Some Folks Never Learn (Riordan vs. Simon for CA Gov.)

California Political Review Online ^ | 3/12/02 | William E. Saracino

[Aunt Polgara]

Bouncing up fresh from the thorough trouncing of his man Riordan, Gerry Parsky instructs Bill Simon on how to win.

William E. Saracino

William E. Saracino is a member of California Political Review’s editorial board.

You have to give Gerald Parsky points for persistence. The corpse of the Riordan for Governor campaign was not yet cold when Generalissimo Parsky announced that the only way for Bill Simon to have a chance in November was to emulate the campaign Dick Riordan had just run. The day after the election Parksy — the man whose mission, remember, it is to make us more “inclusive” — had not a single complimentary or “inclusive” thing to say about Bill Simon or his campaign.

Instead he appeared to be in full snit mode, snarling to a reporter that Simon couldn’t win if he was “an extreme conservative.” Kind, wasn’t it, of our Inclusiveness Czar to repeat last week’s Riordan smear and next week’s Davis attack line for the media. But Parksy wasn’t through. He then informed the reporter that the only way Simon could beat Davis was to “adopt the formula I describe to broaden the Party.” So now not only must we “broaden” the Party, but it must be done exactly along Duce Parsky’s guidelines.

Uhm Gerry, I know it’s a tad embarrassing to be repudiated by 70 percent of your own Party, but let’s do a reality check, painful as it might be, for just a moment. First, the campaign that you and the other “idea-phobes” ran for President “W” in 2000 managed to lose this state by 1.3 million votes. Your boy Riordan turned a 40 percent lead into an 18 percent defeat. Do we really have to go back to those kinds of campaigns? If I promise to take a feminist to lunch can we forgo the ritual torture of another vapid, hopeless campaign? Pretty please?

Though I will give Commander Parksy and his hand-puppet Riordan this; all Riordan’s harping on the abortion issued finally did have an effect on women voters. The effect, though, may not have been what they had in mind. On Tuesday last, Bill Simon beat Riordan by 16 percent among male voters. Among female voters his margin was 20 percent. Earth to Gerry ... does this tell you anything? Anything at all? Please note, Excellency, that these votes were cast by women registered as Independents as well as those registered in the GOP.

In fact, nearly 15 percent of the total vote in the GOP primary came from registered Independents. Heads up Gerry: these are precisely the people you and your former “can’t miss, heck you might even say he’s a cinch” guy Riordan told us were the key to victory against Gray Davis. Well, as poker players are want to say, “read ’em and weep.” The exact voters you say are essential to a Republican victory in November rallied to Bill Simon’s conservative banner, not the jumbled, “gee, what should I believe in today?” agenda of Dick Riordan.

Don’t want to talk about women anymore? Okay, let’s talk about broadening the Party with minority voters. In particular, let’s talk about appealing to California’s largest minority group, Hispanics. We can adopt the approach favored by Parsky and the rest of the $2,000 suit crowd. Their idea is to throw some high dollar contracts at the usual suspects and, basically, say to the Hispanic community: “Ola amigos, voten para los Republicanos por favor.” Then it’s back in their private jets and on to their private clubs, from whence to dispense advice on how to appeal to average voters.

Or, we could try appealing to Hispanics with ideas and issues that matter to them. In 2000, Proposition 22, the Defense of Marriage initiative, received 65 percent of the vote statewide. It received 80 percent of the Hispanic vote. Supreme Leader Parsky, I don’t mean to be insolent, but if eight out of 10 Hispanic voters agree with us on an issue, might that be a worthwhile thing to talk about with them? Or would that brand us as being “extreme conservatives”? And by the way, slightly smaller but still huge majorities of Hispanic voters also agree with the GOP position on abortion and gun rights. Ideas have consequences Mr. Parksy, even ones you disagree with.

The next eight months will be a test not only for the Simon campaign, but also for Gerry Parksy. He has stated in the past that his only interest is in seeing the GOP succeed in California. Well, Gerry, the time is now. We have a nominee fresh off a landslide primary victory. We have a weakened incumbent Democrat. Time to stop bitching about the primary, strap on the harness and help pull the wagon to victory.

Only time will tell if Parksy is willing to put aside his own ideological blinders, put the Party’s interest ahead of hurt feelings from the Primary, and put his shoulder to the wheel as a constructive member of the Simon campaign team. The answer will tell much about the man and about the future of the California GOP.

[Aunt Polgara]

What more can be said??

I'm sure we'll say it here! :-)

[Aunt Polgara]

FYI, pass it on!

[deadrock]

An extreme conservative.My kinda pol. Gov. Simon has a nice ring.

[hchutch]

This is a PLAN! This is a start. And once we can lock Hispanics in with stuff like this, there ought not be problems with letting more in.

[Common Tator]

In fact, nearly 15 percent of the total vote in the GOP primary came from registered Independents.

Just shows the power of Gray Davis and his 10 million dollars worth of advertising. It shows Davis can destroy a liberal Republican any day he choses to do so.

We will soon see how much easier it is for Davis to destroy a Conservative Republican.

That is apparent from Simon begging for help from Bush and the National Republicans. When Davis was spending 10 million dollars to nominate Simon, Simon told the national party to butt out. He didn't need them to get active in the nomination process. He said he could win on his own with the active opposition of Bush and the RNC. And of course Simon did win.... with a little help from his friend Gray Davis.

But Simon has to figure out a way to win with out the help of Gray Davis. You know he doesn't think he can do it or he would not be begging to everyone for help. Simon has been down on his knees beggin Rush and Gerry Falwell to pressure Bush to help him.

