Hugh Hewitt: California recall: One issue, and one issue only

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Wednesday, September 24, 2003 | Hugh Hewitt

[JohnHuang2]

The big debate gets underway at 6:00 p.m. tonight, PST, and the media is working itself into a frenzy. My take is that unless Arnold comes up with the California equivalent of President Ford's declaration of a free Poland in 1976, the debate will be a non-factor in the race.

Oh, it could seal the end of Tom McClintock's career if he tries to land cheap shots on Arnold, and it might scare another few points away from Cruz when he announces his latest lame-brained idea ("We should socialize surfing – all boards the same length, all waves the same height and rides divided up equally, with extra attention paid to people who cannot surf!"). Arianna's desperation is growing more and more repellant, so expect some shrieking from her end of the stage, but generally, a non-event.

But no matter how odd the behavior of the second-tier candidates, or how boring the questions, it just won't matter. There is only one issue that matters to most voters. It absorbs all other issues in this race: The corruption in Sacramento.

The workers' comp mess? It is about the corrupt influence of the trial lawyers. The huge giveaways to prison guards and other public-employee unions? The corrupt influence of big labor. The massive expansion of tribal casinos and the obscene amount of money pouring from the slots into the voting process? The corrupt influence of California's Indian tribes.

Most of this corruption is legal. Most corruption is. But the stench of the decay in Sacramento doesn't diminish because Gray Davis has invented transparency in payoffs. The tribes brazenly gave millions to Cruz who transferred it to an anti-initiative campaign that features, surprise, Cruz. The money-laundering is out in the open, on the front lawn of the State House – but it is no less corrupt.

The tribes pumped huge sums into a pro-McClintock fund. This is legal, but it stinks. It is a manipulation of the electorate – a cynical assist to Cruz via the draining of votes from Arnold. Corrupt? Of course it is. Tom McClintock cannot raise enough money on his own under the $21,200 limit of the law, so he's welcoming the tribes' largesse via an independent expenditure.

Every single interest group lined up to get something from Gray as Gov. Clouseau's career dwindled into its final month. All the hands were stuck out, and Gray walked the line distributing bennies all along the way. Hiram Johnson never imagined corruption on this scale. The Los Angeles Times tut-tuts that the recall is bad for the state. How can anything that smashes the machine up north be bad for the state?

The scale of the collapse of public ethics is so huge that most pundits have given up commenting on it. Tammany is reincarnate. The Davis administration is epic in its fundraising and epic in its deal-making. It is the only thing that will be memorable about Davis – the size of his appetite for cash and the sleaze that was required to feed that appetite.

On Thursday, observers will be dissecting what Arnold said about paid leave or what Cruz said about the car tax. How boring and how beside the point.

This election is about the numbers of people that have a share in Davis, Inc. vs. the rest of us.

I think there are more of us than there are of them and that as a result Arnold wins hands down. Only McClintock can save Cruz at this point. The only interesting question is will he?

[BibChr]

#177 -- another "you can't be a Christian unless you vote for McC"

[PhiKapMom]

Remember the Christmas song -- making a list and checking it twice! This name just got added to the list!

It is just mind boggling to see "you can't be a Christian unless you vote for McC!" That doesn't sound very Christianlike to me! Last night I picked up this little gem while researching -- no mention on the entire thread about abortion the #1 issue the McC people are using against Arnold:

Issa's a RINO.

Tell me who McClintock is.

22 posted on 07/22/2003 11:58 PM CDT by EternalVigilance

Last night a Freeper by the screen name Rabid Republican was complaining because RNC articles are posted on here! I had to post back to that one -- I couldn't help laughing that someone with that screen name would post such nonsense!

That's what we are dealing with -- the RINO charge against conservatives started back in July! Wonder who is the one ultimately behind this RINO charge against Conservatives?

[BibChr]

Thanks.

As I say in another, we have to consider the bigger picture. I think you've said something like the following, too. McC is supposed to be such a big conservative champion. I sincerely think he's being TERRIBLE for conservatism in California, and precisely BECAUSE he articulates our ideas so well.

See, he does that -- and then sends the loud and clear message that he can get along with NOBODY, that nothing less than 100% compliance (unless your a gambling interest) is his minimum standard, that it is strictly my way or the highway.

This is the way moderates and liberals see us, and why they fear us.

And McC says, "You're right to fear us."

He could be setting back conservatism for years to come.

And this is SO unlike Reagan, whom he inappropriately cites.

Dan

[Pelham]

another "you can't be a Christian unless you vote for McC"

Good guess, but wrong. I don't employ such specious reasoning. You might want to brush up on your logic, inductive reasoning only yields probabilities. You'll have to try harder.

[BibChr]

Click back his last two posts -- a snipe, then denial.

Does that add to his/her/its standing?

[Pelham]

"you can't be a Christian unless you vote for McC!"

I'm curious where you found anyone other than your pal Dan saying that- it wasn't in my post- do I need the secret decoder glasses? Propeller beanie?

[Pelham]

You put the phrase in quotes, not me, Dan. You'd be pointing to the post where I wrote that phrase, if you could. But I didn't. Spin it all you want, those are your words, not mine.

Seems to me I've heard it's not proper to impute words to someone else- something about bearing witness falsely, if I recall. Maybe you can cite the chapter and verse.

[A CA Guy]

McClintock was bought by the tribes, Arnold wasn't.

Plus Tom is so pro-abortion!