Posted on 10/21/2003 11:52:11 AM PDT by Joaquin Black
“Light” as in light weight Joe Guzzardi October 20, 2003
California’s most tarnished politician is Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. He is the only man in the state more discredited than Gray Davis.
Having run an inept, lifeless campaign Bustamante not only failed to win over prospective voters, he instead made a long list of new enemies.
To understand the totality of Bustamante’s failure, read the column by Steve Sailer on the webzine VDARE. Com.
Political analysts agree that Bustamante is terminally damaged goods. According to Tony Quinn, “It's almost impossible two months ago to have thought of any way that Bustamante could have such a negative feeling among voters. He seems to have no future now."
GOP political consultant Kevin Spillane agrees. “His negatives are astonishingly bad. He would have tremendous challenges running for statewide office again, but that's not to say that he couldn't and that he wouldn't have a chance.”
Of course, running a race for political office and losing isn’t necessarily the kiss of death. But look at the mistakes Bustamante made that would seem impossible for any seasoned politician:
Bustamante insisted that he would not place his name on the Recall ballot but did so at virtually the first opportunity. Given numerous chances to renounce Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, MEChA, and its divisive agenda, Bustamante refused. Bustamante funneled about $4 million in large campaign checks through an old campaign account to avoid new state limits on contributions. Nevertheless, a Sacramento Superior Court judge ruled that the contributions from Indian gaming to produce and air anti-Prop 54 ads were illegal and the money had to be returned. The Bustamante campaign refused stating that the money had already been spent. Litigation has been filed. While all of this may be dismissed as the stuff of politics, a total lack of grace in defeat --his gubernatorial run-- or victory --his smear tactics role in demonizing Proposition 54-- is what will haunt Bustamante for years to come. (Prop 54 would have prohibited state and local governments from classifying individuals by race in public education, employment, contracting and most other government operations. Exemptions were available for medical research and racial classifications required by federal law. With a two-thirds vote of the state legislature and the governor’s approval, other exemptions in any reasonable area could have been granted.)
Bustamante, who expended as much energy arguing against Prop 54 as he did on promoting his own gubernatorial candidacy, was not content merely to defeat—for now-- Prop 54. In what he characterized as his concession speech to Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bustamante took several cheap shots at Prop 54 and its major supporter, Ward Connerly.
Throughout his speech, Bustamante repeatedly used the term “wedge politics” and attempted to malign Connerly by associating him with former Governor Pete Wilson. The truth is that hundreds of thousands of Californians consider Connerly and Wilson heroes for their steadfast willingness to fight for what is best the state.
In his October 9th press release, Connerly said, “I am disgusted that Cruz used the occasion of his concession speech to blast an initiative that promotes color-blindness which he says he believes in. But I’m especially appalled that he made it personal with his talk of ‘the wedge politics of Connerly and Wilson.’ There’s no one in our state who practices wedge politics more than Cruz and the only way he could find comfort in his loss to seize the governor’s office is to bash others. Pete Wilson has been out of public life for five years. Yet Cruz still demonizes him.”
Connerly, again speaking for the majority of Californians, had more to say about Bustamante’s underhanded digs:
“ I want Cruz to know that believing that all people should be treated equally regardless of race or color is not ‘wedge politics.’ Believing that young immigrants should learn how to speak English so that they can succeed in the world is not ‘wedge politics.’ Believing that the rights and privileges of citizenship should be limited to citizens is not ‘wedge politics. Believing in those principles is not an ‘attack’ on college students, school children or immigrants. And there is at least one thing that I can say that Cruz cannot. No racial slurs have ever ‘accidentally’slipped from my lips at any public forum.”
Although Bustamante remains in office, what contribution he can make to the Schwarzenegger administration or to Californians is very unclear.
As the saying around Sacramento goes, the “Lt” in his “Lt. Governor” title doesn’t stand for “Lieutenant” but “Light” as in light weight.
Joe Guzzardi is a Senior Writing Fellow for Californians for Population Stabilization in Santa Barbara. Guzzardi's Op-eds about California social issues have appeared in newspapers throughout California and elsewhere for 15 years.
