[GeronL]

... Simon wins is music to our ears...

[Ohioan]

but I'm not nearly the great communicator he was," says Simon. "Yet."

It is important that he learn to smile like Reagan, when he makes a principled Conservative point. That was the real key to Reagan's success. He always seemed like just too nice a guy to be the evil reactionary the Left needed to demonize. It was a happy, smiling manner that gave Reagan the edge over other Conservatives of his era.

Most people are not ideological. With the right smile and a firm commitment to your principles--necessary to convince those who may not share those principles that you are sincere, and therefore trustworthy--what Reagan did remains doable.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[uncbob]

well at least the majority of California GOP voters have sense

Unfortunately a state that went heavily for Gore doesn't exactly have democrats with the same .

Leftism will stay entrenched on the left coast

[vbmoneyspender]

Parsky was not "on board" for a Simon candidacy initially and, even after the primary victory, is publicly doubting Simon's chances. "If you are an extreme conservative, you cannot win in California," Parsky told the New York Times late last week.

Even though Riordan seems to have been cured of his aversion to conservatives, it appears that Riordan's disease has spread to other high-level California Republicans.

[let freedom sing]

"If you are an extreme conservative, you cannot win in California," Parsky told the New York Times late last week.

Let's not parse words-- Parsky's opinions are not shared by a majority of voters, who recognize a critical need for LEADERSHIP in CA.

[daviddennis]

You know, his affability is awfully similar to Reagan's; it's hard not to like him, and that's going to really hurt Davis the Drab.

Gray's unwillingness to answer questions on his record won't help either.

I see the LA Weekly(*) crowd sitting this one out. The Weekly is going to endorse Davis, in a lengthly article saying how much they hate him. Then they'll say they hate Simon even more, but I think the end result is going to make lefty voters apathetic. (Sometimes, ironically enough, the Weekly is their own worst enemy).

Throw in the traditional higher Republican turnout and I think Simon can win this one, and by a surprising margin, too.

D

(*) The LA Weekly is the West Coast Village Voice; in fact, it's owned by the same people. It runs lengthly, high pretentious political articles by noted lefty authors.

[Bonaparte]

Let Davis talk about abortion, gays and guns all he wants. Nobody in California believes for one minute that she won't be able to get as many abortions on demand as she wants for the forseeable future. It's just not an issue. And "gay rights?" Davis seems to forget that California is the state in which the definition of marriage amendment passed by a whopping 2/3 of the electorate. Nobody here is staying up at night worrying about the homosexuals. Also, gun sales have been way up in California since 9/11 and even before that time. Californians want guns (obviously, or else why are they buying them?), and as the polls here have consistently shown, the most important issues in this state are the economy, the energy crisis and education -- none of which Davis is talking about because he looks bad on all these issues. All Simon has to do is keep pounding him hard on these. Questions he should relentlessly pose are --

Have you looked at your energy bill lately?

Are you really satisfied with the public school your kid attends?

Are all the layoffs in this state making you just a little bit nervous about your job?

Simon should also start challenging Davis to a series of debates right now, and continue to do so until he gets them. If Davis refuses, Simon should emphasize over and over that Davis is afraid to let California voters see the two of them side by side and decide for themselves who is the better man.

[SteveH]

Not even the Weekly Standard uses the adjectives "left-wing" or "liberal" to describe Davis. Not to mention "extremist". (What's wrong with this picture, hmm?)

Simon can answer any charges of social-issue extremism by countering that Davis has a demonstrated record of drastically mismanaging the energy crisis, and the economy in general. If there is such a thing as economic policy extremism, Davis embodies it. (He's also a social policy extremist, but many Californians miss that.)

Simon can drag up the spectre of Davis asking Californians to trust him blindly during private negotiations with the likes of Enron. If he can stay on message, it should be a slam dunk...

[ElkGroveDan]

WOODRUFF: Another thing Bill Simon said last night, he said you turned what was an $8 billion budget surplus in the state of California into an enormous record deficit. And he said you tried to hide the red ink.

DAVIS: Bill Simon's vision of the future is totally out of step and out of sync with California's. He's pro-life, pro-gun, pro a crazy deregulation scheme and pro-privatization. This is not California's vision of the future. I am proudly pro-choice. I signed the toughest gun safety laws in America. And I solved, as best any governor can, this crazy deregulation scheme I inherited.

Even the biased press will only swallow this pablum for so long. They are going to tire of Davis answering every question on power and deficits with a tirade on abortion.

The media who are always looking to resurrect obscure terminology should probably dust off 'hubris' for their Davis stories.

[CyberAnt]

"Conservatives cannot win in the state"

Excuse me - CA did elect Ronald Reagan for 2 terms I believe, before he went on to be President!!