How to tell if Democrats are fighting.

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Right now, Gov Gray Davis is in the fight of his political career. And regardless of you opinion of Davis, much rests on this one vote. My worst fear is that the first act of a new Republican governor will be to initiate new voting reforms. Reforms that would likely include those –cough- black voting boxes. You know the ones, the kind that let you vote from the parking lot, if you get my drift. (Drive by voting any one?) From there, California goes the way of Florida, and the rest of us may as well go home and bury our copies of Best Democracy Money Can Buy.

Truth be said, I am not entirely curtain which outcome would be the best for us? The more I thinking about this, the more it becomes apparent that the Republicans win no mater what the outcome. Even if Davis is retained, the state will have spent itself even deeper into the hole, making California's situation even more desperate.

However, some one did post a question about this coming campaign. "What if Davis was to fight now?" After all, we have practically been begging the Dems to grow a back bone. Would we cheer, or jeer Davis for growing a back bone now? The question was asked in a sarcastic demeanor, meant to call attention some claims of Davis's passivity. Never the less, the more I think about it, the more relevant this question becomes. But to answer that question, one must first answer another, what do we mean by "fight"?

In that spirit, I have come up with some tests that may help answer that question.

1) When the candidate or office holder (Or COH for short.) identifies a bill as "bad law" will that COH withhold his support and work to defeat the bill, or will the COH try to "soften" the bill to make this self proclaimed "bad law" into something more palatable?

2) Dose the COH have a public outreach program that keeps the COH in touch with his supporters? Doses the COH even have the means to reach out to his supporters? Will the COH keep his supporters up to day of his activities, both in office and on the campaign trail?

3) Douse the COH use flowery language for his opponents, even though those opponents are engaged in partisan assaults against him, his party, or basic American principals? Will he say "I respect my honorable colleague" even as his "colleague" has or is committing acts that do not deserve respect, and would be far from honorable?

4) Will the COH use the voting records of his opponents against them? Will the COH point out incidences of hypocrisy, dubious behavior, conflicts of interest, and criminal records (including pardons) to his constituents? With the COH try to expose his opponents true nature to the public?

5) Will the COH simply stand by while the press smears his reputation? If not, how dose the COH addressee these smears? Has the COH taken steeps so that he can defend himself against spears?

6) Is the COH politically active, regardless of his post? If the COH loses his office, or is out of office, is the COH continuing to be a voice for reform, placing pressure on those in office, or trying to inform & educate the voters in regards to the nature and facts of his issues?

7) Is the COH open too, and prepared to use unconventional means to hold the line. Such as the Killer D's out of Texas? Or using powers of eminent domain to take control over power plants not producing electricity? Or dose the COH relegate himself to only "by-partisan" solutions in the political arena?

8) Is his voting record consistent with his stated opinions & issues? (Keep in mind, the COH has a right to change his mind, but would also have a reason for doing so.) Will he stand on his voting record, or try to hide it?

9) Dose the COH constantly give into political correctness. Such as, "We Support the President" and "America first"? Dose the COH use this instead of genuine substance? Dose the COH use "code speak"? (That is, words without manful definitions behind them.)