Posted on 11/10/2002 1:08:53 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:41:21 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
This story was leaked to Matier and Ross supposedly by Sean Walsh. The reason? Walsh and Lapsley were furious that Jamie Fisfis (the original Simon communications director before the Bill Jones staff took over the campaign) had exposed the Walsh and Lapsley strategy to the world.
From the emails I got from people on the campaign most all the staff was thrilled that Walsh and Lapsley were exposed but THEY were furious and felt Simon must have been OK with the expose and attack on their refusal to make the energy crisis and budget crisis the focus of the campaign (on the premise that voters already knew about these issues).
They promised to exact revenge by showing Simon and certain original Simon loyalist staffers to be doofuses.
Apparently this is the first round. Note the leak also makes Lapsley look experienced and calm but shows up Simon to be the big buffoon who panics and calls Rudy. Not very smart to try and make Simon and Rudy look bad out of petty embarrassment from having your failed strategy aired to the world.
Walsh and Lapsley are creeps that hopefully Bill Simon will never associate with again.
For better or worse, a candidate is judged by his supporters and advisors as well as by his platform and personality. This does not speak well for Simon.
Sorry about that.
This is all about stupid political games anyway. Simon lost. His original staffers resent they were pushed out of the way after the primary so that the failures that were the Jones staffers were brought in. They were supposedly HORRIBLE during the campaign, it didn't matter because there were other mistakes made outside of their control. But their ineptness and one-thought mindset (campaign finance, campaign finance, campaign finance - remember these people are persona non grata with the Bushies because they got Jones to do a 180 on Bush withdrawing his endorsement for Bush and backing McCain in 2000) and *apparently* most of the staff did not like this but the RNC and DC crowd said that Simon better listen to the Jones people (cause the original staff wasn't tough enough) and hit Davis on campaign fundraising questions instead of the issues of energy, education and the economy.
We can all have opinions about who is right or wrong. The friends I got to make of Simon staffers though opened my eyes to this faction feuding and I hated it. The Jones people were more intent on control of the campaign fundraising issue as their jihad leftover from the Jones campaign and they really had little regard for Bill Simon as an individual or his reputation. Too bad. Bill Simon is really a decent guy and a lot of his staff were too!
Carry_Okie is referring to a number of posts I've made here (for instance see California: Requesting Challenges of Voters) both before and after the election complaining of a lack interest on the part of all who should have been concerned if they were simply honest public servants, but certainly if they were staunch GOP supporters.
In short, I noticed one postage stamp sized house with over 60 Hispanic names registered at it.
I've tried to spur an investigation since well before the election. But all I ever got was either the run-around or complicit resignation over the rotten state of affairs. I figure if in my single instance nobody bothered even to ask the address, let alone show respect for the voters and investigate, my instance probably wasn't the only one being ignored. The pattern of non-interest has all the earmarks of what I think should be called "institutionized ignorance" if I haven't overlooked an already less euphemistic and more precise discription for the phenomenon I witnessed.
If you're an honest man, I do not believe you'll be very shocked over this state of affairs. While the circumstance may have paid dividends to the ostensibly liberal party this time, you'll not be happy even with the possibility of having won with this question being evaded by all parties. Would you find it comforting that others of your persuasion felt so insecure that they needed to pad their margin? Next time they may be in the imploy of your worst enemies -- then what? And just what does the GOP think it's gaining at the expense of your interests by ignoring this?
What baffles me, and what should baffle non-RINO FReepers everywhere, is how Davis could win the state by only 339,500 votes (47% over 42%) -- which just happened to match the margin (339,000) by which he swept all of L.A. county (55% over 35%) -- and find that the GOP is NOT concerned over the loss of Los Angeles by means fair or foul?
And party spokesmen seem even to be playing ignorant of that one huge fact too!
Just yesterday morning at 9 A.M., on L.A. TV4's "News Conference", there was a discussion of the GOP ticket's loss.
The four panel members were Dem party chair Art Torres, Dem Congressman Xavier Becerra, GOP Congressman and Simon supporter David Drier, and former GOP Senate Candidate Bruce Herschenson.
To hear the panel one would think the Dems won because of Northern California. Herschenson flatly laid the blame on "the Dems in Northern California." The moderator, no one, corrected him. Not a single mention of the tremendous boost Davis and his ticket received from the city of L.A.
One would think the final numbers were a secret. God will curse idiots who won't recognize truths that are blatantly avoided.
Why is everyone avoiding the GOP blowout in Los Angeles?
I'd rather think the cause is stupidity rather than corruption. But we all know how pols live and die on poll numbers. Are we just supposed to roll over and go back to sleep? Yeah that's it! Just write this off as some unintentional < sarcasm > oversight < /sarcasm >. Ah, maybe it's just entertainment. Gloss over the facts and keep the fools in the dark, wink at those in the know, and all while irritating those who cannot believe these Bozo's represent us and are featured speakers on TV. Now, don't you find it entertaining also Larry?
Just how deep does this rabbit hole go Larry? I have no idea. I just wish there were some legitimate authority that wasn't afraid to investigate. How about you?
Not the moderator, no one, corrected him.
You're completely off the mark. But it's my fault. I have a blunt and direct style...which arouses suspicion in those already prone to it for other reasons. I should know by now that I have to modify it a bit when posting to this forum.
If you're an honest man, I do not believe you'll be very shocked over this state of affairs
No, I'm not shocked. The experiences you describe are coin of the realm for most people in most times and places. For a long time the American middle class was insulated from that but no longer...thanks to political correctness. We are all living in Kafka's world now...or at least it intrudes into our reality in frightening and disorienting ways.
These are the experiences which have motivated every populist backlash to immigration and technological change. I'm sorry they happen. I see no way to prevent them.
I can easily accept that you detected an instance of voter fraud which was ignored by the authorities...because you didn't make a good impression, because they were afraid of conflict, because they were a party to the fraud, who knows?
But going from there to conspiracy theories about who lost Los Angeles county, why, and why it's being covered up is too much for me.
The Republican party doesn't want to alienate the Latino vote. They learned their lesson under Pete Wilson...and a very important faction of the party wants cheap labor. Are they willing to allow an election to be stolen by Democrats in order to preserve their interests? Are they simply afraid? I'd need a lot more evidence than you've offered before I'd believe it.
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