California Governor's Race: The Tide Is Turning
Patrick Mallon
Monday, Sept. 16, 2002
This article is the latest in the ongoing weekly series on the California governor's race. See previous articles:
Davis and Apologists Fooling Themselves (9/9)
The Farce That Is Sacramento (9/3)
A Democratic Party Art Form – Inventing Voters (8/26)
Tammany Hall's Next Target – Simon's Faith (8/16)
California Governor's Race: Defying the Lies as Bombs Fly (8/9)
Stealth Agenda Trumps
Academic Success in Schools (8/2)
Simon Survives Attacks, Davis Cons for Cash (7/26)
Paralyzed From Facing Reality (7/19)
California: Wanted! An Ethical Governor. Apply Within (7/15)
Now that Bill Simon's campaign has been granted a second lease on life
following the Los Angeles Superior Court's decision to reverse a phony
$78 million fraud judgment, the challenger can now focus on Davis'
abject failure to do anything more than shill for cash and make
California an employer's nightmare.
Down here in Orange County, it's official as of August: The county has
lost more jobs than it gained, for the first time since December 1993.
According to the OC Register's Jonathan Lansner, Boomtown, as he's
affectionately tabbed this area over an incredible eight-year economic
run, "now means that more layoff notices are being handed out in this
town than job offers."
Granted, the dramatic economic downturn is a partial product of financial
and international factors outside the governor's control, but his job
is to make adjustments as captain of the state, providing positive
adaptations that encourage a recovery and foster financial stability,
and to create an environment that increases the tax base as a result of
profit and generation of wealth.
He has done neither, and appears entirely oblivious to the expectations
of a legitimate political leader. One only has to look at the just-signed house-of-cards budget to recognize the extent of California's
economic crisis. A recession could soon turn to a depression, what with
government, consumer and business debt at an all-time high.
Davis Favors Parasites Over Producers
While the business climate continues to erode and companies shed jobs,
there's one constant: Gray Davis and his conspicuously Marxian vision
that the state, not private enterprise, knows what's best for business.
While the Democrat-dominated politburo in Sacramento pushes mountains of
costly legislation advocating increasing paid leave to employees and
domestic partners, extended SDI coverage and costs, profiling and
reporting on the composition of workforces to satisfy unpopular
"diversity" impulses, the business community encounters sharply reduced
demand for its products and services.
California's unemployment rate is 6.4 percent. The national rate is 5
percent. If the governor truly wanted to make the state more attractive
to businesses, grow jobs (a natural offshoot of increased profits and
expansion), he would immediately formulate targeted tax incentives and
streamline bureaucratic burdens and red tape.
Instead we get the putrid hypocrisy of policy and regulatory
interpretation controlled, at most accounts, by how much money one can
drop in the Davis coffers, period!
Environmental laws and dioxin thresholds into San Francisco Bay? No
problem, cut a check to the governor. (Anyone seen the movie
"Goodfellas"?). Database software and licenses for more workers than
the state employs? Got it, see you at happy hour, check in hand.
Davis is using a state with the world's fifth-largest economy as a cash
register and diving board for his hoped-for big splash into the pool of
presidential wannabes. At this point, he has no choice but to kowtow
to his narrow, but very powerful, constituency. And to those who
disagree, he'll let the goon squad led by Garry South hit you with a
blast from a shakedown super soaker.
Extortion by Any Other Name Would Be Fundraising
"The governor does not make decisions based on who gives him
contributions. Never has, never will." One really has to give South
credit for his colorful quotes, proving that the best deceivers are
those who deceive themselves.
What the timid print media define as "zealous fundraising," "getting
pinched," "taking it to a new level," or "pay-to-play" only screens the
simple conclusion that extortion, by definition, explains Davis and
money.
Extort: to obtain money from a person by force or threats.
Sacramento Bee writer Dion Nissenbaum wrote about the Davis modus on
Tuesday, Sept. 10. Nissenbaum described Chris Martin, a Cannery
marketplace managing partner in San Francisco, and Martin's "grilling"
by the governor's appointments secretary regarding contributions.
During the interview for a post on a minor state commission, Martin
said:
"The first question in the interview was: How much did you donate to the
governor? The second question was: How much did you give to the other
guy?"
