I can't understand why former conservative Congressman David Dreier is bending over backwards to help this far left member of the fifth column. I wonder how much Dreier and the handful of others are getting to sell out their principles.
Every prolifer in the country -- not just in California, needs to see this and read about just how bad this Riordan guy really is.
Well, on September 11th, OBL was reality too. We decided to change reality, not accept it.
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Riordan interrupted: "We're into dangerous terrority. . . ."
But Nancy Riordan wasn't buying and responded with passion -- the kind that could make her a lightning rod for attacks on Riordan's campaign in the months ahead. "It's correct to have things available to children," she persisted.
"Now you're getting me into trouble," Riordan said. "(Secretary of State Bill) Jones is going to say Riordan's going to let his wife decide whether 3- year-olds should be given contraceptives."
Then he shrugged, and laughed. "Well, there goes my governorship," he said.
The lively debate between Riordan and his wife -- the type of unscripted interchange rarely seen in today's controlled campaigns -- underscores a strength, and a potential pitfall, for the former Los Angeles mayor's campaign.
Nancy Riordan, attractive and politically savvy, is not only vocal on her issues, but also is aligned with a different political party from her husband's.
"Voters do like to see a public official, particularly a man, take advice and counsel from his spouse; that's a positive," said political consultant Chris Lehane, who has been a spokesman for former President Bill Clinton and Al Gore, two politicians with strong, involved political wives.
The downside "is that it raises questions: Who's whispering in his ear?" said Lehane, who has consulted for Riordan's rival, Gray Davis. "Does the candidate have his own views? And what is his core set of beliefs?"
But political commentator Arianna Huffington, a longtime friend of Nancy Riordan's, argued that she brings "tremendous pluses to her husband's campaign because of her credibility."
"She has worked passionately and relentlessly on children's issues. She has her own expertise . . . and she has been there in the trenches," said Huffington of her friend, who co-founded the Children's Action Network and United Friends for Children, and is a philanthropic force behind the family's Riordan Foundation. "Whether her husband is running for office or not, she has established her authority in this arena -- and anyone who knows (her) knows her record."
Nancy Riordan, formerly married to Warner Brothers executive Bob Daly, is excited about her husband's effort and open about her role in the months ahead.
"We always have spent time talking about issues, and how best to address solutions. I expect to be recommending to Dick, (giving) input and advice to help him as he goes forward in the campaign . . . wherever my husband feels I can be most helpful to him," she said. "I'm really here to support his effort .
. . (and) usually, when I put my mind to something, I do it."
But in his effort against the more conservative Jones and businessman Bill Simon in the March GOP gubernatorial primary, Riordan, 71, faces concerns that his wife's background of progressive Democratic politics will shape his views - - or, even more pointedly, overpower them.
"The perception is that she is running the campaign -- or at the very least,
running the candidate," said political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe. Although hard-core conservatives may "have some discomfort" about that, the issue probably matters little to most mainstream voters, she said.
"The irony of it is there are very few differences between Richard Riordan and Nancy Daly (Riordan)," said Bebitch Jeffe. "Except he has an 'R' by his name, and she has a 'D.' "
Nancy Riordan, impeccably dressed in a pink suit decorated with a California pin, recently spoke about her political leanings.
"I'm a Democrat, and I've always been a Democrat," she said.
LIKES SMART FEMALES
She said it doesn't bother her husband, who thrives on spirited exchanges of ideas. As she tells appreciative women's groups, he favors smart females -- and "doesn't like yes-women."
That's one reason Riordan is discussing issues like abortion, health care, child care and education -- and reaching out to women voters, she said.
"My husband has valued those concerns for many many years," she said. "(He's) willing to put himself out there as a very strong, fearless leader with an amazing track record, taking on serious problems and finding solutions.
. . . Right now, in California, we need that."
But Nancy Riordan must answer questions about her past support for Davis, including $61,000 in campaign contributions to the Democratic governor.
"When someone's in a leadership role, I want them to do the very best they can do," she said, explaining her support for Davis.
Nancy Riordan said part of her concerns were on children's issues: "I worked with (Davis) and (Assembly) Speaker (Robert) Hertzberg on legislation that the governor actually signed -- creating Internet passports for education and help for foster children," she said.
But "in order to get heard, to be heard by elected officials, money doesn't hurt," she said. "I give money to leadership in Washington, D.C., -- and I've done it here in California, to people I hope will move the agenda for children. "
DISAPPOINTED IN DAVIS
She argues that Davis has since "let us down." She particularly cites the energy issue, where "he just didn't step up to the plate," she said. "I don't think he expected (the energy crisis). . . . It wasn't anticipated -- though it should have been."
Still, she finds it "mind-boggling" that some Democrats are attacking her for supporting a Republican -- even if he is her husband.
"There's plenty to debate about without resorting to personal, infantile" issues, she said.
Huffington said campaigns have come a long way since 1994 when as wife of then-U.S. Senate candidate Michael Huffington she was charged with being "the power behind the throne."
Today, the political world recognizes "when your husband decides to run for office, you don't suddenly get a lobotomy," Huffington said. "Her husband is incredibly accomplished and running for statewide office, and she will want to have a voice."
Asked whether she can take the heat when she speaks up, Nancy Riordan smiled.
"I'm a grown-up," she said.
Go Simon. Kick this guy's ass.
Any 'man' who'll put up with a trash-talking wife like that lacks authenticity.
Think of him as the human equivalent of one of those 'Non-Firing Replica Guns'...
Kinda like a man, when viewed from a distance, but found to be lacking the ability to function as one when examined more closely.
"Ah, you're getting me into trouble there," Riordan demurred. ". . . I want to try to sneak out of answering. . . . I'll tell you the day after I'm elected."
The entire article is absolutely sickening, but this takes the cake. He doesn't want to answer a very important question -- something that is crucially important to parents of teen-age daughters! -- and says "he'll let us know after he's elected."
What an arrogant jerk. First, to presume that he will be elected, and second, to think that he can get away with not answering important questions.
He won't answer it because he thinks it's OK to give 13 year old girls contraceptives without their parents permission (if they needed parents permission, this wouldn't be an issue in a governor's race because it would be up to the parents -- as it should be.)
I hope everyone sees him for what he is ... a liberal.
While we're at it, let's just teach kids to engage in oral sex instead of intercourse, that way they won't get pregnant for sure! Oh, there are emotional consequences, well, let's not talk about that.
Rat bastards.
I would make a small bet that most frequent example "begin[ning] experimenting" is masturbation, which isn't exactly a practice that requires contraceptives, protection against STDs, etc.
These two sound like Bill and Hillary all over again. I live here in LA and I volunteered on his campaign. Back then he never would give a straight answer on the life question, but a lot of us took our chances because he claimed to be Republican. As we have since learned though, he's as bad as you can get on the issue. I think he even endorsed Dianne Feinstein a few years back against the Republican who was running.
I'm sending copies of this article to every prolife person I know in California. I'm also going to print out a stack of them and leave them at the back of my church.
I would also like to hear more about what you are saying about David Dreier. I always thought he was a conservative. Don't tell me he's aligned with these two liberal nutcases! Are there any good conservatives left anywhere????