California Recall Daily Thread(8/12/2003): 56 Days To Go

California Recall Daily Thread: Up To The Minute News ^ | 8.12.2003 | DoctorZin

[DoctorZIn]

Welcome to the California Recall Daily Thread.

In just 56 days, the people of California will choose a Governor and as a result set a course that will affect the future of the state and our country in profound ways.

This thread has been created to keep us all informed of the important developments.

I invite you to post all the major recall stories here or if it has already been posted, then add links to these posts. We welcome discussions of the candidates, the issues, campaign strategy, the polls, etc. Please be civil in your comments.

If you want to be added to a ping list on the recall please freepmail me and make sure you mention that you want to be added to the "recall ping list." I will ping you once daily at the start of the thread and occasionally if there is major breaking news.

DoctorZin

[DoctorZIn]

Tell you friends about the California Recall Daily Thread.

[EternalVigilance]

The Republican Assembly endorsement of Tom McClintock is big news in what is currently the undercard.

Most folks around the country don't realize the influence this particular group of conservatives has had in the CA GOP for a long time.

This is the death rattle for Bill Simon. He's dead, Jim.

[DoctorZIn]

FACING CERTAIN RECALL, THE STATE’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE has turned to his Leftist allies ....

EMail ^ | August 11, 2003 | PONTEFICATIONS - eMail
Posted on 08/11/2003 6:25 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

PONTEFICATIONS

FACING CERTAIN RECALL, THE STATE´S CHIEF EXECUTIVE has turned to his Leftist allies on the high court and in the legislature to block the recall election itself.

You can find the post at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/962302/posts

"If you want on or off this RECALL ping list, Freepmail me”

[goldstategop]

Agreed. We need him to keep Arnold honest and be a backup candidate cause ya never know!

[DoctorZIn]

Election may even see 'hanging chads' encore

Posted 8/12/2003 1:21 AM
USAToday

Californians will vote Oct. 7 on whether to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. They will be asked two questions: Should Davis remain as governor, and who should replace him if ousted. If Davis fails to get 50% to keep him on the first question, the candidate with the most votes on Question 2 will be elected to serve the remaining 39 months of the term.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the unusual election:

Q: If someone votes to keep Davis in office, can that person still vote for a replacement candidate?

A: Yes. Everyone can vote on a potential replacement for Davis, even voters who leave the first question unanswered.

Q: Can Californians still register to vote? Are many new voters expected to register?

A: The last day for new voter registrations is Sept. 22. Some political analysts say actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's candidacy will draw many young movie fans as first-time voters. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the only major Democrat running, could attract Hispanic voters who want him to become California's first Hispanic governor since 1875.

Q: Can someone enrolled as a Democrat vote for a Republican candidate?

A: Yes. This isn't a party primary. Voters can choose anyone they favor.

Q: Do other states allow recall elections?

A: California and 17 other states allow the recall of statewide officials; 36 states allow the recall of local officials. Recall elections targeting state legislators and members of local school boards and city councils are common in many states. The only U.S. governor ever recalled was Lynn Frazier of North Dakota in 1921.

In 1988, 480,000 Arizonans signed petitions to recall GOP Gov. Evan Mecham. Before a recall vote could be scheduled, the Legislature impeached and removed Mecham.

Q: Why is California doing this?

A: Voters are frustrated over a limping economy, a record $38 billion state budget deficit that the Legislature recently fixed only partially with accounting gimmicks, and higher electric bills after the 2001 blackouts.

Davis, who was re-elected by a narrow 5% margin last November, is getting widespread blame for the state's woes. But a petition drive to recall Davis was sputtering until U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican, contributed $1.7 million to pay signature-gatherers. Issa announced he'd run to replace Davis but withdrew Thursday.

Q: Can the polls be trusted?

A: Some California pollsters say predicting who will turn out to vote in the unprecedented election is so difficult that poll numbers are questionable.

Q: Will the ballot contain other issues?

A: The ballot will contain the recall, with its two-part format, and two initiatives.

Proposition 53 is a proposed California constitutional amendment that would require a portion of the state's budget to be set aside for spending on infrastructure.

Proposition 54 is a controversial "racial privacy" measure that would ban state government from collecting racial data.

Q: Could California have problems with hanging chads as Florida did in the 2000 presidential election?

A: Yes. Seven of California's 58 counties, including populous Los Angeles County, will use the same type of punch-card voting that caused the trouble in Florida. Under a court consent decree, counties are required to junk the punch-card devices by the March 2004 primaries but won't have time to make the change before the recall election. A pending federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union asks to delay the recall vote until the punch cards are replaced.

Q: When does absentee voting begin?

A: Sept. 8 is the first day. Sept. 30 is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot.

Q: What will the election cost the state of California?

A: Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, a Democrat, estimates it will cost taxpayers $53 million to $66 million.

