South Heads East: Gray Davis loses his henchman, meaning he's past the point of no recall.

American Prowler ^ | Wednesday, June 11, 2003 | George Neumayr

[JohnHuang2]

Political strategist Garry South must sense doom for Gray Davis. He is ditching the effort to defend Davis against a recall. The reported last Friday that he "will take no formal role in fighting the recall effort." As he explained to the Times, "I've got other things going on in my life."

South, reports the Times, is off to work for presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman as a senior campaign adviser. Isn't that an even more hopeless task than defending Davis? Apparently South doesn't think so. Which is telling. If South considers Lieberman's presidential run less doomed than Davis's chances of surviving a recall, Davis should really begin to panic.

Panic is certainly warranted. Tuesday's numbers at Davis Recall.com suggest that the question isn't whether Davis will face a recall but when. The site reports 535,374 signatures out of 898,157 petitions necessary for a recall.

Taxpayers Against the Recall -- the phony group Davis had to scramble to form -- looks pretty rag-tag and desperate. The group consists not of grass-roots taxpayers but of union hacks who have long supped at the tax trough. Notice that Steve Smith, California's labor secretary, has taken a "leave of absence." Why? Because Davis needs him free to dial up friends in organized labor to kill the recall drive.

You can also tell that Davis is in a serious pinch because militant abortion activists are sending out all-hands-on-deck signals. They have decided to turn Darrell Issa, the Republican congressman financing the recall drive, into Randall Terry. The Contra Costa Times reports that demonstrations are scheduled "in Beverly Hills, San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, where abortion rights supporters plan to draw attention to the congressman's opposition to abortion. 'Basically, the message they're going to be sending tomorrow is Darrell Issa shouldn't be allowed to recall a woman's right to choose,' said Carroll Wills, spokesman for Taxpayers Against the Recall."

The radical feminists who rallied to Bill Clinton during his impeachment are now called to do their duty for Davis. They probably don't want to pick up their placards for such a dud, but he has been loyal to them. He used to show up at abortion clinics to cheer them on. He is their champion -- at least for now. Should the recall qualify, these Davis loyalists may prove disloyal. Say Dianne Feinstein throws her name into the hat. Will the feminists bolt on Davis? Garry South won't even be around to kick them back into line.

Maybe the Morongo Band of Mission Indians will stick by Davis's side. Davis recently toasted them for launching a new casino in Southern California. Reporters asked Davis why he showed up for the casino ceremonies. Was he trying to shore up support during the recall drive? "I'm not here to talk about the recall effort," Davis was quoted as saying. "I believe credit should be given where credit is due. This is a major economic success story for the Morongo Band and the Inland Empire."

(Were Bill Bennett a member of the Morongo Band of Mission Hands, he would be credited with creating new jobs and financing the education of children. A shameless Indian Gaming ad now running in California touts the educational and civic benefits that accrue from gaming revenues. So according to California liberals, many of the same ones shocked at Bennett, Californians aren't gambling enough. We are supposed to pull over at Indian gaming dens and play the slot machines so that children can have more after-school programs.)

Meanwhile, California Republicans face problems of their own. Will candidates vying to replace Davis cancel each other out? Robert Novak reports that Richard Riordan may join the fray: "Riordan has asked for White House help in clearing out the rest of the Republicans. Since that is patently impossible, he may run as an independent." And then there is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won't make a decision on running, his spokesmen say, until after the July release of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

The only sure-fire winner from the recall are political journalists, who will get to feast on its comic mishaps.


George Neumayr, a writer in Southern California, contributes frequently to The American Spectator and The American Prowler.

[JohnHuang2]

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Quote of the Day by Brainhose

[goldstategop]

I disagree with George Neumayr on the last part. Gray Davis, though is histoire. Now let's hope he can be replaced in the statehouse with a conservative Republican who can keep in check the liberal lunatics running the State Legislature.

[jigsaw]

LOL!   What a great Quote of the Day.

An ugly image, but a great quote!

[Amelia]

I just hope those who are saying that getting Davis recalled would be winning the battle but losing the war aren't correct....

