Posted on 04/14/2002 9:33:53 AM PDT by Korth
Presidential political operative Karl Rove laid it on the line Wednesday in a sometimes heated White House meeting with Bill Simon, California's Republican nominee for governor, and his advisers: Gerald Parsky is still President Bush's principal political agent in the Golden State.
Members of Simon's campaign team have been unhappy with venture capitalist Parsky ever since he was quoted as referring to some of Simon's backers as "extremists." Parsky had urged the candidacy for governor of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan as a means of helping Bush's 2004 re-election, but Riordan was badly beaten in the GOP primary by political neophyte Simon.
Parsky has strongly endorsed Simon, and Bush will visit California later this month to campaign for the GOP nominee.
On Rove, I think he is betting that Simon gets beaten badly, and then will say "I told you so" to the conservatives, via Parsky.
To all posters on this thread: Do you people seriously believe Novak?! I don't know when the man last had anything positive to say about any Republican. Somewhere along the way, Novak has turned into a sour, rather mean old man whose "reporting" is suspect. Perhaps when his long-time partner, Rollie Evans, died, Novak lost a significant tempering influence on his outlook.
As a Californian who is an active volunteer in local Republican politics, and who supports Simon, I can tell you there has been a long-standing divide between the center-right and hard right in this state. They spend more time squabbling amongst each other than they do uniting to defeat the increasingly hard Left Democrats who currently dominate this state's politics at every level. The differences among people on the right side of the political spectrum are vastly fewer than the differences they have with the hard Left. But they rarely get past their own internal squabbles to concentrate on winning elections. I have seen this time and time and time again in this state. Either the hard right takes a walk because a candidate is not "pure enough" on every issue. Or the center-right takes a walk because they think a candidate is "too conservative."
Simon needs EVERY Republican vote he can get, and he has to peel off lots of independents and at least some "moderate" Dems in order to have a chance of winning. But if he and his people are either unwilling to or do not know how to put together a winning coalition, he'll just go the way of so many other Republican losers in this state. Because I live here, I want to see sound conservative Republicans win lots of elections at every level. I believe it's the only hope this state has to avoid descending into a complete Leftist bannana-republic status. But I also understand that political progress comes in steps, that the battle to keep taking steps forward never ends, and that you never even obtain the power to take foward steps unless you WIN elections!!!!!!!!
No one but Count Dracula would be interested. Maybe Van Helsing would bring him back for a modest fee.
BTW, my family has lived here five generations.
Simon's ascendency to the nomination should be a wake-up call to the party leadership! He energized the masses big time, and everyone should be pulling for him now.
If this guy is Mr. Bush's friend then
I can't support Mr. Bush.
Republicans that aren't 'right' should be LEFT, IMHO. The current fact that the 'California demographic' doesn't favor thinking, much less 'right thinking' does not mean we lack the 'right message'. It means we lack the 'right marketing'. How many Simon ads will be shown to the 'cableless' households, in Spanish, in the Los Angeles area? When you don't have cable, that is the bulk of stations you get. Of course, the 'rich Republicans' don't see such opportunities and thus ignore them at their 'Kalifornia' peril.
First of all Novak is not a conservative, hell he ain't even a Rino. He hates GW more than Tommy Da$$hole does. GW has placed him on a persona non grada basis like the other east coast phoney conservatives who work for the Slimes or the Compost as token conservatives.
If you can find as Riordian supporter, ask them how much support they got from the White House.
Carrie Okie has this nailed re the real trouble makers in Kali who claim to be republicans.
Novak would love to see Davis re elected!
SIMON THE SANE ONE!
If conservatives bail on him or start to attack him, he'll fall right into the eagerly awaiting hands of the RINOs. We must be diplomatic, respectful, kind and consistent; he must know we are with him and not against him.
And, of course, behind the scenes we should do everything we can around the country to encourage the early retirement of Mr. Rove.
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