Simon is on his way to a Goldwater style defeat. Like Goldwater he wears his conservative opinions on his sleeve. Simon did not learn that the conservative path to success is a veiled pitch. He things Barry Goldwater won.

All he has to do to figure it out is look at the first Campaign of Ronald Reagan for Governor. Reagan must have said a million times that he was a former democrat whose views had not changed. Reagan claimed the Democrats had changed not him. Reagan constantly reminded voters that he was a Card Carrying union Member who had been elected twice as president of his Union.

Reagan structured his campaign to appeal on economic issues, he never mentioned social or moral issues unless the press really leaned on him.

If Simon had a brain he would follow the example of Ronald Reagan. He is following the example of Barry Goldwater as Gray Davis knew he would.

[skeeter]

Simon is already getting going, doing the talk show circuit defining Simon before the Demo smear machine can do it for him. A BIG departure from the last GOP gubernatorial candidate. And he's saying all the right things.

This man just might have a political future in this state.

[hchutch]

It can be done. This guy's doing what Schundler should have done, too! We're about to see a new playbook, folks, one that will include SUCCESSFUL outreach to Hispanics and women.

[Redbob]

Wonder if Simon has a like-minded brother who could move to Texas and save us from Perry and Co.?

[BibChr]

On Tuesday last, Bill Simon beat Riordan by 16 percent among male voters. Among female voters his margin was 20 percent. Earth to Gerry ... does this tell you anything? Anything at all? Please note, Excellency, that these votes were cast by women registered as Independents as well as those registered in the GOP.

I love this! Can you tell?

Dan

[BibChr]

Do you even read the articles before you post? Or is that just a boilerplate?

Dan

[Greybird]

I can envision it now, and perhaps it comes from being a relative newcomer to California, who nonetheless has seen it all in Chicago and its suburbs, the rise and fall of this particular passion play ...

Simon will run very strongly on his conservative base, while making it a tossup in the almighty opinion polls for about the next six months. Then, when he starts pulling ahead sometime in September, W et al. will lower the boom: Listen to the likes of Parsky, or you get no TV cash for the last two months.

Simon will thereupon sit on his lead, act "statesmanlike," temporize on his views, and go into defensive mode. The lead will slip away among those who dislike temporizing. Gray Davis, the scoundrel, will win re-election, and by no more than five percentage points.

Same old same old. And you heard it here first.

I am a Libertarian, and won't be voting for either, but I still don't like this. No Democrat or Republican has courage in the hard reaches of the campaign desert any more. (Not even all Libertarians.)

[stimulate]

Simon does not have to beg Rush or the Bush administration for help.They have already offered.As far as Falwell is concerned, you're a dreamer.I think you've been listening too long to Gray Davis or his campaign manager.Simon is not stupid.Why should he allow Davis to define him as an anti-abortion, and anti-gay candidate. Abortion is not an issue in Caifornia. That was settled decades ago.Even before the Roe vs Wade decision,Calif. lawmakers declared abortion as legal under the State Constitution.Of course Davis will try to make it an issue, but the real issue is the incompetent managment of the economy by the Governor.Gay rights, and abortion tactics against Simon is not going to work.

[section9]

I'm not sure that you are on the mark, CT.

I think that you see Simon running to the center already, and Bush sent feelers to the Simon campaign two weeks before the primary.

I don't think that Simon is going to make the mistake of going to the voters with a platform that calls for a return to the Gold Standard or abolition of the state Dept. of Education.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[goldstategop]

Gerry Parsky is a RINO. I frankly don't have much hope he'll pull behind the conservative base of the party. Commissar Parsky seems convinced only his LIBERAL formula will save the party from outright extinction and he will exert maximum pressure on Bill Simon to morph into a RINO. We'll see whether Simon remains his own man in the months to come or whether he'll be Parsky's pet poodle for remaking the GOP into the Rat Lite party.

[Avoiding_Sulla]

I'll say one thing for ya Common, you're consistent -- in this typical, down-noted, anti-conservative diatribe of yours at least.

Why are you such a RINO?

On just one of your points here, you're misleading. Simon is not Barry Goldwater and he's not running for President. You've mislabeled this contest to make typical and stale RINO points.

And in general, in all of your recent posts I've perused, if we're to believe you, you want all GOP candidates to win "the easy way" by being DIABLAs.
You'd have us all marching to the agenda of the left; merely dragging our feet like diffident little children. Is that you?
Never daring to take the agenda in the opposite direction for fear of appearing outastep to who? The media? We're changing the nations' focus here at Free Republic. (God bar CFR.)

Following your lead, how do we preserve freedom if the purpose of the pro-freedom party is to merely slow our incremental slide into Statism? Those two directions are discordant. For freedom, what you are prescribing is death.

C'mon Common. Grow a God-inspired freedom-loving heart. You can be a champion and carry the rest of us with along with you.

Best of all, you can breath free; you'll have core principles you can live with. No longer a tool of Statists, you'll be a human being,

Go Freepers!!

Go Simon!! Av

[Avoiding_Sulla]

bump

Please save this post and repost it frequently. It'll go a long way in the battle to conquer the defeatists.

Go Freepers!!

Go Simon!!

Av

[aardvark1]

This is the same schlock offered by Gerald Ford (as the press fawned all over him as the 'elder stateman') to George W. during his campaign. Of course, no one in the press mentioned that GF lost the only presidential campaign he ever ran in. Why would you take any advice from the loser?

[Aunt Polgara]

dittos

[Artist]

Yep, I can tell you're lovin' it. :^)

[BibChr]

Wouldn't it be lovely to put a stake in the heart, once and for all, of that slanderous idea that every female who draws breath counts as her highest and dearest goal in life the "right" to conceive and butcher as many babies as possible?

Dan