Posted on 06/16/2003 4:57:46 PM PDT by PeoplesRep_of_LA
"We're serving notice that we're going to make this campaign about Darrell Issa's record -- both in and out of Congress."
So said the aptly named Democratic strategist Ace Smith, in speaking to a San Francisco reporter about his party's plans to derail the increasingly potent campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis.
Smith and fellow partisans have decided their best bet is not to talk about Davis at all, but about Issa, the Republican congressman from San Diego County who's largely bankrolling the recall effort.
The strategy was on full display last week at a series of press conferences sponsored by local chapters of Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women and NARAL. The abortion lobby, fresh from defending partial-birth abortion in Washington, is turning its defensive energies toward Davis, hoping to make sure his administration isn't, well, aborted.
Along with fellow charter members of the anti-recall campaign -- most notably public-employee unions and environmental activists -- the abortion groups have decried Issa's record, while ignoring Davis'.
There's no blaming them for trying, but their denial isn't doing their man any favors.
If anything, the lack of enthusiasm for Davis' leadership among those carrying his banner is the best argument for the recall yet.
Back when the recall effort began, it all seemed so pointless and futile, even petty. For better or for worse, Californians had re-elected Davis last November. They had their chance to boot him from office, and they declined.
But since then, the recall movement has gained credibility, thanks in no small part to Issa's largess, as well as the governor's if-it-moves-tax-it approach to undoing his budget mess. In light of his 21 percent approval rating, it's safe to assume a fair number of Californians who backed Davis in November now suffer from buyer's remorse, thus making a once unthinkable recall now seem tantalizing.
It doesn't help Davis that even his staunchest allies seem unwilling or unable to make a positive argument for his continued leadership. Cataloging his most noteworthy accomplishments or demonstrating his competence and integrity is, apparently, too ambitious a task even for Sacramento's most-seasoned spinners.
That's why the pro-Davis groups have launched a frontal assault on Issa, denouncing the congressman as an "extremist" who's "out of touch with California." It's a classic diversionary tactic: If you can't win the debate, change the subject.
The problem is, it's not Issa's future that Californians would decide through a recall vote. It's Davis'.
Under state law, the recall ballot would contain two questions. The first would ask, simply, should Davis be removed from office? The second, which is binding only if a majority votes yes on the first, would offer a list of potential successors, with the top vote-getter among them taking office immediately.
Issa's name would almost certainly appear on that list, but so would several other Republicans (possibly Arnold Schwarzenegger) and some Democrats, who would likely be every bit as committed to the same liberal causes as Davis.
Besides, the question of who might succeed Davis would be rendered moot if the governor withstood the recall in the first place -- that is, if more than half the voters decided to let him stay. Yet even his supporters seem to doubt that could happen, as their anti-Issa rhetoric assumes that if recall makes the ballot, Californians will pick a new governor.
They're not alone.
While the state's leading Democrats -- such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Controller Steve Westly and Senate President John Burton -- oppose Davis' removal, they haven't ruled out putting their names on the ballot to succeed him. Clearly they realize that the California Democratic Party could soon be looking for a new standard-bearer, and they've got their eyes on the job.
But if neither Democrats nor Democratic constituencies think their governor can win, and they're unwilling to make a public case for why he should, then why do they bother to fight the recall at all? Wouldn't their energy be better spent picking a more suitable, less problematic replacement?
It's as though the special interests that make up the anti-recall movement believe a budget catastrophe and an avalanche of new taxes are a fair price to pay for a governor who serves his donors, and not the public, faithfully. That's their prerogative, but as long as they're fighting to perpetuate Davis' tenure, it would be nice to hear them offer a coherent explanation for why he deserves it.
Of course, there's a name for that kind of argument -- defending the indefensible.
I've only been here since 2000, but I can take a stab at it.
I think the biggest blame goes to the California Republicans. I'm serious, these "big tent" political geniuses (in their own minds) running the party believe that CA is too liberal to ever elect a Republican, even though as you point out from recent history-that is sheer idiocy.
In fact, they campaign very similar in style to the Democrates nationally, they wet their fingers and stick them in the air, they avoid difficult stands at all costs, and they're poll driven. They dither, they waffle, they contradict themselves. In other words, Parsky and Rioden and others do their best to keep voters in rural area at home on voting day. These people have become the "Swing voters" because they might not vote, but this is totally lost on Sacramento. They high five eachother for the 2.1% Democratic votes they swung when their candidate was for tougher gun laws, or for a woman's right to choose and think if they just move further Left next time, they won't lose by 15% someday.
California Republicans are defeatists. They're feckless cowards, intellectual bankrupt, and they've been committing political suicide as long as I've witnessed them. How did it happen so quickly? Well a popular conservative CA Governor once said that Democracy is never more a generation from disappearing, and its something that must be fought for. They couldn't be farther from "fighting" with Democrates because it might offend or come off as mean.
This Recall, which the CA GOP didn't support no matter what the papers tell you, might be the best thing to happen to them if they get Tom McClintock elected who has a real understanding and plan on how to eliminate this debt.
I have learned not to say that, we used to have a socialist congressman, we said anything would be better than him, were we ever wrong. Now we have a a full blown Marxist, La Raza congressman, who represents Mexico. The old one looks good now.
Yes, voter fraud sounds like a problem, so does party fraud. The aforementioned pretentious elites of the Republican party were mad as hell their man Dick "campaign check for Maxine Waters" Rioden was beaten by Simon, so they half handedly supported him, then when the Davis smear machine painted him an Enron like corrupt businessman, they either piddled down their legs or sold him out, I don't know which happened.
I do know, speaking of the red/blue map, that the often butt of jokes Simon "secretly" carried every county in CA except two, LA and SF and barely lost the popular vote, but the California Republicans still managed to lose to a guy who turned a $12 billion surplus into what was at the time thought to be around $20 billion deficeit in 1 term, and passed the buck onto Simon's inexperience. Speaking of acting like Democrates...buck passing!
I'll have to disagree on that one. Cruz Bustamante would be worse, I think, as would any number of the loons infesting the legislature these days. Which is why the recall is only half the solution; we've got to work to get a Republican elected when Davis gets his ticket punched.
I got a good one for that logic. Would these partisans agree that because he was elected in a landslide that President Richard Nixon should not have resigned, and that the Constitution would have been better served if he had served out his term?
See how they like them apples.
Ya know the spin meisters have checked alot of polls on Davis, that's how they are trapped. Any anti-recall partisan; make them defend Davis' rule.
Stupid moron politicians, can't even balance a simple budget and spend within their means.
It is very simple, Tom McClintock wrote months ago that the only thing they need to do is cut spending by 9.5%, then hold spending rates for 18 months, and the terrifying unsolvable deficit is gone!
But Gray has a talent, fund raising, and those interests demand a return on investment.
You bet. Any high school student could balance this thing in short order. It's gunna happen. Like I stated, we are not dealing with Arkansas here. This budget mess can be reversed pretty quickly, with a few common sense decisions.
Calling Rumplestilskin!
Well, they'll have to deal with alot of really p*ssed off teachers, prison gaurds, and Unions who all have friends in the local media. That guy has to have an ability to take people hating him.
Issa has that
McClintock has that.
I honestly don't think Ah-nold has that. All these fan boy's of this pleasing moderate might just set the GOP out here back another 5 years when he gets in there and cuts nothing.
This budget mess can be reversed pretty quickly, with a few common sense decisions.
I agree, that's the kind of optimism we need. We need somebody in there who shares it.
OMG...Governor John Burton?
If that happens, invest in luggage retailers. People will leave the state in droves to escape taxes and fees and socialist reforms in the schools.
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