Davis threatens to sue over claims

SJ Mercury News ^ | 10/26/02 | Mark Gladstone and Dion Nissenbaum

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Gray Davis is threatening legal action to prevent his Republican opponent, Bill Simon, from airing TV ads based on unproven allegations from a decade-old political corruption scandal.

A federal court in Sacramento could release the documents -- which reportedly link Davis to the case -- before the Nov. 5 election.

[SamAdams76]

It appears that the California gubernatorial race, now in its homestretch, is about to get even nastier.

[NormsRevenge]

Ping

A Salvo over Bill's stern. Woo Hooo!!!!

[NormsRevenge]

Yup!!

nasty.. nasty.. nasty ..

Go Bill!!

[Political Junkie Too]

Davis refused to stop running his ad about the Simon business' civil court guilty verdict after the judge overturned the verdict. Davis said that it was still true that the jury said guilty.

Run the ad.

-PJ

[daviddennis]

Gray Davis can dish it out, but he can't take it, no?

I don't know if I'd run ads based on Nathanson, though, unless there's some independent evidence to support his statements. Personally, I have no doubt the Nathanson allegations are true, but post-COPS we have to be careful here.

D

[randita]

Facing that prospect, an attorney for the governor this week sent letters to California TV stations warning that they could be sued for broadcasting any commercials based on the ``false and defamatory'' allegations.

If there's one thing the media dislikes more than conservatives, it's threats made in order to stifle the free and open dissemination of information. I don't think this threat will sit well with the media and rather than stifling the spread of the information, it will do just the opposite.

The best way Davis could and should have handled this situation is to just ignore it, laugh at it, say it's old news, etc. He's magnifying the focus and interest on it with these stupid threats and making it into a huge issue of interest.

It's interesting that the threats don't extend to the print media. Simon, with the right wording, can still use the issue in ads and I'm sure he will. Forrester did so in NJ with the Torricelli stuff.

[randita]

Big bump for Davis hysteria!

[gitmo]

Isn't this specifically what the 1st Amendment protects?

The Democrats are running ads full of lies across the country, but the 1st Amendment protects that doesn't it?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Simon needs to consider suing Davis over his ads!

I'll ping the list.

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[NormsRevenge]

The battle lines between the people and the "pretenders to be on our side" is becoming exceedingly clear as Election Day .

Corrupt Politicians Belong in Jail... Not in Office!!!

Go Bill!!!

[NormsRevenge]

ooops .. as Election Day looms.

[Dems_R_Losers]

I don't know if I'd run ads based on Nathanson, though, unless there's some independent evidence to support his statements. Personally, I have no doubt the Nathanson allegations are true, but post-COPS we have to be careful here.

How about some nice, smarmy ads that go something like this?

"In 1993, California Coastal Commissioner Mark Nathanson pleaded guilty and went to jail on racketeering charges. (photo of newspaper headline in background) Nathanson admitted that he took bribes from powerful developers in return for Coastal Commission development permits.

"But Nathanson also told authorities that other high ranking state government officials were soliciting campaign contributions in return for Coastal Commission permits. (darkened film showing shadowy figures exchanging money.)

"Today, Gray Davis is trying to keep us from finding out who those government officials are. The Sacramento Bee went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to get the names released. (Photo of Sac Bee headline)

"And today, Gray Davis' campaign contributors are getting special treatment from the Coastal Commission to build million dollar homes and keep us off the beaches that belong to all of us. (Recent LA Times headline about David Geffen et. al.)

"What's Gray Davis hiding? Who is he covering up for? Shouldn't we know, BEFORE we give Gray Davis another four years in the state's highest office and alow his campaign contributors to destroy what's left of our beaches?

Call Gray Davis and tell him to STOP THE COVER-UP.

-------

There you go. There is NOTHING false about this ad.

[Gophack]

You know, this is so ridiculous. Simon doesn't even have a Nathanson/Davis ad. Davis must be worried. In addition, the audacity of Davis to outright LIE that Simon started the negative campaigning ... PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Davis came out negative and hasn't stopped ... everytime Simon talks about the issues, he's ignored ... by Davis and the press.

The bias of this is ridiculous. The press should call Davis on this, but they won't.

[Gophack]

The fact is, Simon doesn't even have an ad out about this old scandal ... Davis is just blowing smoke, and the liberal media won't even call him on it.

[John Jorsett]

I don't think Simon even has to run ads about the allegations. Now he can run ads about how the Davis camp is trying to suppress ads about the allegations. "What does Davis have to hide?" type ads would probably be even more damaging. Plus, by these moves Davis has set the stage for this to be covered in hard news stories from now to the election. That'll be even worse. I think this was a strategic error on Davis' part: everyone knows the coverup is usually worse than the actual offense.

[TheSpottedOwl]

The ad could end with some footage of dead marine life that washed up onshore >: ) Warm as an ice cube, friendly as a Tasmanian Devil...Davis, a name you can buy...

[Seruzawa]

Hmmmm. Suing over lies in political ads. Do the Demoncraps really want to open that door?

I think not.

[Tony in Hawaii]

Remember the famous TV commercial from the 1964 Presidential campaign showing the little girl pulling petals off a flower and then a nuclear explosion? It was only shown once as a commercial.

The TV news outlets then picked it up and showed it incessantly. Too bad we can't get the same kind of deal.

[daviddennis]

You know, I like that one. A lot. Every word of it is true, and it could be run today.

And, of course, the revelation that Gray Davis was the man mentioned would be a real thunderbolt.

Not bad. I'd run it.

D