By Martin Kasindorf

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2003-08-12-recall-qna-usat_x.htm

"If you want on or off this RECALL ping list, Freepmail me”

[DoctorZIn]

Davis calls recall 'an insult' to voters

Washington Times ^ | Tuesday, August 12, 2003 | By James G. Lakely
Posted on 08/11/2003 10:49 PM PDT by JohnHuang2

The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com

Davis calls recall 'an insult' to voters
By James G. Lakely

Published August 12, 2003

Embattled California Gov. Gray Davis yesterday characterized the Oct. 7 special election that might boot him from office as "an insult," yet a new poll shows that the percentage of voters who want him recalled is rising....

You can find the post at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/962386/posts

[EternalVigilance]

Put me on the list, if you please.

Good idea, and you've presented it well.

Thanks.

[DoctorZIn]

Recall ballot strives for fairness

Washington Times ^ | Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Posted on 08/11/2003 10:50 PM PDT by JohnHuang2

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — With 195 candidates signed up to run in the state's historic recall election of Gov. Gray Davis, the ballot itself will be a real page-turner.

When Californians vote Oct. 7, they might have to scan though several pages of options until they find the candidate of their choice, making position on the ballot a key to success, political observers say.

You can find the post at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/962387/posts

[DoctorZIn]

Recall and Ruin

Washington Post ^ | August 12, 2003 | George f. Will
Posted on 08/12/2003 12:25 AM PDT by hotpotato

In the 1950s, when Doris Day, prim and perky and squeaky clean, was starring in romantic comedies, the mordant Oscar Levant said, "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." Washington knew Arianna Huffington before she was a left-wing populist.

But in politics as in other fields of fashion, standards of chic change, and it is as a Huey Long from the upper crust that millionaire Huffington is seeking to make of herself a gift, as governor, to California's downtrodden. Can it be just eight years ago that she was living here, toiling to establish a salon for like-minded surfers on the rising -- or so she thought -- wave of Newt Gingrich's brand of conservatism?...

You can find the post at:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/962446/posts

[DoctorZIn]

SCHWARZENEGGER BY A CALIFORNIA LANDSLIDE: POLLS

New York Post ^ | 8/12/03 | DAVID K. LI
Posted on 08/12/2003 12:57 AM PDT by kattracks

August 12, 2003 -- LOS ANGELES - Two new polls yesterday showed Arnold Schwarzenegger winning the California gubernatorial race by a landslide, as embattled Gov. Gray Davis called the recall an "insult."

In a poll released by KABC-TV in L.A. last night, 66 percent who said they were "certain to vote" in the historic Oct. 7 California recall backed the removal of Davis, a Democrat, while 32 percent opposed it.

Of the replacement candidates, Schwarzenegger beat Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the ballot's only major Democrat, by 51 percent to 17 percent, according to the phone poll taken on the weekend.

Former Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth is at 6 percent and former federal prosecutor Bill Simon, who lost to Davis last November, at 7 percent....

You can find the post at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/962459/posts

"If you want on or off this RECALL ping list, Freepmail me”

[DoctorZIn]

Arnold takes most space in spotlight

By Martin Kasindorf, USA TODAY
8.12.2003

LOS ANGELES — Masses of TV news cameras on Monday shadowed the leading candidate to unseat California Gov. Gray Davis in the recall election, even though the candidate was in New York City and was saying nothing about California politics.

"Look at all the press back there," actor Arnold Schwarzenegger joked to children surrounding him in a ceremony at City College of New York to promote after-school programs. "They're all here for you, all of them. ... They love to promote after-school programs. That's why they're here, right? Isn't it fantastic?"

The square-jawed screen hero has attracted international news coverage and heavy support in polls since he jumped last week into the Oct. 7 election. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, is one of 193 who filed as candidates to replace Davis if voters recall the Democratic incumbent.

Schwarzenegger, 56, has yet to comment in detail on California issues. But it doesn't seem to matter. The publicity blanketing him because of his celebrity status is all but burying the messages of his competitors on the ballot.

Republican businessman Bill Simon, 52, and left-of-center independent contender Arianna Huffington, 53, want a share of the spotlight. On Monday, they called for a series of televised debates that would place them alongside Schwarzenegger. If his rivals can't do better at matching his access to "free media," as politicians call news stories, they'll have to spend extra millions of dollars on TV commercials during the eight-week campaign.

Financial disclosure forms filed with state officials show that several candidates will have little trouble financing costly campaigns out of their own pockets. Simon has a $3 million annual income from family investments. Former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, a Republican running as an independent, reported annual income of at least $670,000 and multimillion-dollar investments in six companies.

Schwarzenegger can buy plenty of commercials, too. Apparently he is the wealthiest candidate and could become California's richest governor. He wasn't required to report the full value of his assets, but earlier estimates of $200 million may be conservative. Among his holdings: a Boeing 747 he leases to Singapore Airlines, an Ohio shopping mall and the Schatzi's On Main restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif. He released tax returns showing $57 million total income for 2000 and 2001.

By contrast, Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, 50, says he needs cash to battle rich Republicans. His tax returns show that he and his wife earn about $124,000 a year.

Election officials will announce Wednesday the list of candidates qualified for the long ballot. Some counties say they'll have to use paper ballots and count votes by hand, which will delay the results.

