Now the painting has been located. It was and is on private property. And receipt of a campaign donation on private property is legal in California. So the charge based on the photograph is false.
But the general charge, that Davis runs a "cash-and-carry" Administration, remains and is true. Bribery of public officials is usually proved through "kickbacks." Official steers contract to company. Company kicks back part of the contract price to official.
Davis is more subtle than that. He deals in "kickfronts." (I invented that word, so please give credit where credit is due.) Company donates money to official's campaign, not to him personally. Board or administrator appointed by official then gives valuable benefits to company. The payment to the official comes before the act, not after.
Of course, the kickfront requires the company to believe that the official will keep his part of the bargain. It requires that the official be an "honest politician." That is using the Maryland-New Jersey definition of an honest politician, "Once he's bought, he stays bought."
Unless someone turns states' evidence and squeals, the kickfront pattern is legal on its face. Nathanson did turn states' evidence. That's why Davis has fought for two years to keep the courts from releasing that document. Now that the US Supreme Court declined to act on that case on Monday of this week, the Nathanson letter will probably hit the papers before the Simon-Davis election.
It might have a similar impact as the Chang Memorandum did on Senator Robert ("the Public Official") Torricelli. Governor Gray ("high public official") Davis should then be referred to that way, because that's the code phrase used for Davis in the Nathanson letter.
Congressman Billybob
Click for "Oedipus and the Democrats"
Actually, I don't give Davis credit for that kind of creativity; Pete Wilson was pretty good at the same game. Davis is just more blatant about it.
You don't think the Slave Party has the balls to pull a Torridchili and whip Crux Bustamentalcase into the Governor's chair at this late date, do you?
(Please don't say so, I want to keep my illusions!)
If Simon gets a hold of the Nathanson letter, he'd better keep holding it until it's too late to make the switch!