What does it mean when two erstwhile political opponents have a sit-down over a cup of joe at a Merced Starbucks?
In the case of a meeting between Assemblywoman Cathleen "all aboard" Galgiani, D-Livingston, and Republican Jack Mobley, who ran against her and lost in 2008, it means someone may not want an opponent when she runs for re-election in the fall, Lips has learned.
Mobley, who only recently said he has decided to run again, met with Galgiani after she asked him to.
"We met at Starbucks the other day and talked for a while," he said.
They talked about a range of subjects, which included Galgiani's advice that Mobley should not run against her in the next election, he said. She told Mobley he should wait until 2012 to run when the electoral districts have been redrawn, he said.
"She did not say 'I don't want you to run,' she just said it might be better for me if I waited until '12," he said. "I think she doesn't want to have an opponent."
Galgiani said she did ask for the meeting after running into Mobley at a chamber of commerce gathering.
She said they talked about her favorite subject -- high-speed rail -- at Starbucks. She wanted to convince him, despite their political differences, that he should support the project, she said.
But that was not all they talked about.
They also chatted about the coming fall elections.
"I didn't ask that he not run," said Galgiani. But she did say it might be more advantageous if he ran after the district had been redrawn in the 2012 election. "Certainly I would love to run unopposed," she said.
While that would be nice for her last term, it doesn't look like she is going to be that lucky.
Despite her strategic political thinking on elections, Mobley did not take her advice.
Ladies and gentleman, start your engines.
USA! USA! USA!
Talk about an inclusive invocation.
When Terry Raley, the executive director of Love Inc., gave the opening prayer at Merced's City Council meeting Monday night, she mentioned the Olympic Games.
But instead of reminding the crowd that the Olympics were created to promote the brotherhood of man, Raley said the events in Vancouver should foster a deeper connect with, yes, other Americans around the world.
What the...?
Either Raley's words were a shout-out to all the ex-pats who have left their home, a verbal snafu or a twisted sense of brotherhood.
Or maybe it was just a message from God reminding everyone that America is the greatest nation on earth, after all.
If that's the case, she should have taken a page from the playbook of the crowds of Americans in the nation to our north, Canada.
U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!
