I don’t really think much of Senator Abel Maldonado, the state senator who was just appointed as Lieutenant Governor to replace John Garamendi (who took a demotion in exchange for lifetime employment in Congress). It’s not that I don’t like people with moderate political beliefs, because I get along with many of them quite well.

No, with Abel Maldonado (who I first met in 1998), it’s just the lack of any principles whatsoever. The constant willingness to sell out anyone and anything to get ahead. The flip-flopping on issues of real importance to California taxpayers in order to get sweetheart deals designed to help one and only one person: himself.

In other words, we’re dealing with a real Captain You-Planet here.

So now Governor Schwarzenegger appoints Senator Maldonado to the esteemed post of Lieutenant Governor (so esteemed, Arnold recently termed it worthless and cut its budget in half).

The Democrats don’t want Maldonado as the incumbent Lieutenant Governor because then he might have a chance to win and stay on in the job over one of their own. So all of a sudden, they’ve discovered fiscal prudence and say they want to save taxpayer money by keeping the office vacant until 2011. Talk about the grounds for a major grudge on Maldonado’s part.

So to conservatives all up in arms about this appointment, consider the fact that if things continue the way they are headed, Abel will get swindled out of the job he was appointed to, and the Democrats in the legislature will get swindled out of one of their guaranteed votes to raise taxes.

Some things just work out.

Photo Credit: Sac Bee