Inside Politics/Cold as ice (Gray Davis)/Strategic advice (Bill Simon)So what do you think, Jim?
Posted on 03/20/2002 1:51 AM Pacific by Jim Robinson
Excerpted from The Washington Times | 3/20/02 | Greg Pierce
Inside Politics
Cold as ice (Gray Davis)/Strategic advice (Bill Simon)Cold as ice
"After three years in office and an easy primary win, [California] Gov. Gray Davis faces a strange problem: More California voters than ever actively dislike him," the Los Angeles Times reports. "When asked why, in a Times poll last month, voters most often blamed his handling of the power crisis.
Beyond performance-related gripes, many said in follow-up interviews, that he seems soulless and ambitious, a tactitian who sees all issues through the lens of political advance," reporter Robin Fields writes. "'He's as cold as ice,' said John Cohen, a Los Angeles Democrat who voted for Davis in 1998, but is undecided about whether to do so again in November. "The pragmatic Davis has never pretended to offer much in the way of warm fuzzies. "Still, heading into the long middle section of his re-election bid, he faces a decision. Should he try to woo the disaffected? Or should he use his resources to target his Republican opponent, Bill Simon Jr., accepting voters' reluctant embrace? Put another way, must Davis be liked to win?"Strategic advice
Rep. Bill Thomas, California Republican, said there is a clear strategy for Bill Simon to win the California governor's race: Spend lots of money now to define incumbent Democratic Gov. Gray Davis for the electorate. "I don't believe Republicans can win by running a positive campaign with someone who doesn't have a track record. I think what you have to do is define Davis, so when you do run, people know who you're running against. And you've got to do it early," Mr. Thomas said. But he said the task won't be easy: "Starting dead even following the primary, our chances are pretty slim. It would take a very creative campaign...
Can FReepers be "creative" enough to Dump DAVIS?