking people:

I flip on KFI, Southern California's "More Stimulating Talk Radio." Later this week in Sacramento, a recall campaign organizer will tell me that, since political parties are so organizationally weak these days, talk radio hosts are the modern-day equivalent of ward bosses. He courts them as one of the most important parts of any political campaign he runs. Here is how these particular ward bosses—KFI's notorious "John and Ken," John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou—are mobilizing his flock. I turn on my tape recorder as soon as I hear the word "treason." . . . that's what it's all about. When you heard it today, it all clicked; it's about allowing illegals to vote . . . They're talking about Davis's decision to sign a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers' licenses. The policy rationale is that since illegal immigrants are an economic necessity and a fact of life in California, and since you cannot survive in California without driving, Mexicans are driving so cautiously for fear of getting caught without a license that they constitute a safety hazard. The political rationale is winning the anti-recall votes of legal immigrants. John and Ken spy other motives. All these overeducated wienies at the Los Angeles Times, when are you going to ask about illegal aliens voting in U.S. elections, in California elections, with these drivers' licenses they're going to have . . . I pass a blonde woman in a black BMW convertible with the license plate LOVINLF. . . . Davis knows this. . . . That's the real plan, that's what they talk about when they are in their dark rooms at night. . . . Which explains, they have already noted, the goal of the Democrat running on the ballot to replace Davis: Bustamante is going to be running as the first governor of the northernmost province of Mexico. That's really what he's doing here. . . .

And then an elected official on the same topic:

I interviewed Dana Rohrabacher in his backyard—"my office" he says. He pours chardonnay, while telling me why he's supporting Arnold even though he's not as conservative as he would like. I mention the crazy conspiracy theory I heard on talk radio today. "They think it's so illegals can worm in there and vote." I'm nervous he'll think I'm trying to bait him into endorsing it. "Of course it is!" he shoots back, unabashed. "Our state is being overrun, and our country is being overrun." "By the way, illegal immigration is not just Mexico now," he volunteers, warming to the subject. "Just take a look at all the Chinatowns around the country. They're exploding in population. . . . They come in when they're sick so they can get free health care."

Dr. Hibbert: Why do we live in a place where the stupidest run everything and the smartest have no say? Maybe I should just move back to Alabama.