Posted on 07/22/2003 8:52:32 PM PDT by 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.
With all due respect, obsessing on Issa's lip service to anti-profiling laws is as relevant to my State's budget crisis as the Davis' minions refrain about losing Davis will mean woman will lose their right to choose.
It has nothing to do with the relevant Governor issues! Issa is a true blue fiscal conservative, precisely what this state needs spending 38-40% more per budget than the prior one. He can make the tough stands for cuts that frankly a "new tone consensus maker" like Arnold can't. You talk about RINOs!
Lay off the Issa flaming.
As for McClintock, he explains the budget mess better than anyone, read this op-ed he wrote in the OC Register.
There is no doubt in my mind that Issa is far better than 'Ahnuld'.
But my experience tells me not to trust those who find it necessary to label themselves as 'fiscal conservatives'. Almost always, that is a codeword for someone who regularly sells us out on a wide range of other issues, and who, when enough pressure is applied, always end up selling us out fiscally too.
Just my two cents worth, as much as you don't want to hear it.
EV
Well take that out on me, not him, because I choose that word. He actually is very socially conservative, the democrates describe him actually as "extreme" in that "family values" sense. I'm socially as well as fiscally as well, so I can tell you this;
Don't get hung up on some minor story about him, that is what the Enemy wants. What the great state of CA needs right now is a devoted, principled Fiscal Conservative. Other issues are not relating to the power of the CA Governor has, and certainly not related to our -$38.2 budget crisis.
We need someone who can say No to the very powerful, very evil State-Employee Unions. He hasn't backed down from them one bit. He would be what CA needs.
Decision for what?
I am not part of a Simon cult, I'm just sick of the contempt that the CAGOP has for the voters. I would love to have McClintock as our candidate, but I wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to run. Who needs their reputation ruined? The attacks on McClintock have already started, in another six months, he will probably have been portrayed as a junkie who frequents male prostitutes.
Bears repeating
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