California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley held a lottery-style drawing of alphabetical letters Monday to determine ballot position based on last names. To ensure that each candidate has an equal chance to be listed first on the ballot — a position that carries an estimated 5% advantage — the order of names is rotated on 80 different ballots, one for each state Assembly district.

The drawing determined the rotation will start with R names. The letter S is 11th. This means that in many districts, before voters reach Schwarzenegger, they'll have to wade through dozens of names that start with higher-ranked letters, including Bustamante, Huffington and billboard model Angelyne. On such a long ballot, the rotation is fairer to Schwarzenegger than an unchanging alphabetical list.

Schwarzenegger is urging voters to dump Davis and to let him "clean house in Sacramento." The governor said on NBC Monday that the recall is "an insult to the 8 million people who went to the polls last November and made a decision that I should be governor."

Still, Davis, 60, said, "I'm doing my best to work harder to solve people's problems. ... I have gotten the message. I understand that a lot of people signed the recall."

Schwarzenegger isn't getting a free ride in this unprecedented election campaign. Democrats criticized him Monday for backing Proposition 187, a ballot initiative in 1994 that would have barred illegal immigrants from receiving schooling and other state social services. It passed with a 60% majority. Appeals courts struck it down.

The measure, opposed by many Hispanics and Asian-Americans, was heavily promoted by the governor at the time, Republican Pete Wilson.

Wilson, chairman of Schwarzenegger's campaign, is still considered a villain in Hispanic communities that Schwarzenegger is wooing by stressing his own immigrant background.

Bustamante, the only well-known Democrat running, is campaigning against the recall but is asking voters to choose him if Davis is ousted. He told NBC on Monday that Schwarzenegger's stand on Proposition 187 is "going to hurt him" because "the immigrant community understood that to be a real attack on them."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2003-08-12-recall-usat_x.htm

"If you want on or off this RECALL ping list, Freepmail me”

[BlackElk]

This just in: Schwarzenkennedy is not even remotely conservative and will not answer policy questions. He is also not the characters he plays in movies. Like RINO Pete Wilson and RINO Riordan, he is not a Republican but he plays one (without substance) on the nightly news.

In other news: Greyout Doofus continued to lie.

Tom McClintock has been endorsed by the California Republican Assembly whose delegates cast not one vote for Schwarzenkennedy.

California has a serious deficit.

The sun appears to rise in the East.

Ducks have webbed feet.

Bears in the wild do not use outhouses.

The pope is Catholic.

That's all for now but stay tuned.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I don't know if this is news to anyone but "Fox And Friends" just reported that the ballots are going to be translated to seven different languages. I wonder how much just that part is going to cost.

[Miss Marple]

Arnold just called into Fox and Friends for a short interview. Since he was in New York, he was watching them. No real news in the interview, same points he made in the announcement.

THEN Arianna Huffington called in. She heard Arnold and apparently wanted time as well. I guess she is going to stalk him.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

THEN Arianna Huffington called in. She heard Arnold and apparently wanted time as well. I guess she is going to stalk him.

She is a mental case!

[Miss Marple]

She is still on. She says she absolutely will not throw her support to Arnold even if he is way ahead.

"Eurotrash gold-digger" keeps running through my mind, for some reason.

[RonDog]

See also:

SCHWARZENEGGER BY A CALIFORNIA LANDSLIDE: POLLS
New York Post ^ | 8/12/03 | DAVID K. LI
Posted on 08/12/2003 12:57 AM PDT by kattracks

August 12, 2003 -- LOS ANGELES - Two new polls yesterday showed Arnold Schwarzenegger winning the California gubernatorial race by a landslide, as embattled Gov. Gray Davis called the recall an "insult."

In a poll released by KABC-TV in L.A. last night, 66 percent who said they were "certain to vote" in the historic Oct. 7 California recall backed the removal of Davis, a Democrat, while 32 percent opposed it. Of the replacement candidates, Schwarzenegger beat Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the ballot's only major Democrat, by 51 percent to 17 percent, according to the phone poll taken on the weekend.

Former Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth is at 6 percent and former federal prosecutor Bill Simon, who lost to Davis last November, at 7 percent.

"The recall is a bad idea, it's a waste of $70 million, and in my judgment, it's an insult to the 8 million people who went to the polls last November," Davis told reporters at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Holocaust and tolerance museum in West L.A.

"I come from the school where once an election is cast and someone is chosen to be the leader, everyone gets behind that leader and does the people's business," Davis said.

A Gallup poll released earlier yesterday drew similar results with pro-recall forces winning nearly a two-thirds majority, while Schwarzenegger led Bustamante, 42 percent to 22 percent, among replacement candidates.

Bustamante tried to turn his lack of wealth into a political advantage.

"I am an average guy trying to do an above-average job," Bustamante told CNN's "American Morning."

CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread

[freedom1st]

That wasn't Arnold. It was a fake.

[Miss Marple]

Really? I have been busy and out of the room. Did they say so?

[BlessedAmerican]

Enjoying the thread. Especially appreciated the q/a today as it helped me understand the procedure.

Where is Terry McAuallife (sp???)? He was making the news daily before Bustamante got in, trying to hold the dems together. Since then I have not seen nor heard from him....