State Democrats (CA) recall lessons of Florida

SF Chronicle ^ | 6/30/03 | Robert Salladay

[randita]

Sacramento -- When the 2000 presidential election melted down in Florida, Democrats were admittedly exhausted, caught off guard and outmaneuvered by Republicans. Now, Democrats are applying the lessons they learned 3,000 miles away to the potential recall of Gov. Gray Davis.

[randita]

recall update

[Miss Marple]

I was right. Davis hired Chris Lehane AND Mark Fabiani in May of 2001.

Full story here

They immediately began attacking President Bush and using questionable tactics. They also ere paid astoundingly high salaries, cnosidering the financial shape the state is in.

[ClearCase_guy]

Democrats were admittedly exhausted, caught off guard and outmaneuvered by Republicans. Now, Democrats are applying the lessons they learned 3,000 miles away to the potential recall of Gov. Gray Davis.

I consider it obvious that, after Davis is recalled, and a Republican governor is elected in CA, the press (including this "journalist") will have many stories explaining that the Davis recall succeeded because the Democrats were "exhausted, caught off guard and outmaneuvered by Republicans".

[ken5050]

If Davis succeeds in hanging on...the GOP wins big.....because the problem in Cal are gonna get worse, and since the Dems control the legislature, they'll catch all the blame...what this means it that Boxer will lose, IMHO, because as the first statewide Dem seeking office, she'll catch all the blame.....question for ya....does the GOP have any chance of gaining significantly in the legislative races, or are the disrticts mostly safe....?

[Eagle Eye]

This drove away many republicans who hadn't voted yet.

No it didn't. That is a myth. I went to more than one rally there and more than one vote counting and NEVER heard of anyone, not even a secnd hand story of anyone not voting because of the early call.

Those that were serious abou voting had done so, those that didin't but felt guilty about not doing so might have used the announcement as a lame excuse, but nothing more.

[goldstategop]

Ahhh yes... the other Master Of Disaster - Mark Fabiani. They were quite a pair in Davis' service he and Lehane.

[goldstategop]

Here the districts for incumbents of BOTH parties are safe. It was a deal that gave the Democrats a lock on the State Legislature but ensured no more GOP seats could be picked by the Democrats til 2010. The minority party got the best of a bad hand.

[ken5050]

Thanks for the info..sounds liek the state will have to implode fiscally before the GOP can gain in the legislature....even when Cal has a GOP governor, it seems likely he'll bump head with the legislature over every attempt to control spendng..

[ProudGOP]

No it didn't. That is a myth. I went to more than one rally there and more than one vote counting and NEVER heard of anyone, not even a secnd hand story of anyone not voting because of the early call.

You are hardly the definitive source on this. I have read several estimates which said Bush lost about 10,000 panhandle votes because of the early call. After a quick check, I found this article .

I will admit I don't know for sure how many votes Bush lost because of the early call but you claiming that no votes were lost due to the early call because you didn't talk to anyone who didn't vote is ludicrous.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for posting the article!

Whew!!!

Getting busy out here!

calgov2002:

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[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

May be scarce on the forum today, trying to put a new box together!

[Grampa Dave]

This BS is another example why every so called journalist for the SF GayRhonicle should have drug levels run before, during and after they write their drivel. Then those levels should be posted by the article as full disclosure.

This BS sounds like the BS that Baghdad Bob was spouting in Baghdad a couple of months ago:

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

McClintock is on AM 830 on Putnum right now, FYI

[MonroeDNA]

Click here:

http://www.house.gov/mckeon/pr001121.htm
or this:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/11/10/politics/main248524.shtml

or this, testimony in front of Congress:

http://www.senate.gov/~gov_affairs/050301_Perrin.htm

MYTH?!?

[MonroeDNA]

More:

http://www.rffm.org/Files/scheduling.htm

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/fund050701.asp

http://secure.mediaresearch.org/oped/news/heo20001110.html

http://www.seebo.net/bloodshed.html

Myth?!? I was there, pal.

[Eagle Eye]

It is the same myth that the Democrats perpetrated by claiming that roadblocks stopped voters.

IF you were really "there", you'd know that the timing of the announcment was only minutes from poll closing time and that those that truly intended to vote had done so already. I do not believe that 10,000 Panhandle voters were dissuaded from voting in the final minutes of the voting day. Where were the first hand accounts? The letters to the editor in the News Journal, or any of the panhandle papers? I never saw them or even heard of them.

You are asking me to believe that there were at least 10,000 serious voters who were so serious about voting that they waited until the final minutes of the day to vote and that they were so serious about voting that they were either in line to vote (serious lines don't exist in the rural) or enroute and so serious about voting that when they heard the news they turned around enroute or got out of line, thus refusing to vote for any other candidate or ballot initiative? There werew at least 10,000 of these folks, yet no news stories or even thrid hand acounts?

Of course when the pollsters call, no one is going to admit that they blew off voting when the results were so close. No, it is just easier to claim that they intended to vote but decided not to when they heard the news.

And I was there. I was in Pensacola, Crestview, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee for rallies, vote counting, etc. I never met anyone who failed to vote due to the early call, did not meet anyone who claimed to know anyone who failed to vote, didn't read any stories regarding any first or second hand accounts.

For the Republicans, it is a convenient excuse, but one that doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

[ladyinred]

Here we go!

[ladyinred]

Chris Lehane

Well, well, well, fancy meetin him here! What a bunch of evil, lying scum. Here they go again trying to thwart the will of the people of California with their crooked tactics.

[ladyinred]

Lying idiots! The American people with brains saw for themselves on live TV who was attempting a coup in Florida. They rewrite history often, and sometimes it works, as it did in Florida with some people. Californians can see what Davis and his band of merrie men have done to this state. He is scared if he is about to stoop to this. (pardon me, to stoop, Davis would have to climb up!)

[Eagle Eye]

From YOUR article:

News first reached voters in Florida's panhandle at 6:49 central time -- with 11 minutes left before polls closed. The news could also have affected those waiting in line after 7 p.m, Gilliam says.

Go read #36. All I'm going to say now is that you are asking me to believe that there were 10,000 people either in line or enroute with 11 minutes left to go and that they all were so discouraged that they refused to vote for anything else on the ballot.

I used to conduct buisness all up and down the panhandle and there is little or no chance that 10,000 people waited until the last 15 minutes to vote. But does it make sense that they might tell pollsters that they did? You bet.