[ElkGroveDan]

Nothing left for me to say here. Clearly, Davis has lost his marbles.

[ElkGroveDan]

SATURDAY MORNING PING

[lowbridge]

California bump

[mhking]

What a maroon...

[Dog Gone]

Davis is merely following Robert Mugabe's example in Zimbabwe. His "get whitey" campaign of seizing white-owned farms in order to address perceived social injustices in past years has been rather successful, at least if you ignore the consequences.

It took a fraudulent election to keep Mugabe in power while he did this, but I'm sure Davis was taking notes on that as well.

[homeschool mama]

Doofus is truly grasping at straws...desperate in his bid for Gov.

[Recovering_Democrat]

When Gov. Gray Davis suggested that he supports reparations to minorities for slave-era business practices, he took a risky position...

BWA HA HA HA HA!

Bill Simon, CAPITALIZE NOW ON THIS IDIOT'S STATEMENT!

[lowbridge]

Proponents of reparations, such as former San Francisco Supervisor Amos Brown, now working with Jackson on the issue, praised Davis and said the issue will not be swept under the rug.

"African American people have been systematically and consistently wronged in this nation and exploited economically," Brown said. "We were forced to do labor without pay and built this nation. It's time for this nation to pay up."

"We were forced"? Just how old are you Miss Brown?

My people built the pyramids in Egypt. "We" were forced to do it iwthout pay too. My people were forced to do labor without pay in Nazi Germany as well. I guess I have several thousand years worth of paid labor due me. When can I expect my check?

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Agreed. When Chronicle readers condemn Davis you know he's done really bad.

[PianoMan]

Ouch. If this gets the proper publicity, this man has just shot himself in the foot. Ah, the charmed Bill Simon...he can just let his opponents run against themselves. :) Go Bill!

[Stefan Stackhouse]

I suggest that he voluntarilly contribute all of his salary and campaign funds into a reparations foundation as a good first step. Then ask all his limosine liberal Hollywood buddies and loony queer Bay area buddies to do the same with all their money. Surely the hundreds of millions generated right there would go a long way to help out these poor African-American folks they care about.

Oh. . . but wait. . . I get it now. . . He is talking about using OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY. Just like a Democrat to do that!

[Restorer]

Very odd.

The strangest part is that presumably most Hispanic and Asian and essentially all black votes would have gone to him anyway. I think all he has done is mobilize the other side's base while alienating significant portions of his own base, without picking up any new support.

[Nick Danger]

The Insurance Department will publish the names of any slaveholders and slaves found in the records.

Someone with a brain needs to step in and stop this, fast. Those people are all long-dead. All this can do is provide a target list for wackos consisting of people who happen to have similar names.

[cardinal4]

Clearly, Davis has lost his marbles.

I would have to agree. The reparations issue should not be used as campaign platform in California. Next the Mexicans will be demanding reparations for AZ,NM,and TX.

[SkyPilot]

I have his "REPARATIONS" right here:

[janetgreen]

I'm sending this article to everyone I know here in California, and hope everyone does the same. Davis must be desperate.

[Billy_bob_bob]

It's obvious to me that Greyout Davis knows that he is in real hot water with the voters, so he is trying to come up with some diversionary issue to get people talking about anything other that the awful mess he's made of things.

The best way for Simon to deal with this issue to is not deal with it, to dismiss it with the back of his hand while saying "Bah!" This is an issue that cannot be dealt with in a profitable way for Simon, and Davis knows this. Simon needs to avoid "taking the bait", and should instead focus on reminding the voters about the great job Davis has done over the last four years.

[IonInsights]

He can forget the Presidency, forever.

[paul51]

The scary thing is that the concept of reparations wasn't shot to hell the moment it arose.

[daviddennis]

California came into the Union as a free state. There weren't any slaves here. At best, then, some California insurance companies insured slaves who lived outside of the state. And, of course, the proceeds of these insurance policies would have gone to slave owners, not slaves. OpinionJournal.com quite reasonably pointed out that the affected clauses were good for the slaves since they excluded coverage in cases of murder or severe injury by masters. The affected slaves, then, were beaten to death by their owners, and the insurance companies quite rightly refused to pay their masters. Fair, no?

In short, this policy would appear to pander to voters, the descendants of slaves who did not even live in this state! What point is there in having California intervene in such an absurd case? (Perhaps this is the whole point - Davis can grandstand but will know nothing can come of it).

If anyone should pay reparations, it's Jesse Jackson, the man who's benefitted more from slavery than anyone in US history.

So it seems particularly nauseating that this money is going to go to non-profits, most of which are run by none other than Jackson himself. Sick.

That aside, Simon should do nothing. This step is going to be well enough known without him. He can just sit back and let it happen, therefore avoiding any possible accusations of racism.

[antaresequity]

Ha ha....this guy wasnt content with his first attempt at political suicide with the power crisis whinings....What an idiot....If Simon doesnt jump all over this his handlers are lame....Maybe my DUMP DAVIS stickers will be more popular....he he

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