for the first time in my life, I entered the voting booth with no idea who I would vote for in a top race. Earlier this morning I had decided to go Davis, but only to help prevent a Simon victory. But I began losing my nerve as the day wore on. By the time I stood before my touch-screen voting machine, I had no idea what I was going to do.

So I went through all 14 pages of my ballot, leaving that governor's race blank. I went back to it, and stared at it for what must've been 5 minutes. There was no line, so I wasn't holding anything up. I fidgeted with the ballot -- I moved forward a few screens, went back, reconsidered my vote for some worthless school board race (in Berkeley, everyone is progressive), and finally, literally supressing my gag reflex, I voter for Davis.

NO ONE should ever have to go through this. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. And a little lesson to the GOP -- had Riordian been the GOP nominee, he very well may have gotten the vote of this extremely partisan Dem. We may talk about Democrats being their own worst enemy, but I think the GOP (hikacked as it has been by its wingnuts) has harmed itself much more than anything Dems have inflicted on themselves. Consider, republicans could've easily won the California State House.