Posted on 03/21/2002 7:19:09 AM PST by w_over_w
Desperate Davis Lashes Out at Simon
With Bill Simon leading in some polls, California's increasingly desperate Gov. Gray Davis is telling voters that the conservative GOP primary victor is "out of touch and out of sync" with the state.
Focusing his attack on Simon's decision to hire an activist with the Traditional Values Coalition, which he called "a big mistake" and "an attempt to lead us in a direction most Californians don't want to go," Davis zeroed in on Simon's newest campaign aide, Phil Sheldon.
According to last Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle, Sheldon has been hired to distribute e-mails for Simon's campaign, including one that praised Simon as the best candidate to "undo four years of liberalism, homosexuality and anti-family values in California at the hands of Governor Gray Davis."
According to news reports, Davis is determined to hit out at Simon's pro-life, pro-Second Amendment stands as well as his other conservative positions even though Simon has concentrated on the bread-and-butter issues of energy and taxes that are important to California voters.
In a sign that Simon's campaign strategy is working, Davis said he won't allow the Republican candidate's efforts to go unchallenged, suggesting that he will not allow Simon to "change the topic," as he has promised, away from divisive social issues like abortion.
"This campaign does not belong to me, and does not belong to Mr. Simon. It belongs to the people of California," Davis told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Jeff Flint, spokesman for the Simon campaign, told the Chronicle that Davis' comments were "a smoke screen" aimed at obscuring issues the voters want to know about - energy, education and the economy.
"While Gray Davis has been busy fund raising, Bill Simon has been traveling the state," Flint said. "He makes his statements based on the fact that he has talked to thousands of people ... and they want the governor to fix the schools, get the state out of the power business and fix the budget. The governor is not going to overturn Roe v. Wade."
Meanwhile, Simon was basking in the huge show of support he's now getting from the White House and the national Republican Party.
Republican National Committee Chairman Marc Racicot held a news conference and fund raiser for Simon in Sacramento, and met with all GOP statewide candidates and GOP state Chairman Shawn Steel. Next month, President Bush plans to attend a series of state fund raisers and appearances with Simon at his side.
Bush will go to California for a two-day trip in late April, with stops in Northern and Southern California planned. His appearance will showcase for the nation Simon's effort to unseat Davis in November.
"The White House has been phenomenal," Sal Russo, Simon's campaign manager, told the Chronicle. "It's been very seamless. ... They've made phone calls and gotten people on board. They put the word out that this is a priority for the president."
The highly visible GOP events on Simon's behalf are meant to show Republican unity behind the candidate in the wake of his landslide primary victory over White House-backed former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.
Said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Mindy Tucker, "The chairman thought it was very important to come out and show his support for the entire GOP ticket." She told the Chronicle, "Clearly, the governor's race is one we feel is important - and we feel we have a great candidate."
Simon's backers say that he has a big advantage over Davis in the fact that after his three years as governor, Davis is cordially disliked by almost half of the state's voters.
When the Los Angeles Times asked voters why they didn't like Davis, most said it was because of his inept and costly mishandling of the state's energy crisis.
"Beyond performance-related gripes, many said in follow-up interviews that he seems soulless and ambitious, a tactician who sees all issues through the lens of political advance," the Times reported.
"He's as cold as ice," John Cohen, a Los Angeles Democrat who voted for Davis in 1998, told the Times, adding that he's undecided about whether to vote for him again in November.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.