CA: Why Davis is really in trouble

SFGate.com ^ | 7/25/03 | Jill Stewart

[NormsRevenge]

WHAT THE MEDIA observe firsthand during political wars, but often clean up when they report the news for public consumption, continually bemuses me.

Everything the opposing campaigns do from this moment forward will be in order to influence the polls as Gov. Gray Davis hurtles toward the first recall vote against a U.S. governor since the 1920s.

[swany]

I read the article again. I see your point.

[NormsRevenge]

Jill has written a few good articles on happenings here, but after closer perusal, I agree, this is not one of them.

I must admit also, I post a lot of stuff without reading the whole item thru.

I also have gotten into the habit lately of just reading folks posts or replies to articles on threads and not the articles themselves. There is quite a lot of content to wade thru on this forum these days. This place is become hugh! C'Ya ;-)

[DoughtyOne]

Thank. Yes, it is hugh.

[Uncle Hal]

This is a pretty fair article for the Chronicle. I notice they have had some semi conservative authors in lately writing columns. In fact Lee Rogers interviewed one on KSFO the other day. I cannot remember his name but he has been hired to write a weekly column which will definately be from the right. The Chronicles token conservative, Debra Sanders, is all over the place and sometimes veers to the left.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Adam Sparks? He posts his columns here sometimes.

Adam is the ONLY conservative on that paper. It's not "veering left". And Jill Stewart shows her bias in this article (very left leaning).

[LS]

Rush has really been off on a couple of things these days, and perhaps isn't paying attention. This story surfaced more than a MONTH ago, largely due to the notion that Rice was setting herself up to run as CA governor or senator (but this was before the recall). I think what Bedard was reporting was "leftovers" from this old story.

[LS]

And I dispute your dispute. The evidence is available in Michael Barone's book. In fact, Hispanics "learn the language" faster than almost any older ethnic group coming in. Do you realize that there were more GERMAN LANGUAGE DAILY NEWSPAPERS in America in 1913 than there are Spanish-language papers today? That alone should tell you all you need to know about how quickly they "assimilated."

[RichInOC]

CA: Why Davis is really in trouble

He's a corrupt, arrogant fool. That's not enough?

[Ann Archy]

Chris Lehane....what a little slimey POS. Davis deserves a two-bit punk runt like Chris lehane.

[EGPWS]

Gilliard hesitated. Clearly, it hadn't crossed anyone's mind to have a Spanish speaker. This tells you how the California GOP still thinks: It's still as white as snow,...

We ARE an English speaking nation, it's a tradition, it's useful to know, and there has never been a problem communicating in English in this country...until now! Why? Are there people not willing to conform? Just reape? An agenda to change our language? Or just lazy and not willing to work to learn the language of the land? Oh, sorry for my rant for now I see...It's because of how the GOP thinks! It's their fault! /sarcasm

[Eva]

Thanks, I did hear it about a month ago and thought that the report from Rush was current. Thanks for straightening that out. I don't know if Bush can afford to give Condi up to California.

[LS]

Well, she would not be as smart as I think she is if she jumped this administration before having a clear plan to win a seat. Currently, she is on a short list of Veep candidates should Cheney step down or should Jeb run in 2008 (which, unfortunately, I think would be a bad move and would smack of a "dynasty").

Like Arnold and other high-profile candidates, she is "pro-choice" and all the single-issue voters would mobilize to stop her: so she must already have overcome that hurdle in advance (which she could do). But I think Bedard got an old story and didn't realize it.

[arasina]

What I like about California is that within the same state, you can living in a very conservative (Orange) or very liberal (San Francisco) community.

So, as a staunch moderate, I assume you live somewhere in the middle? :o)

[dwd1]

Actually I live in Garden Grove in the District that was at one time represented by Bob Dornan (B-1 Bob) and now represented by Loretta Sanchez (owner of a beautiful white cat named Gretzsky, Sister Linda is also in Congress)

[ought-six]

"And I dispute your dispute. The evidence is available in Michael Barone's book. In fact, Hispanics 'learn the language' faster than almost any older ethnic group coming in. Do you realize that there were more GERMAN LANGUAGE DAILY NEWSPAPERS in America in 1913 than there are Spanish-language papers today? That alone should tell you all you need to know about how quickly they 'assimilated'."