[dark_lord]

I predict: David gets recalled, but the Kalifornia Republicans fight within their party and cannot agree upon a candidate. Whichever Republican candidate gets chosen, 30% of the Kalifornia Republican party will go off in a snit and refuse to vote for chosen candidate. Then DemonRat candidate wins.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

I'm getting alittle tired of this defeatist whining about Feinstein winning.

You want a prediction? I predict that hard core, partisan ideologue Leftists will be sitting in their homes on a election night in the fall of this year. They'll be watching some dumb comedy, or sports or MTV. The room will be dark. Want to know why I predict something so specific? Because no matter how you slice it, the recall of the California Gov D - Gray Davis will one of the most humiliating, embarrassing things to happen to them in state history. It will have ripple effects throughout the nation, since the stereotype is that we are the leaders of liberalism. I know many, say from Illinois, want to take defeat from victory and be fashionably cynical not say how bad this is for the DNC.

One other thing, who is "David"?

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

I disagree with George Neumayr on the last part.

Me too. Well the article quotes phonie Republican Bob Novak to bolster that last dithering point, that says it all.

Otherwise it was a great article. I heard Carrol Willis on a local radio show driving in and he got totally punked out about being nothing but a Big Labor front group hypocritically attacking Issa's use of $ in politics.

[Shooter 2.5]

I think you nailed it. If what I've read on FR is any indication, the Republicans will spend too much time fighting among themselves.

My favorite piece of "logic" is, "Why should we inherit that mess?"

Someone here on FR did have the right answer to that. "Blaming any Republican for the mess California is in would be the same as blaming Red Adair for a oil fire."

[dark_lord]

You are correct, Davis not David. Nor am I saying that a successful recall would be a bad thing, I think it would be a victory for conservatives in Kalifornia. But...to the point of winning a battle but losing the war, Republicans in Kalifornia have been known to do that.

Regarding Illinois...a bigger bunch of corrupt RINOs have never been seen in a state party before. Maybe the only state more politically corrupt than Illinois is -- New Jersey!!!

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

to the point of winning a battle but losing the war, Republicans in Kalifornia have been known to do that.

I understand that is your main point. My main point was to respectfully disagree. This Recall effort is different than past failures, you just hang on and watch.

I can't claim to know anything about Illinois (other than that GOP Gov that commuted all the death row inmates. The bastard) that's why I am talking about CA.

Times are changing, keep positive.

[NathanR]

I predict: David gets recalled, but the Kalifornia Republicans fight within their party and cannot agree upon a candidate. Whichever Republican candidate gets chosen, 30% of the Kalifornia Republican party will go off in a snit and refuse to vote for chosen candidate. Then DemonRat candidate wins.

There is no primary, there is no caucus, there is just a recall with a list of names of people who have chosen to run. When Davis is booted, whoever gets a plurality from that list, will be governor. If 10 people run, it is possible, but not likely, that the winner could get only 11% of the votes cast.

[NathanR]

more "predictions" of fashionable cynicism of a Democrate getting elected after Gray is recalled.

Don't look at me. I signed the petition Saturday. I now just want Joe Davis gone!

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

I understand now, you were quoting the prior prediction... My patience is running out on the defeatist nature of the CA GOP because victory is in sight now. You should use italics when quoting, dontcha know. Try < i> and a < /i> to end it without the space I put in there. You'll be an HTML expert in no time.

[NathanR]

You'll be an HTML expert in no time.

You're right, I probably should have. However, I would never become enough of an HTML expert to actually make a living. It just does not interest me enough, and I don't have the artistic talent. (I used to be a programer.)

[IncredibleHulk]

Then DemonRat candidate wins.

I'm changing my name to Gray Davis, registering as a DemonicRat and running for guv on the last day to register for the election. If I don't get elected, it will at least, split up the DemonicRat votes.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Because no matter how you slice it, the recall of the California Gov D - Gray Davis will one of the most humiliating, embarrassing things to happen to them in state history. It will have ripple effects throughout the nation, since the stereotype is that we are the leaders of liberalism. I know many, say from Illinois, want to take defeat from victory and be fashionably cynical not say how bad this is for the DNC.

Hehehe....You are so right..