He's Really Simple Simon, Nofziger Says of California Candidate

NewsMax ^ | 9/6/02 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

He's Really Simple Simon, Nofziger Says of California Candidate

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon is inept, weak and just plain too dumb to have any hope of beating incumbent Gov. Gray Davis, according to former Reagan top aide Lyn Nofziger.

Writing on his "Musings" website, Nofziger, President Reagan's White House communications director and an official of the former president's California governor's office, ripped into Simon for failing to maintain consistent positions in his race against Davis.

"Californians now are going to have a clear choice when they go to the polls elect a governor this November," Nofziger wrote.

"They can reelect an inept, corrupt incumbent Democrat named Grey Davis. Or they can elect an inept, weak and not very bright Republican named Bill Simon. Take your pick. But be smart. Bet on Davis. Simon is too dumb to win and his senior consultant, Sal Russo, isn't much better."

Noting that Simon, who won an upset victory of former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan, came into the general election campaign with a lead in the polls over Davis, whose "high negative ratings ...bumbling ... ham-handed fund-raising methods that border, or cross the border, on dishonesty" made him a target.

Simon, however, "has systematically begun to kick away any chance he might have had in this heavily Democratic state."

Nofziger zeroed in on what he called Simon's "latest booboo, instigated this week by [top Simon strategist Sal]Russo, was to spit in the eye of his conservative, pro-family base."

The booboo - Simon appeared to alienate his conservative supporters by setting out to woo the state's huge homosexual vote, which, Nofziger says, "is large but generally liberal and Democratic."

"Simon, supposedly a devout Catholic, disclosed this week that he now favors marriage benefits for homosexual couples and that as governor he would continue Davis' practice of declaring a "Gay Pride Day.

"Sharing Simon's lack of principle, his senior consultant, Russo, says he has his candidate following the old Richard Nixon practice of "running to the right" in Republican primaries and "running to the center" in general elections - a tactic that obviously nauseates Nofziger, a staunch conservative in the mold of his former boss, Ronald Reagan.

In an aside, he notes that Nixon, in following that practice, "lost the presidential election in 1960, the California gubernatorial race in 1962 and barely squeaked out a presidential victory in 1968 over Lyndon Johnson's vice president, Hubert Humphrey."

"In contrast, Ronald Reagan, who remains the hero of the nation's conservatives, ran principled conservative races, winning the California governorship overwhelmingly twice and the presidency twice by huge margins," Nofziger recalled. "His only loss was a narrow defeat for the republican presidential nomination in which race he came within an ace of unseating a sitting president, Gerald Ford."

As NewsMax.com reported yesterday Media Distorts Simon's Stand on Gay Issue Russo and Simon denied that the candidate had taken the pro gay stand. Russo took the blame for allowing a questionnaire from the gay Log Cabin Republican group to go out over his boss's computerized signature with answers that did not reflect Simon's views, and denied that Simon had ever even seen the survey.

While noting that he wrote his commentary before Simon's denial, Nofziger told NewsMax.com that he hasn't changed his mind.

"Simon may be a Republican but I have no reason now to think he stands for what I stand for, or anything else for that matter," he told NewsMax.com.

[PhiKapMom]

Refresh my memory -- who did Nofzinger support during the last election for President in 2000?

[section9]

I don't like Nofzyger's attitude of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, but his points about the ineptness of Simon's campaign are true-so far.

We are at the beginning of September. If a week is a lifetime in politics, two months is an eternity. Bill Simon needs to go out and define himself in these last two months while attacking the corruption of the Davis Administration. He must also present valid, conservative alternatives to the Davis regime. Davis has spent a zillion dollars and he has only moved down in the polls, not up. His reelect numbers are below 40%. It is obvious to me that Californians are desperate to replace Davis. And Nofzyger is right about one thing, Simon won't assist that desperation by pandering to liberal voting blocs.

Simon needs to show Californians that it is okay, indeed, it is almost mandatory, for the dissatisfied swing voters in CA to send him to the Governor's Mansion.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[goldstategop]

I agree with Lyn Nofziger. If you are going to run a Richard Nixon "I agree with the Democrats on everything but taxes," you'll lose. Nixon won in 1968 only because the Democrats self destructed over Vietnam. If Hubert Humphrey had one of those sedate conventions we'd never have had Watergate and the disgrace of a President having to resign. And we probably wouldn't have had Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton inflicted upon us either. Bill Simon is going to lose because he lacks convictions worth defending and he's running a lousy campaign. Who knows he could prove us skeptics wrong but personally, I doubt it. It would be ironic if as a result of his sticking in the race, Simon helped to reelect Davis. I wish he would quit and urge his supporters to vote for Ron Gulke who has none of his liabilities and is a true conservative. But that's expecting too much of someone who puts his own ambitions ahead of the good of the people of this state.

