Bill Simon- the "I Told You So" Candidate

TEAM Simon Email List | 7/22/03 | Team Simon Email List

[TheAngryClam]

Bill Simon’s campaign professionals are ready to unveil their new appeal to California voters with an “I told you so” themed media barrage and stump speech asking for a second chance in the upcoming recall election.

Simon is and was the “I told you so” candidate long before the recall was underway.

Suffering the barbs of “I told you so…” conservatives who stood by and supported Simon remember the “I told you sos” clearly.

After Simon failed to establish himself as a worthy candidate among Republican voters, Gray Davis rode to his rescue and trashed Richard Riordan during the Republican primary. Gray Davis should have been listed as Bill Simon’s greatest “in kind” donor during the primary as he was the most influential contributor to Simon’s primary win.

Conservatives were elated by what seemed to be a tactical blunder by Davis. Simon’s message was correct, and he offered a clear choice to voters, not an echo of a LA based liberal politician. Even before the budget fiasco, Davis was despised by voters in record numbers and had no strong support among his political base. By all calculations Gray Davis was doomed in 2002. Davis’ political existence was standing squarely in the jaws of defeat. Gray Davis needed a miracle, he needed a savior.

Time and time again Governor Davis was saved, snatched from the jaws of defeat by Bill Simon’s campaign. After Simon’s loss, many Republican moderates cried “I told you so” saying that he was proof that a conservative could not win statewide. Their “I told you sos” were dwarfed by many in the Republican establishment that correctly “told us so” before the general election that Simon and his campaign consultants were destined to lose. They correctly told us that it wasn’t the message but the messenger and his team of professionals who would dash Republican efforts to reclaim the Governor’s office.

Simon was an unproven candidate with a background of inherited wealth and questionable intelligence and judgment. He had hired consultants with poor to modest records who showed recklessness at best, gross stupidity at worst, in their boomerang attacks at Davis.

Conservatives who loved Simon’s message and were his most fervent supporters suffered daily body blows while opening the morning paper and reading his latest blunder. The cringe factor was almost too much to bear as bogus photos and unsubstantiated attacks wore down Republican troops. Throughout what will be remembered as one of the worst campaigns in Republican history, activists never lost sight that Davis was awful. He was far worse than Simon even on his worst day. Republicans and conservatives stood by Simon to the very bitter end.

Round Two, November 2003:

Simon’s campaign staff is saying he is the most likely candidate for voters to support in the recall. Supporting Simon is like eating raw sea cucumbers if you were marooned on deserted island. Without options, people are forced to make unpleasant choices: death by starvation or swallowing something that makes your stomach retch. Fortunately, Republicans have a clear option and choice for who they should support for governor. They will not have to retch and be sick to their stomachs from being forced, by default, to be with Simon as he campaigns. They have other very attractive and proven candidates to support, among those candidates was one who did much better in their statewide race than Simon in the last election.

Many Simon followers are in need for an intervention or deprogramming. Like members of the Jonestown cult, Simon devotees blindly worship the fact that he is not Gray Davis. They are willing to block out the fact that he lead all Republicans to political suicide in 2002 by his incompetence.

Bill Simon and his followers are willing to endure two sets of “I told you sos?” The first; their shoveling lame political pap, “we were right all along, Simon deserves to be the Governor. We told you Davis was bad.” The second “I told you sos” will come after the recall when Republicans of all stripes say, “Bill Simon running in the recall only served to confuse and alienate voters. His presence diminished the legitimacy of the recall effort. Simon managed to split Republican support insuring the election of a leftist Democrat.”

Signed,
Joe Cuffaro
A highly disgruntled and disgusted former Simon supporter.

[TheAngryClam]

**Joe Cuffaro was political director for Dennis Hollingsworth's senate campaign last year.**

This is the latest of an occaisonal email circular written by various 2002 Simon supporters.

Some news coverage about the mailer, along with the last letter to Bill Simon, is available here.

If you'd like to subscribe, or talk back to Team Simon, mail them at teamsimon@usa.com.

[TheAngryClam]

Ping

[NormsRevenge]

Hmm? This should be an interesting thread, Thanks.

