I'm not sure I'll cast a vote for Lt. Governor. The only one I know anything about is Garamendi, and his record is a bit tainted by allegations of collusion with the insurance industry he's currently regulating. Also, I knew the guy, years ago when he was an Assemblyman, and even then people had some pretty cynical things to say about him, and he struck me as just another slick politician. I can't be sure he's a bad guy, but there are suspicions that he's not a good guy, either.

Delivering the goods is not a bad reason to vote for a politician, but I see a downside. Garamendi delivered the goods within the scope of his office as Insurance Commissioner. In a higher office, with greater scope, what goods will he deliver? And to whom? Whether a politician is "good" seems to be situational, and when a politician's situation changes, so will his sense of ethics.

But I don't know if it will be true of Garmendi. I'm not arguing against voting for him, only for a proper cynicism toward politicians in general. Just because they're your friend today is no reason to trust them to be your friend tomorrow.