CA: Taxes Take Center Stage in Gov. Debate

LAT ^ | Oct. 8, 2006 | Michael Finnegan and Mark Z. Barabak,

[FairOpinion]

Schwarzenegger depicts his foe as a big spender. Angelides compares his rival to Bush, Hastert.

Trailing badly in polls, Democrat Phil Angelides on Saturday used the first and only debate of the governor's race to question Arnold Schwarzenegger's integrity and try to yoke him to President Bush and embattled Republicans in Congress.

A jocular Schwarzenegger parried with one-liners and invoked major bipartisan agreements with state lawmakers, portraying Angelides as a big-spending liberal who was eager to hike taxes on those who could least afford it.

The issue of taxes, the governor's preferred ground, dominated the debate. Schwarzenegger mocked state Treasurer Angelides for proposing tax cuts for middle-income families, saying the idea was inconsistent with his support for a $4-billion car-tax hike under former Gov. Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger reeled off billions of dollars in other tax increases that Angelides has supported over the years, including a tractor levy that would have hit "the poor farmers."

[FairOpinion]

Arnold was the clear winner, that's why the MSM isn't calling who won the debate.

But at least they write about it -- those who didn't watch it, will still get a sense of it and there is nothing in it that's going to help Angelides. He is toast.

BUT even all that shouldn't make us complacent. This is the time to turn out and vote for ALL Republican candidates, starting with Arnold on down. We can't afford to have the Dems get in power in CA or in the US Congress.

[NormsRevenge]

It's too bad it was only 1 debate and only 45 minutes at that..

lots of topics went unmentioned.. got to vote absentee this time around, sure would like to see them meet again,, if for nothing more than a photo op and media event.

Regardless that the Gub has a lap or two on his opponent in this race, folks ought not to be to bold to think that the spending rate increases in the budget can continue without additional borrowing or new taxes or revenue..

We've been living delicious the last few years ,,

Can we afford to keep feeding the beast of a bureaucracy that has also profited from encouraging taking on long-term future debts and establish more social programs at the same time?

We'll see soon enough, or so it seems.

Time to go racing at Talladega.

[magellan]

Angelides looks like a complete dufus. Not that looks should matter, but come on, doesn't California have any charasmatic Democrats?

[newzjunkey]

The Times just can't avoid a lie-by-omission, can they: "the debate's terms were essentially the governor's. Statham, a former Republican assemblyman, is a registered lobbyist for the broadcasters." They completely ignore Statham's unwavering record of donations to Democrat-candidates, none to Republicans.

The governor responded with his sharpest rejoinder of the evening: "I did not try to take anything away from any police officer or firefighter…. I will never take away the pension, or the disability or the death benefit from anyone, the firefighters, the police officers or anyone else as far as that goes. So you can stop that hype right there." is the only debate quote that gets an ellipses. Arnold mentioned his father was a cop in the portion edited by the Times.

Is it coincidence that salient biographical blurb is cut or designed to highlight the Angelides tactic of questioning whether Arnold can be trusted, a strategy repeated throughout the article?

The Times video clip is Angelides on the attack over Arnold's praise of the Minutemen and saying even Pres. Bush called them vigilantes. Arnold's reply is cut-off mid-statement in the clip.

[goldstategop]

Hardly surprising. Despite the assist from the Drive By Media and the unions, Angelides will still lose in November.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[goldstategop]

The Democrats should have chosen Steve Westly. But they wanted a true hard core liberal and they're finding out you can't win just by appealing to Democrats only.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[Amerigomag]

Angelides looks like a complete dufus

Angelides is a complete dufus.

Angelides will be the first gubernatorial candidate in California, representing the Democrat Party, who lost to his Republican opponent, when the Republican opponent got fewer votes from Republicans than Angelides received from Democrats. Angelides will suffer the ultimate indignity when it is discovered that far more Democrats voted for Schwarzenegger than for he.

[rfp1234]

--doesn't California have any charasmatic Democrats?--

With Gov. Schwarzenkennedy, who needs them?

[zbigreddogz]

Yes, but they sat this one out because they realize you don't run against the Terminator and expect to win.

Phil is their fall guy.

Villaragosa will be Governor by 2011. That's not my wish, but it's the truth.