Simon Rally Reports 11/02/02 - Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Jose, Modesto, Fresno

Feel free to post your comments on today's rallies for our California statewide candidates...

SAN JOSE

Freepers NormsRevenge, Mediaqueen, and yours truly, along with many more, welcomed the GOP statewide ticket to the San Jose area headed by (hopefully) our next governor, Bill Simon.

Many camps were at the San Jose Hyatt north of downtown for their candidates as well as many local races such as Linda Rae Hermann (to unseat Congresscritter Mike Honda) and Douglas McNea (to unseat Congresscritter Zoe Lofgren). Signs, stickers, and buttons were in abundance for everybody, especially for Simon. I brought out my FOR SALE: eGray Davi$ sign as well as my Gray Davis mask (Beavis with hair spray-painted metallic silver) which everybody got a kick out of, including the media. Most local television stations seemed to be in attendance and recording the events.

As we awaited the arrival of team GOP from their trek to Monterey, we socialized outside before going inside a packed room for the rally and speeches. Hermann and McNea addressed the enthusiastic crowd. Our local “Simon-ettes” did their most excellent version of “I’m gonna wash that Gray right outta my hair.” I managed to get in a few good chants of “help is on the way” and “Dump Davis.” All those years of Freepin’ paid off, I suppose. ;-)

Bill Simon would come along with candidates Bruce McPherson (for Lt. Gov), Keith Olberg (for Sec of State), Dick Ackerman (for Attorney General), Tom McClintock (for Controller), Greg Conlon (for Treasurer), Gary Mendoza (for Insurance Commish), and Katherine Smith (for State School Superintendent of Public Instruction). Shawn Steele was also there to pep up the group, as were a few others whose names I didn’t have a chance to write down. Most spoke, but Bill, alongside his lovely wife, was the main event.

Now that we were all jazzed up, we are ready to take back our state. Let’s win one more for the Gipper!

See also, from the Modesto Bee:

Simon again courts Modesto

November 3, 2002 Posted: 05:20:18 AM PST

BEE STAFF REPORTS
AND NEWS SERVICES
A week ago Bill Simon came by bus. Saturday he came by jet, visiting Modesto a second time in eight days as the campaign for governor rushed to its Tuesday climax.
The Republican made five stops in one day on his "Fire Davis Tour," while Democratic Gov. Davis had one: a traditional get-out-the-vote rally at a Pittsburg union hall.
The incumbent's single-event schedule was typical for a front-runner: Recent polls show Davis leading Simon by 7 to 10 percentage points.
Simon, meanwhile, skipped up the coast from Santa Barbara to Monterey, then inland to San Jose and the Central Valley.
He walked onto the tarmac at Modesto Airport at about 4:30 p.m. as the "Star Wars" theme played in the background, and a crowd of 200 alternated between cheers of "Simon" and "Dump Davis."
"Davis has campaigned for four more years," Simon said. "As I look at it, as of today, he's got four more days."
In a short speech, Simon blamed Davis for the state's energy crisis and growing budget deficit. Higher taxes were inevitable under Davis' leadership, Simon said.
Tara Chapman of Modesto, among those who turned out for the GOP rally and barbecue, said Simon's second visit to Modesto in just over a week proves his interest in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
"I think it's important that he went out of his way to come to what we consider our little town," Chapman said.
Simon, a Los Angeles businessman and first-time candidate, has appealed to voters who are tired of career politicians.
Robert Renfro of Modesto said he once was a "yellow dog Democrat," explaining how the term refers to people who would rather vote for a yellow dog than a Republican. His said his sentiments changed as he watched money spent on social programs that in his opinion have never worked.
"Simon's business sense seems to give us a better balance," Renfro said. "I don't think he's touted his business (background) enough."
In Pittsburg, Davis addressed about 200 iron workers, painters and machinists, telling them that he has helped improve the lives of workers.
"If you want to go forward, stick with the winning team in Sacramento. If you want to go backwards, the other guy's your choice."
Davis rolled up the sleeves of his blue dress shirt and listed how his and Simon's agendas differ.
Davis said his support for daily overtime pay, paid family leave, and increased workers compensation and unemployment benefits are all reasons working families should support him, he said.
"I'm just the vehicle for your hopes and your aspirations," the governor said.
And just like Simon did a week ago Saturday in Modesto, Davis knocked on a few doors.
Simon, who traveled with other candidates on the state GOP ticket, is seeking to buck history: It has been 60 years since a California governor was denied a second term.
Davis is trying to make history as well, hoping not just for a second term but to lead Democrats to the first party sweep of statewide offices since 1950.
Whoever wins the governorship will have little in the way of a mandate, given the largely
content-free campaign that has focused more on tactics and innuendo than anything that either man hopes to accomplish in office.
"After most elections, you've learned something about what voters think about taxes or crime or abortion or immigration," said Dan Schnur, a Republican communications strategist who is sitting out this governor's race.
"In this campaign, the two most significant questions are whether Gray Davis has been a corrupt governor and whether Bill Simon has been a competent candidate."
Saturday, the Simon campaign rolled out its harshest television commercial yet. It mentions several of what it calls "political money scandals" that have linked the governor with campaign contributions from special interests and policy decisions beneficial to the interests.
"If Gray Davis is this corrupt," the ad asks, "this incompetent before he faces voters in an election how bad will he be if he gets re-elected?"
Davis aides dismissed the ad's claims as false, and the governor brushed them aside.
"This is sad, this is just sad," Davis said. "People are not interested in what happened 16 years ago, they want to know what's going to happen tomorrow."
Simon's "Fire Davis Tour," scheduled to go to 11 cities in all through Monday, was an indication that the Simon campaign is not confident that television ads alone will make a significant dent in Davis' lead.
After spending more than
$25 million on radio and television commercials -- more than $10 million of it his own money -- Simon's strategy in the last days is to rally the troops to show up at the polls Tuesday.
"We can win this if we can get the people out," he said in Santa Barbara.
Chapman, at the Modesto rally, said the excitement of the governor's race will fuel voter turnout. "I think he's got a great chance."
Bee staff writer Alejandra Navarro, The Sacramento Bee, the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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