Republican nominee for attorney general and State Sen. Dick Ackerman has
come the closest yet to straight talk when he called this week for
Attorney General Bill Lockyer to investigate Davis' fundraising, which
he characterizes as
"borderline extortion."
Davis has raised $56 million to date. So, what he is doing with
it? The bulk goes to TV ad buys for overkill commercials that have failed
to distance him from Simon in the polls. Where does the rest go? Why is
so much needed?
Cartons of Cigarettes, Homeless, Unregistered Voters
Back in the 2000 presidential election, pundits said, "Al Gore lost
Florida by 2-3 cartons of cigarettes and an equivalent number of
homeless people." What does a vote cost today? Who knows, probably not
much, but what is clear is that Davis has a lot more to hand out than
Simon, should things come down to that.
The GOP, the "stupid party," knows that vote fraud is a huge problem,
but fearful of being labeled "racist" or "anti-immigrant," Republicans
have backed off from demands to ensure the integrity of the ballot, and
risk destroying themselves in the process.
Democrats play dirty, cheat, trick the law, and get rewarded. Like the
rat pack that moves into a yard, then onto the porch, then into the
house, unless the homeowner takes proper defensive measures and counters
vermin, the house falls. There is no negotiating with liberals. They
want it all, and they want it now.
In the book "Dirty Little Secrets," University of Virginia Professor
Larry Sabato and Wall Street Journal reporter Glenn R. Simpson assert
that between 2 million and 3.4 million "phony registrations" litter the
voting rolls in California alone.
Couple this with the fact that there is NO photo ID requirement at
polling places. Literally anyone can request a provisional ballot and
vote.
A provisional ballot is a vote cast by a person who CLAIMS to be
registered to vote, but whose legal status (always a touchy issue) is
not verifiable by "don't ask, don't tell" poll workers.
These ballots are set aside until election officials decide if they
should be counted. Gee, this should make all of us feel better already.
As an indication of the problem, provisional ballots cast in the state
have risen by 300 percent since first being used in the November 1994
elections.
This is not to be confused with the increase of dogs and cats that are
registered.
Time to Show Some Guts, Mr. Simon
Education. Proposition 227, requiring that all public school instruction
be conducted in English, passed by a 61 percent margin in 1998. Davis
and Education Superintendent Delaine have worked diligently AGAINST Prop
227.
As well, California ranks 47th out of 50 states in academic achievement,
but preoccupies itself with a largely unreported pro-homosexual social
engineering project that places "diversity" over talent and "tolerance"
over accomplishment, while using public school students as guinea pigs.
Illegal immigrants. A February Zogby poll of 802 registered California
voters indicated the following:
- 62 percent said immigration makes education reform more difficult.
- 67 percent opposed driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.
- 72 percent opposed giving reduced tuition for illegal immigrants.
- 83 percent of immigrant citizens said jobs should go to foreigners only if no Americans are available to fill those jobs.
- 65 percent of black Americans favored a moratorium on legal immigration.
Jobs. In Silicon Valley, a Field Poll showed 73 percent of Bay Area
residents surveyed said California's economy is in "bad times." A San
Jose Mercury story on Saturday described the several thousand Hewlett
Packard employees who have received their layoff notices and are about
to hit the streets.
The same article said "a panel of venture capitalists said they don't
see things
picking up before another 12 to 18 months. It's kind of scary."
Kind of scary? What's scary for Gray Davis is this: A June Field Poll
showed Davis leading Simon by 7 percent. Two weeks ago, with all the
negative press on Simon, and Davis spending $18 million on slam ads
since June, an identical Field Poll reflected the same result, 7
percent. In a nutshell, $18 million accomplished nothing.
Simon is now positioned to win the race, but he must be more
demonstrative. Many still do not know who he is.
Perhaps we all have a better picture of why the governor needs all that
money, and why he can't attend more than two debates. It is prudent for
Davis to run from rather than on his record, and wiser yet to buy votes
than face the dreadful prospect of looking in the mirror.
See next article in series: Is Simon Taking a Dive?
You may e-mail Patrick Mallon at patrick@newsmax.com.
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
California Governor's Race
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