I, with all due respect, must disagree with you. For example, I work with several Yugoslavians who came over herer within the last 10 years or so, and the first thing they did was learn English, and then applied for citizenship. They are extremely hard-working and diligent. They ask for nothing; they seek no hand-outs or preferences. Thet have embraced the American dream and are better Americans than many native borns. But your comment referred to Germans (now you're talking about my family). Yes, there were (and are) German language newspapers (just like there are Yiddish newspapers, and Polish newspapers, and Greek newspapers: basically, anywhere you have a concentration of a specific group, that group will retain some attachment to its roots; that is natural). HOWEVER, almost without exception, the members of those groups learned English and assimilated rather quickly. Many hispanics (especially Mexicans) do not learn English, and refuse to do so. The Germans, Poles, et als did not demand that the U.S. government print German or Polish on virtually every printed document, but the hispanics do, and they go ballistic if there is any delay in it being done. Moreover, no other ethnic group has a desire to remake America in its own image, but the Mexicans (as a generalization) do: Just look at the multitude of "reconquista" groups there are in the U.S. If that is not an overt invasion and attempt to take over America, I don't know what is.

[LS]

The evidence does not bear this out. I have seen pretty convincing documentation on the fact that usually not until the THIRD generation did Germans, Poles, and others (especially when they came over prior to 1900) learn English. There were entire TOWNS in the mid-west that did not speak English at the turn of the century.

The available evidence we have---and not anecdotal---suggests that Hispanics learn the language by the 2nd generation.

[ought-six]

Again, I disagree with you. My ancestors came from Germany in 1841. And certainly by 1861 they spoke (and read, and wrote) English, because my great-great grandfather (from Germany) fought in the Civil War, and his letters, etc. (those very few that survived) were all in English. I grew up in California. There were Mexican families there that NEVER learned English, and I'm talking about generations of families. I worked with a Mexican kid when I was in high school, and his parents did not speak English, nor did his grandparents (they all lived in the same house). And they had been in California (at least the grandparents)since the 1920s at least. Their kids never learned English, but their grandkids did. Go figure.

[1Old Pro]

She's an amateur writer with very little "inside" knowledge.

[FITZ]

Only in some places. Many places have already become Spanish speaking and if you only speak English, you will need a translator.

This from today's paper:

Don't forget 'minority'

Recently, a fellow soldier and I decided to stop at a fast food restaurant at the corner of North Mesa and Sunland Park Drive for a quick breakfast. Upon entering the establishment, my friend asked me what the three advertisement placards sitting on the counter said.

I turned to look at him with a "come on now" expression, only to realize why he had asked such a question.

The advertisements were in Spanish. Imagine that.

Needless to say, I was livid. I understood Spanish because I am bilingual -- my ethnicity is Hispanic. He, on the other hand, is not Hispanic.

Have we forgotten, as a city, that our language is English?

By no means am I minimizing the Hispanic majority in the city. But, if I am not mistaken, those advertisements are meant for the Mexican nationals coming to or living in El Paso.

How can we make such a drastic and blatant underscoring of not considering other people's cultures?

Throughout the city, I see the massive bombardment of Spanish advertisements. If we must, let's advertise bilingually. We shouldn't be rude to the minority in the city.

They too, have rights -- or did we forget?

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/opinion/letters/letter.shtml

[FITZ]

I have a feeling you haven't done much traveling throughout the USA lately. There are large areas of the country going Spanish-speaking ----store announcements are done in Spanish, change is counted out in Spanish, advertisements are in Spanish and Spanish is a required subject in school and many are not learning English at all ----not even after living in this country for 20-30 years. Los Trabajadores Fronterizos are sueing the federal government for more NAFTA displaced workers benefits and part of the lawsuit claims that job retraining that tried to teach them English is discrimination ----they refuse to learn English even if that might mean they could work instead of receive welfare. And these are people who have lived here many years.