[Isle of sanity in CA]

It would be ironic if as a result of his sticking in the race, Simon helped to reelect Davis. I wish he would quit and urge his supporters to vote for Ron Gulke

This is one of the most asinine things I've heard on FR. Are you divorced from reality or are you assuming that people here on FR are idiots? Ron Gulke has no chance. You can deny this very basic fact as you wish, but I've already tried the denial method with gravity and can vouch that it doesn't work. I almost think that you are some sort of sick twisted Davis plant. Even your name (goldstategop) is deceiving. I've seen your idiotic postings before and am now convinced that you're some sort of DNC lurker or at best a nutjob. No sane conservative in CA would (unless they have some sort of crack problem) purposely go about trying to reelect Davis as you are. The dems are only about 4 votes away from a supermajority large enough to raise taxes at will, and your battle plan is to throw your support behind some guy that no one's ever heard of? GET HELP!

[goldstategop]

LOL! And if Simon is politically crippled and can't win then by your reasoning we get Davis anyway. The point is we DO have a choice and there's an alternative to Simon if we start thinking outside the box. Considering the increasing numbers of undecideds who don't like what they're getting in the race, do the math. Americans are more than ready to go outside the two party system if offered the chance. They did it in Minnesota and can do it in California.

[dighton]

I wish he would quit and urge his supporters to vote for Ron Gulke who has none of his liabilities and is a true conservative.

I wish Santa would bring me five billion dollars and a pony.

[ER_in_OC,CA]

Oh goody, more Republican in-fighting in my state of California.

While I may agree with some of what Nofzinger says; the time for ripping candidates publically is _BEFORE_ a primary or _AFTER_ the general election.

Although he proudly comments on the great Reagan in his article, he simultaneously forgets Reagan's "11th Commandment." (Thou shall not speak ill of another Republican).

This state's GOP is terribly fractured. The infighting between liberal Republicans and conservative Republicans has produced nothing but failure. For the moment, I don't care who is to blame. And I'm tired of the "Parsky is evil, Steele is evil" infighting. Let's get united behind our candidates and focus on California's corrupt "CEO," Gray Davis.

[Howlin]

Hey, that's on MY list from Santa.

[dighton]

Cool, we each get five billion dollars and a pony.

[Poohbah]

I almost think that you are some sort of sick twisted Davis plant.

If you strike the word "almost" from that post, it would reflect my sentiments.

[Saundra Duffy]

Traitor and "Gay" Davis butt kisser!!! Go, Simon!!

[Isle of sanity in CA]

They did it in Minnesota and can do it in California.

And after they 'did it' in Minnesota, most of them realized that all they did was elect a loser. Do you want a Jesse here? Or are you just 'anything but Simon'? Are you Ron Gulke? YOU ARE AREN'T YOU!!! So that's why your the lone Gulke advocate who lurks around looking for Simon/Davis threads to jump into! I had you figured all wrong and I apologize Mr. G... Good luck in November! If I sound impatient,rude, etc Mr. G, it's because (a)I live in CA, (b)I'd like my daughter to have a good life in CA, and (c)this state is teetering on the edge of economic collapse and I DON'T HAVE TIME TO PLAY SILLY GAMES just so you can get 3-10% of the vote...

[Cicero]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that Simon DIDN'T say that about gay partners. I thought it was a put-up job on the part of liberal media sources. Even if it were true, Nofziger certainly couldn't have picked a worse time to air the dirty linen. It helps no one but Gray Davis.

[Howlin]

Oh, is that the work it works when you're a malcontent? Vote for somebody who cannot win and you STILL win? *Rolling my eyes*

[Saundra Duffy]

The ENEMY said President Bush was dumb, too. Nofziger can kiss my rear-end! Go, Simon!!!

[dighton]

Even your name (goldstategop) is deceiving.

That may have been its purpose, but it doesn't appear to be working.

[Saundra Duffy]

I've seen your idiotic postings before and am now convinced that you're some sort of DNC lurker or at best a nutjob.

Either a "Gay" Davis PAID stooge OR a Gulke supporter. Obviously, this person hates California. By the way, Gulke is a known Mormon hater and bigot! GO AHEAD, ASK ME HOW I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!

[Poohbah]

When goldstategop tries to use the Force to influence weaker minds...s/he forgets who s/he is and what s/he's doing :o)

[Isle of sanity in CA]

At the rate that the CA dems are going, each Californian is going to owe 5 billion dollars.. As lame as they usually are, the (R)'s in the Cal assembly put up a heroic fight to limit the damage/raised taxes this year. But they still couldn't make much of a dent in spending and CA is just piling up more debt. I have never wanted any candidate (even Bush in 2000) to win as desparately as I do Simon this year. I'm truly afraid of what will happen next year if the dems have a supermajority + the gov...