Posted on 08/11/2003 9:39:35 AM PDT by tallhappy
Bustamante Must Not Win
Democrat Strategy
The recall candidates are all filed and set. The democrats have held solidarity as much as possible with Cruz Bustamante, the incumbent Lt. Governor as their only candidate. They have decided on their campaign: Recall No, Cruz yes. Their strategy is to urge a no vote on the recall combined with a vote for Bustamante for Governor in the event Davis is recalled.
As Lt. Governor, the dems have determined that he “has dibs” on the Governorship, as Frank del Olmo put it in an op-ed piece in the LA Times. The dems came to understand that it was too chancy to show solidarity with Davis by not running a candidate. If Davis were to lose the recall vote, such a strategy would guarantee a Republican Governor in October. So the Lt. Governor became the choice. This strategy fits best with their line of attack that this is a process set in place to pull off a coup d’etat and wrest power unfairly. If Davis is to be unseated, at least the Governorship of Bustamante can be played as the proper adherence to the line of succession and the dems will claim they brought at least some sanity to a crazy unfair process.
So the dems have coalesced around at least one candidate. This assures they will get about 40% of the vote for Governor.
Republicans May Lose
On the other hand the Republicans have three candidates, Tom McClintock, a State Senator, Bill Simon, Davis’ opponent in the last gubernatorial election and Arnold Schwarzenegger, a movie star. This means the vote will be split between the three and the odds of any one candidate garnering enough of the vote to surpass the vote total of Bustamante, the only Democrat in the field, is low.
In other words, we very well may lose this recall election as well.
We may lose outright in that Davis may not be recalled, but worse, if he is, the dems may have out maneuvered the California Republicans yet again.
It is imperative that a Bustamante victory be thwarted. The only way to do this is to rally behind one Republican candidate well before the October 7 election.
The question then is: which candidate? Schwarzeneger would seem the obvious candidate for this, but McClintock and Simon supporters would take umbrage at such an assumption. I say, fair enough. What we need to do is go at it. Each candidate makes his case over the next month. Let the Republican Party conduct the best polling possible to see accurate numbers of support among the three candidates. By Monday, September 8, almost one full month before the election, the two trailing candidates pull out of the race and endorse – and campaign for – the frontrunner.
This is the way it has to be. It lets the three candidates make their cases and then we, as Republicans and conservatives, pull together to support the one who is most likely to beat Bustamante.
And, during this month of campaigning to decide which one Republican candidate to rally behind, the candidates cannot campaign negatively against the other Republicans. That is counterproductive and also avoids the main issue which is Democrat rule has hurt California.
It is of utmost importance not to let Bustamante win. All three candidates need to agree to this strategy. They should easily accept it. If not, very real pressure needs to be put on them in terms of future support and financial allocation from Republican coffers if they hold out and contribute to a Buatamante win. Hopefully it won’t come down to anything like that.
We can and will win if we work together for the same goal of recalling Davis and electing a Republican candidate.
A split Republican ticket with no Democrats would win. A split ticket with only one Democrat won't.
JMO, but any "victory" will always be a shallow victory to you.
To me a victory is a victory, and you work from there.
But how could you work from "there" since you it seems you are so hell bent in burning the bridges.
You sound like one of those women who, desperate for a husband, marry the wrong man and think they'll "change him".
McClintock seems to be a fairly sound conservative. I'd think he would get some support, if only to pull Arnie a little right. Seems to be a lot of room on that side of him.
But go ahead and take the lowest common denominator route, it's worked so well the last 50 years. Kalifornia probably does need stricter gun laws.
Oh sheesh stop the old and tired "battered wife" syndrome malcontent arguement.
If you would actually look at recent Califonia election results, it is the "death before electiblity" Republicans who are the battered ones.
Lundgren in 98, and Simon running against an inept Davis in 02.
BTW, steve it seems that you are the one, you wishes to get "battered" again, IMO.
But you can always say to yourself, "I have a black eye and loss in the electoral arena", but I have my pride.
JMO, but it seems you get an mental orgasm on that type of rhetoric.
Yet, even at 30% Cruz can win with split vote.
Very probable and very bad. It will not convert liberal freeloaders; it will create more of them. If necessary, take the shallow victory (if we don't win, then they do); take the lesser of two evils (yeah, it's still evil); don't wait all your life for someone to "earn" your vote; forget about principle and conscience — they may be warped, so why take the chance.
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