The Gray-Grip Over California is over
by JohnHuang2
SACRAMENTO, Oct. 7 -- Embedded here in the Governor's Mansion in Sacramento, seat of Gray Davis' crumbling regime, I can hardly hear myself think, the deafening, gawd-awful noise of shredding machines going ferociously full-tilt. It's been like this since Saturday, immediately after the San Jose Mercury News hit the stands with this blockbuster: Poll: Support for recall is waning. It was a sure sign Davis was about to get the boot.
Adding to Davis' woes, the AP reported Monday that "a new poll indicated some voters were having second thoughts about recalling" the governor. And, as if to pile on Davis, USA Today reported yesterday that "a poll over the weekend found that Schwarzenegger's support may be faltering."
Then came undoubtedly the grimmest news of all: A poll of millions of registered voters, conducted by the state of California from Tuesday morning to Tuesday evening October 7th, appears to show the percentage of voters saying, 'Hasta La Vista, Davis, you Taxist Pig!' was 55 percent. The Vast, Right-Wing Conspiracy is truly Vast! Even worse news for the Totally Recalled governor, dogged by taxpayer harassment allegations since last November, this poll had an overall margin of error about as close to 0% as it gets. (Though CNN/Gallup and other polling organizations will argue that their standard technique -- polling staff at TIME magazine and Harvard faculty -- more accurately reflects voter sentiment than mere Election-Day results).
Tonight, Davis was swept from office by recall less than a year after a staggering landslide victory of 48%-43%. To Democrats with bitter memories of Florida 2000, it was the case of millions and millions of voters yet again, like Florida, stealing another election. This time, by Recall of a sitting governor, despite the wonderful, banner year he's given California. Democracy has dangerously succumbed to democracy.
Throughout his exceedingly edifying Puke Election Campaign, Gov. Gray Davis struggled to shake off charges of taxual misconduct, but with little success. Nothing seemed to work for the poor governor. The L.A. Times, in line with its reputation for balance and objectivity, tried a desperate Wag-the-Bimbo, 11th-hour diversionary gambit, dishing decades old sex harassment charges against rival Arnold Schwarzenegger, all to no avail. Baffling the experts, big deficits and handing out drivers licenses to illegals did not become hugely popular with voters, no matter how often Gov. Davis pounced on Arnold over grope allegations. Nor did 30-year-old grope allegations improve the state's economy, cut unemployment, or give Gray Davis soaring poll numbers, as keen observers said they would. What weird reason caused voters to make pocketbook issues more important than ancient, unsubstantiated grope allegations? Why didn't voters rally behind Gray Davis with news that Arnold had allegedly groped someone only 30 years ago?
All the grope talk only reminded voters of the governor's own roving hands, his penchant for lewd advances towards the WALLET area of their anatomy. As governor, Davis' groping and wallet-grabbing had become a pattern of recurring abuse. So recurring, in fact, that at many campaign stops, voters held up signs saying, "Gray Davis groped me...while reaching for my wallet." (Gray Davis is such a taxual predator, he'll probably need to register as a neighborhood tax offender).
His campaign tried to fend off the damaging charges by arguing that sure, the governor had engaged in tax, but it was consensual tax, not predatory tax. However, as tonight's statewide poll shows, taxpayers appeared unmoved by that brilliant defense. In surveys leading up to Election Day, an overwhelming majority consistently said Gov. Davis had grabbed their wallets without their consent. Why, just last week, the governor was at it again, groping and grabbing a record $4 billion in higher car taxes. Leave it to Davis' gifted masterminds to frame the closing campaign days around the theme of groping and grabbing. (Top Democrats insisted that groping and grabbing under Clinton greatly stimulated the economy).
