Simon Loyalists Say E-Mail Dirty Trick Backfired

Los Angeles Times ^ | 7/14/03 | Patt Morrison

[TheAngryClam]

Nope, it wasn't us, they say.

Supporters of Bill Simon for governor — both last year, and now as a candidate in a probable recall election — say it wasn't their loyalists who sent out an e-mail letter signed "Team Simon" volunteers and advising Simon to sit out the election to avoid splitting the party vote and worse.

Joel Strom, the Team Simon chair, says no one from his statewide leadership group wrote such a letter, and whoever did "did not accomplish the goal he/she apparently set out to achieve and, in fact, only helped to sharpen our focus on our work as volunteers."

A letter to the "Team Simon Statewide Leadership" characterized the "PLEASE BILL, DON'T RUN" letter as a "silly prank concocted by a nervous potential opponent who fears our strong statewide organization." The effort "to distract and divide us" in fact "failed miserably," it said, because Team Simon remains "strongly intact" and "highly supportive of Bill's bright political future."

Who might be behind such a dismissive missive? Team Simon's leadership wouldn't speculate, but you know you've got an election on your hands when this sort of thing gets up and running.

[research99]

RE: "What are you going to do if Bill Simon runs and Sal ISN'T his consultant?"

Same as any other candidate: Provide an ear for his explanation for the mistakes he's made, and how he'll manage situations in the future.

This presumes he'll admit his mistakes -- He hasn't shown evidence of being man enough to do that (yet).

[nickcarraway]

There's talk about a "nominating" convention for the recall, probably at the fall party convention.

The state party delegates trend conservative.

Draw whatever conclusions you'd like from that.

The state party delegates and the voters trend conservative. But the state party wants to force a moderate or left of center candidate on them. And if the voters pick who they want, the state party will take it's ball and go home. The conclusion I draw is there will be problems as long as the party and the people are opposing each other. Personally, I think that a moderate/left republican is going to have a problem winning in California. The voters that Riordan was trying to win over, just aren't going to cross over and vote Republican no matter how far left he goes. Plus, there aren't enough of them. But even more important may be the issue of voter fraud. No GOP candidate may be able to overcome that, if it isn't fixed.

[nickcarraway]

When is the state party going to admit its mistakes? When are they going to address voter fraud?

[nickcarraway]

Haven't you watched politics over the last five years? that same dirt isn't going to stay in the minds od the voters.

[research99]

RE: "When is the state party going to admits its mistakes???"

When the "state party" runs for an individual elective office.

[nickcarraway]

You haven't mentioned, that the reason Simon ran well in the primary, was the blanket run of campaign ads featuring the Giuliani endorsement, and the $10 million assist provided him (courtesy of Gary South and Davis' campaign contributors).

I can't agree with your perspective. the reason Simon won was because he was running againt Richard Riordan, who didn't even belong in the race, and couldn't even pretend he didn't hate Republicans. When a candidate openly insuolts the voters of his party, you shouldn't be surprised when he loses. Surely CA GOP voters aren't as stupid as you think. The only reason that Riordan was a front runner was because the New York Times and the rest of the media liked him.

[TheAngryClam]

Which is why Davis will have a nice, happy $5 million ad blitz waiting to remind everyone.

[nickcarraway]

When the "state party" runs for an individual elective office.

So the state party can juist keep sabotaging every GOP candidate and damaging the party, with no recourse? Why don't we stop having primaries and the elite state party can just tell us who the candidate is?

[nickcarraway]

That dog won't hunt anymore.

What's going to happen when they run ads for Issa's, Schwarzenegger's, Riordan's pecadillos?

[nickcarraway]

The bottom line is that Reagan didn't win.

Plus, I gave you the Jeb Bush comparison, which is more like Simon's situation.

[TheAngryClam]

Are you a delegate to the state party?

Have you tried to become one?

If not, don't complain about the leadership. It's like people who don't go vote and then complain about the election results.

[TheAngryClam]

You really think it won't?

Sad. Every voter I know, liberal, conservative and in between, remembers what a sad sack Simon was.

I'd love to see a poll and check out what Simon's negatives are. I'm willing to bet they're astronomical now.

[nickcarraway]

I did vote, thank you very much.

[TheAngryClam]

Jeb Bush also ran a good campaign.

Why don't you find someone who ran a bass ackwards campaign, a la Dan Lungren or Bill Simon, and then came back, rather than give us examples of people who fought tough uphill campaigns.

[TheAngryClam]

For Bill Back & company over Duf and his slate of the party leadership?

[truth_seeker]

"The main reason people criticize his efforts is that he is ``too conservative.'' "

That just is not true.

Simon ran a horrible campaign. He didn't run enough TV ads.

He didn't bring up the impending budget disaster.

Sorry. I favor a smokey backroom session, to narrow it down to one standard bearer. Not Simon.

Not multiple candidates.

[nickcarraway]

I can read the New york Times too, I just don't believe everything they say.

[ElkGroveDan]

This presumes he'll admit his mistakes -- He hasn't shown evidence of being man enough to do that (yet).

Wrong on all accounts. Bill Simon always took credit for screw-ups that other people made. He consistently said that the buck stops with him. That's why very few people have heard much at all about Rob Lapsley and Ed Rollins who ran the campaign during the so-called "bumbling" times.

[TheAngryClam]

Your use of the New York Times as a boogeyman is rapidly becoming tiresome.

My statement, in case you missed it, was based on voters that I personally know, not what some newspaper tells me to think.

[TheAngryClam]

They'd better choose the venue carefully and have it in a private home, or they might violate the prohibitions on indoor smoking.

I hate this state sometimes.