Simon's political stew stuns veteran spin doctors

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 08/03/2002 | Carla Marinucci

[Pokey78]

Even crisis communications guru Chris Lehane -- who spun his way through the Monica Lewinsky mess for his former boss President Bill Clinton -- stopped in his tracks when he heard about the latest troubles of the Republican candidate for governor, Bill Simon.

[Brilliant]

The California judicial system is nothing but a system of kangaroo courts.

[Gophack]

Oncs again, the press doesn't highlight that Simon himself wasn't even a party in the lawsuit.

[lonestar]

Even crisis communications guru Chris Lehane -- who spun his way through the Monica Lewinsky mess for his former boss President Bill Clinton ...

Enough said!

[wife-mom]

What did he think a Los Angeles jury was going to do, endorse him?

[Tredge]

Well played, Gov. Davis. If anything else, we could always depend on you to get the best of your opponent, whatever it cost.

To govern well, that's another matter, and nobody pays much attention to that. The ones that are paid to understand your administration prefer to look the other way anyhow, so long as their pet projects get my tax money.

It's about the chase anyhow, isn't it? About getting your ego stroked a little bit, and then enjoying the velvet term. It costs a lot of our money to keep your conscience clean.

[Vladiator]

Well played by Davis? I don't think Davis had much to do with this verdict.

[NormsRevenge]

"From a procedural level at a campaign, this is probably the highest level of incompetence the state has ever seen," said one frustrated loyal Republican in Sacramento this week. "It makes the campaign of (former GOP gubernatorial candidate) Dan Lungren look like a well-oiled machine."

I prefer to think of it as exciting and novel in the strategery of it all. [/spin]

[NormsRevenge]

"Gray is still Gray," Walsh said. "If he sold Bay Area residents' health out to an oil company" -- a reference to stories that Davis allowed Tosco refinery, a major polluter, to dump dioxins in the bay -- "you know there's a hundred more cases that will be made public between now and election day."

I think the gloves are coming off ..
DUMP DAVI$ & the Den of Socialists

GO SIMON

[Isle of sanity in CA]

I thought Lehane was working on the Davis campaign?

If so, was this a good source?

Does anyone know if this was an editorial?

Couldn't be objective news.

[yoe]

Democrats thrive on scandal; they don't care how bad their man is just as long as that person is a democrat. Republicans on the other hand thrive on ethics and squeaky clean characters, they want most things above board and will not run a tarnished candidate. Democrats truly believe a little crime can't hurt you and run hypocritical in-need-of-a-bath candidates. Why should Simon step aside, Robert Rubin is still in the Senate and he is a real crook. Gray isn't much better, slightly dumber and take a look at Ted Kennedy, a real crook and still a Senator. The list is long and far more incriminating for the democrats, and yes, they have the media on their side. Republicans can't step over the line even a little bit. And that is how it is.

[NormsRevenge]

"objective news" ? In California ? Hell, in the US!! ...

BBBWWWAAAHHHHAAAHHHAAA!!!

That's an oxymoron, isn't it?

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Ping. Simon should turn this monumental lemon into a gallon of lemonade. If anything could anoint a candidate as the patron saint of tort reform, this is it. I highly recommend he talk about this more, not less. Californians are fed up with tyranny by civil suit.

[Amerigomag]

Does anyone know if this was an editorial?

Not to pick on you but where have you been?

In 1994 the Clinton adminstration successfully guided the 1994 Fiarness in Journalism Act through the congess and the act was signed into law that October.

The law provides, and I quote: "No commercial news organization shall publish any written or electronic communications that are detrimental to the Democratic Party without being subject to the appropriate civil statues pertaining to libel"

[BJungNan]

Does anyone know if this was an editorial?

It is not labled editorial. The SFC is billing it as news. Why, did you find some opinion slipped into the copy?

[NormsRevenge]

"the candidate was dogged by Democrats distracting him from his message. One held a sign saying, "Simon, don't worry: there are pay phones in prison." Another was costumed as a giant pay phone."

WorldCom ..No Doubt. How much has Davi$ taken in donations from all the parties involved in this lawsuit?

[houston1]

Is it too late to get Riordan back?

[wingnuts'nbolts]

Just like the Kennedys "winning is the goal" what comes after the win doesn't matter much. It is the "Winning" that counts.

[Free the USA]

Index Bump

[Isle of sanity in CA]

From foxnews story http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C27629%2C00.html

Lewis Uhler, president of the National Tax Limitation Committee, filed suit Monday in Sacramento Superior Court, saying that the state controller, a Democrat, should be prohibited from paying the combined $30,000 per month fee to consultants Chris Lehane and Mark Fabiani, former Gore advisers. Both Lehane and Fabiani are now employed by the Southern California Edison electricity utility.

This is one of the DNC hacks that was brought in to spin the CA energy crisis and blame Bush for it...

Using a Davis spin doctor as the primary driver throughout this story is not what I would call balanced/objective journalism.

Even worse than openly stating their opinion (e.g. "I think Simon Sucks") they use selective quotes from his political opponents advisor (they don't state this relationship in the article) is not only misleading, it's cowardly.

Such performances didn't impress Lehane

Does it matter that this DNC spin doctor isn't impressed by Simon? Would he admit it even if he was? Why are we asking his opinion on this? By selecting the source of their quotes, they skew the article badly.

picture the level of panic among some Republicans this week

They also quote 'some Republicans'. I hate this. Are there no Republicans who would be willing to go on record to say this? Is this the belief of 20% of Republicans? 70%?

We should change the First Amendment to prevent the use of 'some' in the press. It tells you nothing except that there is at least 1 person in the world that holds this view.

Dinged, Stunning, Even, 'Stopped in his tracks', 'latest troubles', 'no small potatoes', Storm, Battered, Gushes, 'Raised eyebrows', Bravely, Dogged

These are a lot of loaded words to be in a short piece. Either the 'journalists' were trying to skew the story or they are just sensationalists who should see if the Enquirer needs their services...