But, to be fair, it's not the only supple theme the Davis camp had tried. Lifting the campaign dialogue even higher, Ol' Gray's pals at Unbiased ABCNews.com, in a carefully researched piece based on a misquote, made Arnold sound like Robert Byrd in his Grand Kleagle days. The network accused the action hero of praising Hitler in a book proposal during the 1975 filming of "Pumping Iron." The action hero's a real trickster, too. As young as 17, Arnold would engage in organized disruptions of neo-Nazi rallies in native Austria, but that's only because he knew 40 years down the road he'd run for governor of California and he needed cover. The Hitler charge, shown to be false, was later retracted, making ABCNews.com a top candidate for the Pulitzer prize.
To be fair, others note that the problem here is character -- an ego-maniacal, overly self-aggrandizing, arrogant, stuck-up, swollen-headed, vanity-ridden, hifalutin power-mongerer filled with himself, groping for the spotlight.
But enough on Gov. Gray Davis.
While refusing even to acknowledge behaving badly towards taxpayers, let alone apologize, Gov. Gray Davis at first argued that Arnold is utterly unqualified to be Governor Gray Davis. Drowning the state with record deficits, screwing up California's bond rating, hiking taxes and doling out drivers licenses to illegals are proud achievements that require uncanny know-how and experience. Know-how and experience that Arnold, sadly, doesn't have, making Arnold eminently unqualified to be Gov. Gray Davis. Running on record incompetence as governor was the one thing Davis had going for him. Davis had cornered the market on ineptitude, and proudly took credit for it. Besides, Arnold, unlike the broad-minded and inclusive governor, can't even pronounce California, noted the broad-minded and inclusive governor, whose Lt Gov., Cruz Bustamante, earned the coveted KKK endorsement for using the N-word and expressing support for separatism. (Cruz's defeat tonight was a heavy blow to Mexico, which planned on buying California back with junk bonds.)
Moreover, rumor had it that Gov. Davis received the National Abusive Employers Association endorsement for his tireless devotion to abusing female staffers.
But running as the popular anti-insurgent governor with approval ratings high as a snake's belly oddly never seemed to go over very well with voters. His message -- the past 5 years of groping and grabbing taxpayers was just the warm-up act (You ain't felt nothing yet!) -- seemingly fell flat with taxpayers. That's when Davis shifted gears, launching a Puke campaign against GOP rival Arnold Schwarzenegger. The shift came as no surprise, as Davis is known for always taking the high road. Better to stay dirty than resort to fighting clean. Puke campaigning is why Davis enjoys sustained opprobrium from voters.
And Puke campaigning it was. His campaign minions held up 'Will Work For Dirt...On Arnold!' placards on street corners -- a bold, risky move for L.A. Times staff, I'd say. With Election Day closing in, digging up dirt on Arnold became frantic.
Then came the Thursday grope "bombshell" in the L.A. Times, dropped at the best possible moment, which made both Recall and Arnold's election a lock. On Saturday, more women "came forward," still more unsubstantiated grope allegations, vaulting Arnold's numbers even higher. On Sunday, still more allegations; panic struck the Davis camp, with overnight tracking polls looking bleaker for Davis with every new Bimbo Eruption. The governor, fighting for his political life, didn't think survival was possible if another woman "came forward" alleging grope by Arnold. There's only so many grope hits Davis could take. Facing a backlash, the Times took a breather Monday, sparking concern in the Arnold camp, uncertain if the Bimbo Bounce would last through Monday. In the Davis camp, talk turned to cutting a late 30-second ad titled, 'Ladies, Get The Gray-Grip,' featuring Davis groping Beltway beauty queen, Helen Thomas. But it was too late. The Gray-Grip over California was soooooooo OVER. The Graysters still didn't get it: The Gray-Grip -- taxes, taxes and more taxes -- WAS the problem. America was born in a tax revolt. It's what Helen Thomas and other Beltway pundits don't get. But, to be fair, Helen Thomas is too young to remember the Revolutionary War.
But that doesn't excuse America's oldest party -- the Democrat Party. Which should know better.
One more thing (and I'll probably catch flak for this): Those who say Clinton's vigorous campaigning against the Recall had no affect are wrong. Clinton motivated millions and millions of voters to the polls tonight. Millions and millions of Republicans.
Congrats, California!
Anyway, that's...
My two cents..
"JohnHuang2"
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