... I am constantly amazed by the people that think the left can be persuaded.
Conclusion? Try to persuade the Rats to vote for you instead of a REAL Rat by looking like a Rat. Uh huh.
OTOH Eureka!'s post #8 is on the money. One of the three most knee jerk Rats I know will NOT vote for Davis because he has almost destroyed the state already and probably will finish the job if reelected. This guy will also NOT vote for Simon--even in a Rat suit. (I haven't discussed it with the other two KJ Rats.)
You do have a good point on Davis's likely strategy of making Simon look as dirty as Davis, but do not underestimate the disgust and sometimes even rage against Davis.
Also, this state is NOT liberal except in the big cities. Yeah, I know the majority of the population is in the big cities, but 911 has caused a major attitude correction. I don't think we'll really know the extent of that until the actual elections, but there are indicators. KSFO has become the most popular radio station in our area--including San Francisco. KSFO is extremely conservative. In fact it is so conservative that you wouldn't like it because they regularly criticize the increasingly liberal moves President Bush is making. Those moves are a mistake and dressing Simon in a Rat suit is a mistake IMO.
In other words, this state is liberal.