Politics suck. Perhaps this is overgeneralizing; the back-and-forth arguments, debates, the lying, and especially politicians out for personal gain, make me gag.

With the upcoming gubernatorial election on Nov. 2, the political wheeling and dealing is in full swing. Everywhere I turn, I cannot escape politics. Campaign advertisements on TV and the radio, political signs on people’s lawns, the discussions about political figures in classes &- politics seem to be all around.

Take, for instance, the recent debate between gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown. Did the debate add anything to anyone’s view of each candidate? Probably not, and especially not for those who already have bumper stickers attached to their cars.

Maybe not watching the debates for that reason makes me ignorant, which is something lobbyist Julianne Broyles of California Advocates is against.

“Politics itself doesn’t suck,” Broyles said. “It’s people who are ignorant and think other people should handle politics for them that suck.”

Broyles has a point &- people need to know what it is they are voting on. But should that mean seeing Meg Whitman’s face in every commercial break, or hearing Jerry Brown’s voice on the radio every five minutes? It does not help; it just over-saturates the candidate’s name, making me highly annoyed.

Stan Oden, government professor, does not think highly of either candidate, but favors Jerry Brown, who was governor of California from 1975 to 1983.

“I don’t think Brown will be any different than last time,” Oden said. “He basically said he would do a lot of things, and didn’t do much. He believes that people should be involved in shaping the future, but didn’t give them a vehicle to do so.”

Waving a carrot on a stick, saying that people should be more involved and not letting them, makes me hate politics that much more.

What about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his promises to help California? Michael Semler, government professor, argues that the governor is doing a poor job.

“The current governor may have the poorest capabilities and understanding of the job than any (governor) since Hiram Johnson,” Semler said.

Johnson famously had the Alien Land Law of 1913 written and passed, making it impossible for immigrants from Asian countries to gain citizenship. Because the law was clearly unconstitutional, his law was later overturned by the California Supreme Court for violating the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

More recently, according to the Huffington Post, a liberal news website and blog created by Arianna Huffington, Schwarzenegger’s approval ratings in March were the same as the ratings of former Gov. Gray Davis at the time of this recall.

Oden agrees with Semler on Gov. Schwarzenegger’s performance.

“Schwarzenegger is the worst governor we’ve had,” Oden said. “He trashed education the first few years of his term, until students and faculty approached him and made the nation aware of the problem.”

Finally, the far-overdue budget. The budget was finally passed, but Broyles said the state is already looking at a $10 billion deficit for next year’s budget, proving once again why politics makes my blood boil.

To get a state budget passed, political deals must be made. Each side has its own agenda to fulfill. This creates an environment where nothing gets done.

With an upcoming vote to decide who will be the next governor, I will certainly pay attention to the state government &- but I will still despise the politics game and the politicians who are out for personal gain.

Cole Mayer can be reached at [email protected].