Simon campaign aide hard at work!
Posted on 08/20/2002 7:20:00 AM PDT by X-Servative
SACRAMENTO -- Republican candidate for governor Bill Simon acknowledged Monday that he accepted a contribution from the chairman of Metabolife, even as he accused Gov. Gray Davis of endangering Californians' health in return for campaign cash from the company.
He accused Davis of "putting people's health and lives at risk" by vetoing a bill two years ago that would have put warning labels on products such as the dietary supplement now under investigation by the federal government.
Davis should return the $150,000 he took from Metabolife International before making that decision, Simon said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailynews.com ...
Simon better pull his head out of his a$$ and soon. He won the nomination not on his own, but because of the Rudy endorsement / ads. It was a good strategy, but since the primary, the campaign has been clueless.
I honestly get the feeling that they did not expect to win the primary and therefore had no firm strategy in place for the general election.
It's not too late to win, but the amateur hour better stop now.
Simon campaign aide hard at work!
What is WRONG with these people!?!?!?!?!
Here's what he said yesterday:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/735874/posts
If true, this campaign is even more inept.
And it is not a case of them not having a firm strategy is place for the general election. It is a matter of the campaign management not being up to the job.
In other words, this campaign is inept.
And as a professional, you should know better than to assume you know everything about what went on in the decision process. You're assuming they were caught unaware. Perhaps they were. I honestly don't know. I do know, however, that this campaign is especially sensitive to flubs like that after not giving the White House a heads up about the law suit.
You're comparing apples and oranges, frankly. As an uninformed CA voter, I would respond to this news with a "So what? What's the big deal about taking money from Metabolife?"
Hopefully this leads to a discussion of how Grayout Davis took a contribution WHILE GOVERNOR and then concealed news of potential harm to Californians.
You don't have to agree with the strategy, but it makes sense to me. The only thing I would do is return my campaign contribution to Metabolife, to show my "true concern." You did notice that the article never told us whether or not Simon kept the money, didn't you? I find that to be a rather curious omission.
Again, I'm not presuming to be all knowing about what went on here. I'm just weary of the hyperventilating and shrieking implying that every single thing this campaign does is stupid. They were quite adept at winning a primary against most GOP resources, and they've been quite good at landing numerous fundraisers from the POTUS. And they've done quite well in polling in a state that favors Democrats, leading in nine of twelve polls.
Who gives a damn? Talk about Democrat vs. Democrat. Riordan was a guy who truly despised the GOP. I haven't a clue why he carried an (R) after his name.
Californians have a real choice this November, which is supposedly what FReepers are always begging for. Yet all I hear is how Grayout Davis, who is getting PUMMELED in the polls, can't be beat. It's laughably pathetic.
Actually, I think the WH knew about the case--just the lawyers said slam dunk and the OJ jury said otherwise.
As to this contribution, it is pay for play but Simon should come out giving the money back and demanding that Grayout does likewise, as well as explaining the amount and the official action he took on their behalf. In any event, I would like to be a fly on the wall of Simon's warroom to find out what is going on. Still a long way to go and my money says it will be Governor Simon come November....
Indeed, the Simon campaign sets new standards every day!
The bar has been raised to a higher level!
God Bless George W. Bush for keeping his commitment to this clown and his Clown Car campaign....
Republican nominee Bill Simon begins his "Ass Clown Downtown Express" bus tour across the Inland Empire.
Be Seeing You,
Chris
Exactly right !
A contribution to someone who is not in power cannot be equated with a payment to a politician in power who then acts in accordance with the wishes of whomever made the payment
I agree. The article doesn't tell me if he did or not.
Here's the press release from Simon's campaign:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2002
Simon Blasts Davis for Endangering Californians for Campaign Cash
Calls on Governor to Return Metabolife Deadly Donations
SACRAMENTO - Gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon today said Gray Davis' decision not to warn Californians about the dangers of Metabolife, while accepting thousands in campaign contributions from the company, is disturbing testament to the governor's pay to play priorities.
Standing in front of the state's Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that years ago warned Davis of the potential dangers of Metabolife, Simon said the governor's latest pay to play scandal goes far beyond damaging the state's fiscal health.
"It's one thing when the governor's political favors waste taxpayers' money and plunge our state deeper into debt and deficits," Simon said.
"But just like the Dioxin he allowed to be dumped into the San Francisco Bay, Gray Davis' favors for Metabolife just might be putting people's health and lives at risk."
Simon said that Davis' recent song-and-dance efforts to cover-up his "contributions first" policies failed to mention the governor's veto of legislation years ago that would have warned Californians about the drug's dangers.
"The state's own scientists in the Department of Health and Human Services were worried that this product could cause heart attacks, strokes and seizures," Simon said. "But after receiving $150,000 in campaign contributions, Gray Davis vetoed a bill that would have required a warning about Metabolife's dietary supplements. Now, two years later, crisis has hit and Governor Davis is doing what he always does: pointing fingers, fixing blame and searching for scapegoats. Well, the bucks stops with you, governor."
Simon said this was not the first time Davis had put Californian's health at risk. It was recently revealed that a government board, stacked with Davis appointees, reversed a previous decision and allowed a company to increase the amount of toxic chemicals dumped into the San Francisco Bay after a large contribution was made to the governor's campaign account. Simon said Davis should return contributions from both of these companies.
"Just over two weeks ago, I called on Gray Davis to give back the dirty money he received for letting a corporate polluter taint San Francisco's Bay. Today, I am demanding the governor return the deadly donations he received from pill-pushing a potentially dangerous product."
End of press release.
If Simon called on Grayout to cough up without returning his own donation first, then the campaign did mess up. But it sounds to me like they were prepared to return the money, and I've seen nothing yet to tell me otherwise.
Even if that was a screw-up, I think this was a good attack, especially tying this into Dioxin and portrayed as yet ANOTHER pay-for-play Davis game.
Simon is not making the point that Metabolife is evil ( he is not in a position (yet) to have the input and information to make that decision).
He is making a valid point that the sitting Governor took money from a company about to have a ruling against them and then vetoed that ruling!
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