Simon slips

Mercury News ^ | 8/18/02

[NormsRevenge]

DEFEATING an incumbent governor is akin to climbing Mt. Whitney, doable but difficult. Bill Simon isn't gaining altitude; he spent the past two weeks marching down into Death Valley.

Simon's route to the governor's office is longer and steeper than it was when he startled the political world in March by snatching the Republican nomination away from the consensus favorite, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

[SEGUET]

"It's the Republican leadership that needs to learn a lesson."

The Republican Party in California has never been able to find the cheeks of their A$$ with both hands on a dark noght, if Reagan held the flashlight

[Commie Basher]

My gut told me to vote for Riordan, who I liked even if I disagreed with. But FReepers convinced me to vote for the "conservative" candidate, not the "RINO."

Well, my fault. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to vote for Simon. But in retrospect, I wonder if Riordan might have been another Guilliani. Not all that conservative, but an effective Republican, and as far to the right as his constituency would tolerate.

[AmericanCompatriot]

And the communist government-media complex (controlled by the Dems and lawyers) wins again. Even with a Governer that is disliked by every "intellectual" voter.

Guess all that illegal immigration, welfare, and reparation talk for the "ignorant" black man (notice there are two types of black people, those that go out and "get" what they deserve and those that have their hands out for what they "deserve") has paid off once again. And the sheep of Ameirica go on grazing.

Wonder if any ballot boxes will turn up floating in the Pacific Ocean on this go around?

[LanaTurnerOverdrive]

Are there any debates scheduled? That could be critical.

Yes, it could be critical....and would only bury Simon deeper. On the very, very, very rare occasions he strays from script he stumbles, stammers, avoids answering direct questions and looks exactly like a frightened child. Generally, he's completely inept in such situations. How sad we ended up with him as our candidate here. People CAN'T STAND DAVIS and he's going to win because Simon is such a dud. Should have been a cakewalk to take back CA.

LanaTurnerOverdrive signed up on 2002-07-02

[Commie Basher]

This is the same crowd that can't wait to vote foe Pat Buchannan in 2004.

I don't think so. The Simon crowd strike me as Christian conservative, pro-war, pro-Israel, anti-abortion. The Buchananites are more worred about immigration and losing national sovereignty.

Didn't most Calif Buchananites gravitate to the Reform Party? I don't think they qualified to vote in the GOP primary.

I voted to Simon in the primary (though I prefered Riordan). I may vote Libertarian in November. No point in wasting my vote on Simon.

[Dog Gone]

If that's accurate, then there isn't any hope. Not that any sane person, Republican or Democrat, could possibly really want to be the Governor of California for the next four years.

The budget trainwreck of this year is just the opening act. It's going to get real ugly for the next Governor.

[Commie Basher]

the floundering campaign Simon has run is the same shakey-kneed, ashamed of Repubicanism, fret-fest that Riordan would have run,

I dunno about that. I heard a radio commentator, Mr. KABC (a big fan of Riordan and McCain, and a basher of Bush and Davis), praise Riordan as "a self-made millionaire," as opposed to "daddy's rich boy" Simon. I'd not heard that elsewhere, but if true, it seems Riordan could have bucked the "spoiled rich kid" image, unlike Simon.

It's early August, and most voters aren't focusing on the campaign yet, and won't for another few weeks.

Most California voters never focus on elections. In NY, the media are saturated with elections new by early summer. In California, TV news doesn't seem to report on elections ... ever. Compared to New Yorkers, Californians are stunningly unaware of elections.

[Sabertooth]

Most California voters never focus on elections. In NY, the media are saturated with elections new by early summer. In California, TV news doesn't seem to report on elections ... ever. Compared to New Yorkers, Californians are stunningly unaware of elections.

You must understand... we have car chases that need to be watched.

...it seems Riordan could have bucked the "spoiled rich kid" image, unlike Simon.

Riordan is one of the most RINO of RINOs.

He supported Democrat candidates like Feinstein over Republican candidates, is a big fan of the homosexual agenda, pro-abortion, and is soft on Illegals. Many Republicans, myself included, would never have voted for him.

I voted for Riorcan twice as L.A. Mayor, an allegedly "non-partisan" office. But he couldn't do the harm there that he could have done to the Republican Party had he been elected governor. His policies would have established a new paradigm for Republicans nationwide, as they would have been seen as a vindication of RINO cravenness.

It was stupid of the RNC and their Administration allies to cultivate Riordan's candidacy.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

...I may vote Libertarian in November. No point in wasting my vote on Simon.

