Discuss the wounded GOP here. Pete Wilson in 1996. The federal government is blaming the state, while the governor blames the feds and the companies controlling the generation of energy. Consumer groups blame the utilities and the Legislature. And as California crawls toward yet another imperfect and expensive fix-it plan, no clear solution is in sight.
Critics say they're trying to turn out the lights on democracy.
The consumer groups can be blamed in part for their myopic focus on breaking the utility monopolies, which prevented them from foreseeing the coming power generator cartel. The federal government is guilty, at the very least, of inaction, for failing to step in to order rebates from energy producers who have been making out like bandits. And finally, the producers themselves deserve criticism for willfully abusing the deregulated market to push California into daily power emergencies. Not surprisingly, few players are ready to stand up and accept responsibility. But even if it's impossible to single out any primary villain in the electricity mess, or to figure out a way forward that makes any sense, it is relatively simple to pick some winners and losers out of this sorry bunch.