He can be reached at guzzjoe@yahoo.com
California’s most tarnished politician is Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. He is the only man in the state more discredited than Gray Davis.
Having run an inept, lifeless campaign Bustamante not only failed to win over prospective voters, he instead made a long list of new enemies.
To understand the totality of Bustamante’s failure, read the column by Steve Sailer on the webzine VDARE. Com.
Political analysts agree that Bustamante is terminally damaged goods. According to Tony Quinn, “It's almost impossible two months ago to have thought of any way that Bustamante could have such a negative feeling among voters. He seems to have no future now."
GOP political consultant Kevin Spillane agrees. “His negatives are astonishingly bad. He would have tremendous challenges running for statewide office again, but that's not to say that he couldn't and that he wouldn't have a chance.”
Of course, running a race for political office and losing isn’t necessarily the kiss of death. But look at the mistakes Bustamante made that would seem impossible for any seasoned politician:
Bustamante insisted that he would not place his name on the Recall ballot but did so at virtually the first opportunity. Given numerous chances to renounce Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, MEChA, and its divisive agenda, Bustamante refused. Bustamante funneled about $4 million in large campaign checks through an old campaign account to avoid new state limits on contributions. Nevertheless, a Sacramento Superior Court judge ruled that the contributions from Indian gaming to produce and air anti-Prop 54 ads were illegal and the money had to be returned. The Bustamante campaign refused stating that the money had already been spent. Litigation has been filed. While all of this may be dismissed as the stuff of politics, a total lack of grace in defeat --his gubernatorial run-- or victory --his smear tactics role in demonizing Proposition 54-- is what will haunt Bustamante for years to come. (Prop 54 would have prohibited state and local governments from classifying individuals by race in public education, employment, contracting and most other government operations. Exemptions were available for medical research and racial classifications required by federal law. With a two-thirds vote of the state legislature and the governor’s approval, other exemptions in any reasonable area could have been granted.)
Bustamante, who expended as much energy arguing against Prop 54 as he did on promoting his own gubernatorial candidacy, was not content merely to defeat—for now-- Prop 54. In what he characterized as his concession speech to Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bustamante took several cheap shots at Prop 54 and its major supporter, Ward Connerly.
Throughout his speech, Bustamante repeatedly used the term “wedge politics” and attempted to malign Connerly by associating him with former Governor Pete Wilson. The truth is that hundreds of thousands of Californians consider Connerly and Wilson heroes for their steadfast willingness to fight for what is best the state.
In his October 9th press release, Connerly said, “I am disgusted that Cruz used the occasion of his concession speech to blast an initiative that promotes color-blindness which he says he believes in. But I’m especially appalled that he made it personal with his talk of ‘the wedge politics of Connerly and Wilson.’ There’s no one in our state who practices wedge politics more than Cruz and the only way he could find comfort in his loss to seize the governor’s office is to bash others. Pete Wilson has been out of public life for five years. Yet Cruz still demonizes him.”
Connerly, again speaking for the majority of Californians, had more to say about Bustamante’s underhanded digs:
“ I want Cruz to know that believing that all people should be treated equally regardless of race or color is not ‘wedge politics.’ Believing that young immigrants should learn how to speak English so that they can succeed in the world is not ‘wedge politics.’ Believing that the rights and privileges of citizenship should be limited to citizens is not ‘wedge politics. Believing in those principles is not an ‘attack’ on college students, school children or immigrants. And there is at least one thing that I can say that Cruz cannot. No racial slurs have ever ‘accidentally’slipped from my lips at any public forum.”
Although Bustamante remains in office, what contribution he can make to the Schwarzenegger administration or to Californians is very unclear.
As the saying around Sacramento goes, the “Lt” in his “Lt. Governor” title doesn’t stand for “Lieutenant” but “Light” as in light weight.
Joe Guzzardi is a Senior Writing Fellow for Californians for Population Stabilization in Santa Barbara. Guzzardi's Op-eds about California social issues have appeared in newspapers throughout California and elsewhere for 15 years.
He can be reached at guzzjoe@yahoo.com
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