Bill Simon Enters CA Race

Fox News | August 9, 2003 | Fox News

[GreatOne]

Another loser enters the race. If at first you run a crappy campaign, try, try again.

[CarmelValleyite]

Re your statement that 50% of CA Republican voters are RINOs. HOW IS THIS ANY OF YOUR CONCERN??? Do you personally KNOW all the registered Republican voters in CA? You do not live here so you cannot begin to understand the intricacies of this vast, extraordinarily diverse state.

Remind us here in CA to get REAL involved in Connecticut politics ---

[billbears]

You get your political information from MOVIE STARS?

Well heck, it seems everyone wants to vote one into the governorship of California, even though from his own statements I wouldn't vote for him under any circumstance, so why not believe another actor? Arnold must be a real winner however because Tom Arnold also campaigned for Gore.

[NeoCaveman]

The republicans have successfully split their vote between McClintock, Uberoth (sp), Arnold, and now Simon. The dems are smart and will let Busta have the road. I heard Garimendi backed out. The dems will win the election.

With this vote split, say hello to Governor Bustamante. Damn real conservatives and RINOs for not burying the hatchet and deciding to win for a change. A pox on them both.

[vbmoneyspender]

You are wrong about your contention that the only people who are happy that Simon and McClintock are in the race are Democrats. Davis has won each of his elections by destroying his opponent through negative campaigning. That is why this time around it is very important to have a number of Republicans in the field until just before recall day. Otherwise, if we only have one person running, Davis will be able to focus all of his fire (along with the fire from the mainstream media) on the Republican frontrunner. Having a number of contenders in the field defeats Davis' scorched earth media strategy, which Davis, by the way, has repeatedly employed not just against Republicans opponents but against Democrat opponents as well. Also, Schwartznegger has not gone through the crucible of a drawn out election campaign so it is hard to know what dirt Davis is going to be able to dig up on him. Until we know that there isn't anything out there that would make Schrwartznegger unelectable, it is smart to have a number of Republicans running so that Davis has to attack multiple targets, rather than just one target.

Finally, having Simon run, along with a number of other people run, is good for an even more basic reason. We don't get to elect another governor unless we win the recall vote. So anyone, like Simon or McClintock, or even Arianna Huffington, who is able to get people out to vote who will vote in favor of the recall needs to be encouraged. Simply put, we want as many people as possible voting for the recall (even if they are Greens or Yoga Levitators) because without that, Schwartznegger could end up getting 60% or 70% of the vote for governor and still not be elected if Davis got 51% on the recall vote.

[research99]

RE: "I think I will believe the judge given that
(1) the guy who sued Simon was a convicted felon who
(2) had failed to disclose that information to Simon and his partners when they hired him. Isn't that true?"

Per the above:

#1 is true. Paul Edward Hindelang Junior was convicted of felonies related to drug trafficking (over 500,000 lbs. of marijuana) in early 1982 in Federal District Court in New Orleans.

#2 is also true, but that's not what the jury voted on.

What is the critical point is the timeline: Hindelang's 1981 arrest, 1982 conviction, and other stories which came out @1984 (involving former Miami Dolphins star Larry Czonka's associated allegations of drug trafficking, and allegations of Hindelang's attempts to bribe the Foreign Minister of the Bahamas) were abundantly noted by Associated Press at the time.

The issue is, did Simon and Sons do a sufficiently thorough background check BEFORE giving drug-peddler Hindelang over $23 million as an investment ??

The case file timeline of Simon's actions says: NO !

Simon and Sons made the deal by 2/11/98, but didn't order the background check (by Scherzer & Co. of Woodland Hills) until March 1998, and the report arrived in September 1998. In his book, Simon says you ALWAYS should do a background check on the people you do business with.

In my observation, his defense was not only bogus (which the jury rejected), but that publicly he's a hypocrite, and his character is unsuitable to hold the office of Governor.

[BearArms]

I frankly don't understand why any social conservative who won't vote for Arnold because he's too liberal on things like abortion and gays would vote instead for Simon. In his last campaign, from what I've heard and read, Simon spent most of his time apologizing for his conservative positions and all but assuring everyone that he would do absolutely nothing on those issues if he were elected.

What would be the point in electing a toothless social conservative to office? Why not just negotiate with Arnold and see if he'll come out for some of the more mainstream conservative proposals in exchange for perhaps some grass roots support now and in the future?

[summer]

You get your political information from MOVIE STARS? Good grief.

So - Ronald Reagan was never president of the USA. Is that what you're saying?

[summer]

Tom Arnold doesn't know that, he was just responding to the inevitable B.S. from Colmes.

True; as I said, Tom Arnold was just speculating there.

[Howlin]

Tom Arnold certainly isn't involved in politics. But if that's where you want to get your information from movie stars, go right ahead.

Your remark about Reagan doesn't make sense.

[summer]

no true conservative can win with the possible exception of McClintock.