That's the EXACT thing that will ensure that you get Grayout again.

[Sunnyvale CA Eng.]

Yes, it could be critical....and would only bury Simon deeper. On the very, very, very rare occasions he strays from script he stumbles, stammers, avoids answering direct questions and looks exactly like a frightened child. Generally, he's completely inept in such situations. How sad we ended up with him as our candidate here. People CAN'T STAND DAVIS and he's going to win because Simon is such a dud. Should have been a cakewalk to take back CA.

You are exactly correct. Simon is a weak candidate. I've heard him on talk radio here in the S.F. Bay Area and he comes across as a lightweight. Even the local conservative radio hosts seem to have lost hope for him. He rarely strays from the prepared "Davis is bad" mantra from his handlers. When pinned down for his specific beliefs on an issue, he comes across as an out-of-touch, squishy centrist. He deflects issues like immigration by saying "Its a federal issue" or "CA's diversity is its strength..."

Davis will win and continue to screw this state into the ground.

[Teacher317]

alot of articles about Simons demise,

The liberal press is desperate to decide this one before it starts, hence the huge number of articles. That being said, I would like to see more of a push from Simon sometime soon, as well as support from Republicans from across the country. It would be cruel to subject CA to 4 more years of Davis. It would be inexcusable to let a huge opportunity for GOP leadership in a critical electoral state just walk away.

last I checked Davis can't pull over 50%.

Well, that's because telephone polls only let each person vote once, and only if they are eligible voters. Election polling stations are nowhere near as fussy as that.

[LS]

I'm not in California, but I have to say that this after-the-fact Simon bashing is so much BS.

UNLESS YOU, or anyone else, KNEW that Simon had this 1) income tax problem and this lawsuit, then Simon was the right choice.

Riordan is no different than Davis. New Yorkers are seeing now that Bloomberg is barely different than a Dem---enacting Nazi-style anti-smoking laws.

If Simon loses, so be it. The media will screech that it was because he was a "conservative," except that he was leading BIG TIME until these latest revelations came out.

However, Simon owes his supporters for failing to give them a heads-up that this stuff was coming. In this day and age, I cannot believe anyone, let alone a Republican, let alone someone who is supposed to be a CONSERVATIVE Republican, would run with such baggage.

[LS]

I (sort of) defended Simon in an earlier post, but I'll bash him here: it is RIDICULOUS that he ran KNOWING that he had the income tax problem and the lawsuit. Republicans MUST be squeaky clean to have any hope of getting only slightly hostile press. No reason to give the media "red meat."

[dwilli]

Gov. Davis selected the candidate he wanted to run against
and led the lambs to the slaughter.

[Euro-American Scum]

alot of articles about Simons demise,last I checked Davis can't pull over 50%.

He won't have to. All he will have to do is win.

[LS]

Well, that is BS too. Davis had no effect whatsoever on which candidate Republicans voted for. Had I been there, I would have voted for Simon too, based on what was known at the time. I don't suppose YOU had any prior information about Simon's legal/income tax difficulties?

Whatever this is, it is NOT a "conservatives-can't-win" argument. It is a recognition that WHOEVER the GOP nominates better have a thorough anal exam.

[Bill Davis FR]

simon is TOAST....

[NormsRevenge]

Should have been a cakewalk to take back CA.

I could just see the Davi$ Attack Ads on Riordan or Jones .. Same Effect .. $50 Million dollars this Guv has raised while the state burned up surpluses and still keeps spending beyond its means.

Simon will do just fine ina debate. Lets see Davi$ explain his little debacles, DioXin,Oracle,MTBE, etc ...

This game is far from over.. I seen a clip of Simon today and he looked pee-Od.. and he said he was mad at what Guv Davi$ is doing to the state and its residents. He needs to stay angry, He'll fit right in after earning his stripes of honour and scars of battle in rarified airs.

[cartoonistx]

You have hit on the only bright spot in this dismal campaign year. If Grayout wins he will have to clean up his own mess in the next 4 years and it won't be pretty. His presidential/vice presidential asperations are gone when he raises taxes and cuts services to balance a budget that his own party insists on inflating beyond all reason! He'll be lucky if he isn't recalled by 2004!

[A CA Guy]

We have no real good candidates because the population has an edge that is left. So though we get close, the 9% margin of leftists in California keeps drawing the right seemingly left of middle to get noticed - much less elected.

That is how I see it and I don't like it.