[Sir Valentino]

Hey, Bill! We already *KNEW* Davis was a *DISASTER*.

The reason *YOU LOST* is because *YOU* are *ALSO* a *DISASTER*! That's why a *SEEMINGLY UNELECTABLE LOSER* like Davis got *REELECTED*!

Please *STEP ASIDE* and let a *REAL* Republican run!

[nickcarraway]

Why should Democrats attack Republican candidates when other Republicans will do it for them?

ATTENTION ALL POTENTIAL REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR: THIS IS THE TREATMENT YOU CAN EXPECT FR0M REPUBLICANS. THEY WILL EAT YOU ALIVE.

Especially if you are conservative.

So the message is: Stay away from the recall conservative Republicans. You are not wanted by the powers that be. And you will pay if you run!

[TheAngryClam]

If you knew anything about the politics of Mr. Cuffaro, you'd realize how stupid your comment about trying to keep conservatives out sounds.

However, it sounds like you're part of the "Simon Jonestown cult" he's referring to.

[Saundra Duffy]

I was afraid of this.

[EternalVigilance]

That is one deranged letter.

[TheAngryClam]

Welcome to the hell that is California politics.

[My2Cents]

This is all we need -- a loser trying to tell people who voted against him that he was right all along, and implying they were stupid and wrong not to vote for him. That's a winning appeal -- telling people they were stupid and wrong.

[TheAngryClam]

I agree. That's why Bill Simon needs to sit the recall out.

Bill Simon for Attorney General in 2006 is a race I would happily support if he doesn't run in the recall.

[goldstategop]

I do NOT want him to run. Who helped to re-elect Gray Davis? You guessed it - Bill Simon. If he had actually run on the issues he could have beaten Davis hands down. I'm still amazed he never once mentioned the two major issues any competent Republican candidate would have used during the fall campaign, Davis' record and California's impending economic meltdown. We didn't hear a single word on either of those subjects from Simon the entire fall campaign! And he still wants us to vote for him for Governor?? Puhleeaze. Only someone THAT inept could have set things up to the point where the Democrats hold all the statewide executive offices in California. Simon do us all a favor and stay home this year and leave the recall election up to a real candidate and political professionals. The California GOP is too important to be trusted to the likes of Simon again.

[TheAngryClam]

Two words: power crisis.

Never heard a peep about that.

[xm177e2]

Bill Simon’s campaign professionals are ready to unveil their new appeal to California voters with an “I told you so” themed media barrage and stump speech asking for a second chance in the upcoming recall election.

Yeah, this is gonna go over real well. </sarcasm>

Simon couldn't even beat Davis because HE'S AN EVEN BIGGER LOSER.

We need someone else... someone like Arnold.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Should be interesting , alright!

calgov2002:

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calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

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[Lx]

As someone who supported Simon, sorry, he had his chance and blew it. How he lost what should have been a cake walk is beyond me. Anyone that does run better be ready for the Davis and dem slime machine in full force.

I'll support ANY Republican on the ticket, while I think Arnold has a chance, I think there are some better real pols who should get their chance. It would be too funny if this turns in to a Meathead-VS-The Terminator contest.

The only downside is that whoever wins will inherit some bad times ahead and have to make some tough decisions. If the person that wins is a republican, expect the sleazy dems and their willing media acomplices to blame everything on the new Governor conveniently forgetting who's really to blame.

[old school]

One needn't drink the Kool-Aid to want Davis gone. However, neither the republican elite in Washington, nor the California republican party supported Simon in the manner that they would have, had he been "their" chosen candidate. The fact is, that he almost won without their support. Some of us won't drink from either batch, whatever the partisan flavor! The Governor governs the political affairs of all Californians, not just republicans and democrats. Quite frankly, it would suffice to simply see Davis gone!

[EternalVigilance]

Arnold may be the Terminator in the movies, but he also believes its okay to terminate babies.

Ahnuld does not deserve the support of any true conservative.

[dalereed]

I wouldn't bote for liberal Arnold if he was the only "republican" on the ballot!

[EternalVigilance]

Simon do us all a favor and stay home this year and leave the recall election up to a real candidate and political professionals.

Such as?