I am not in CA, and I don't know much abotu McClintock, but I thought he spoke very well when I recently saw him on TV. He seemed like the type of candidate a lot of voters could rally around.

[summer]

Oh - so YOU were talking about Tom Arnold - but I don't consider HIM a "movie star"! Since you didn't say who you were talking about, I thought you were referring to the MOVIE STAR who is RUNNING for CA gov. LOL...

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Re your statement that 50% of CA Republican voters are RINOs. HOW IS THIS ANY OF YOUR CONCERN???

Looks like I found a live one.

I know many of you denizens of the left coast think California is America and that the rest of the nation doesn't matter.

Arrogance is not restricted just to Democrats.

My daughter was on the 100th floor of Tower #2 in 1993 when the first attempt was made to topple the WTC.

My friend and next-door neighbor was murdered on Sept. 11. 2001 in the same building.

I sleep and breathe politics.

My country is of great concern to me.

Your state, besides providing an amusing circus of politically correct freaks and thugs for me to laugh at, is pivotal in national politics.

I am concerned and alert to every time my freedoms are eroded.
Much of the rot starts in California.
Sorry for you!!

[truth_seeker]

"Re your statement that 50% of CA Republican voters are RINOs."

Many registered Republicans in California might fit the overused description. I believe great harm is done, by constantly using it. It is derogatory.

The days of smart Republican party politics are history in CA. The idea of widening the base is rejected, by a minority that insists that losing elections is better than compromising.

I want lower taxes and a better environment for business. Since abortion is not a state issue, I don't need for it to come up, for every office.

Isn't is crazy, for that topic to come up, for state Treasurer?

What does it do for the cause of eliminating/reducing abortion, to always lose elections?

[vbmoneyspender]

What you are saying doesn't make sense. Why should it matter when they did the background check on this convicted felon. Isn't the key point that once they found out he was a convicted felon, Simon and his partners were entitled to fire him? The common sense position, which the judge adopted, was that, yes, Simon and his partners were entitled to fire this guy because he failed to disclose that he was a convicted felon when they hired him. And, more, importantly, the convicted felon was not entitled to a multi-million dollar jackpot just because he successfully concealed his criminal background until after he was hired.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Many registered Republicans in California might fit the overused description. I believe great harm is done, by constantly using it. It is derogatory.

Hey!

I said that!

Not that ........valley........person!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

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[Howlin]

Well, what do you consider Tom Arnold?

And I was referring to your very own posts; in it, YOU referred to Tom Arnold; it's not my fault if you can't follow a logical exchange of thought.

[Howlin]

Well, that's your thought process, not mine.

[Belial]

I frankly don't understand why any social conservative who won't vote for Arnold because he's too liberal on things like abortion and gays would vote instead for Simon.

Most of the people saying this aren't from California. Shrill rhetoric about the gay menace plays great in Mississippi and Alabama; in CA you automatically lose if you come off as some kind of religious wingnut.

Unfortunately, grassroot activists made a gross error in nominating Simon in the last primary. He somehow managed to lose against one of the most unpopular, corrupt and failed governors in the state's history.

[research99]

What hasn't yet been reported, and I list here as a FR Exclusive, is the connection between Hindelang's post-prison firm "Pacific Coin" and money-laundering.

Look at the evidence. When he was released from his 20-Month Lompoc Federal Penitentiary sentence (which means he not only cooperated but was connected -- the 1981 DEA "Operation Grouper" arrests turned up protection of drug-runners by CIA contacts associated with the Bay of Pigs), Hindelang retained his money-laden Central American contacts.

Consider that the main obstacle for the cocaine cartels in the mid-to-late 1980's was the conversion of an abundance of currency assets into liquid funds accepted by financial institutions (banks) for transfer into "clean" assets.

Then consider the type of currency, ie non-traceable coins, that pay phone firm Pacific Coin was created to handle. It was subsequently acknowledged that Hindelang hid more than $50 million from the feds until 1998, and when asked Hindelang paid up without complaint -- but for some reason Pacific Coin wasn't seized by the feds.

Finally, the circumstantial smoking gun is Pacific Coin's location at 16200 Stagg Street in Van Nuys. Go there on a quiet Sunday morning, and you'll notice the back lot shares the 4' tall chain-link fence with the tarmac of the Van Nuys Airport (which, conveniently "shuts down" the tower late at night).

Taken together, you have a big-time drug trafficker, experienced at the logistics of moving large quantities of contraband amongst the innocent vehicles (boats, planes) of the recreating public, running an untraceable money-conversion firm, which is located just a short money-bag toss from the parking place of Lear-jets at the busiest (and relatively unsecure) private aviation facility in the US.

If Bill Simon couldn't piece this together, and he willingly gave Hindelang over $23 Million to be his business partner, how can you suggest he has the inclination or abilities to handle the largest State financial meltdown in US history?