Free Republic

Ah, the omnipresent poll. The media punditocracy is addicted to using polls to tell us what "the American people feel" (never think) about everything from a president's so-called approval rating, to how a candidate's chances stack up against others in a race, to our "feelings" about various policy and social issues. Although the public has absolutely no way to evaluate the vast majority of polls for accuracy, most of us simply accept them as incontrovertible indicators of truth. Why? The answer probably is because we're told that polls are "scientific" since they use statistical-type analysis, and most of us tend...

If anyone should learn from the recall election, it is voters. Just about the time we think state legislators have found a constructive lesson in California's recall election, they prove us wrong again. Take, for example, a recent display of petty tyranny. Petty tyrants, according to Carlos Castaneda, come in three subcategories: pinches tiranos, pinches tiranitos, and pinches tiranitos chiquititos (the teeny weeny kind). We'll leave it to you to judge the category befitting behavior in last week's special session. Members of both political parties qualify, as columnist Jill Stewart makes clear (on the Comment page). The Republicans started it...

When The Los Angeles Times published articles just days before the California recall election detailing reports of inappropriate sexual behavior by Arnold Schwarzenegger, its editor steadfastly defended the timing. "It is a paper's job to disclose anything it knows that bears on a candidate's fitness for office — before Election Day, not after," the editor, John Carroll, said. But Republicans on talk radio, the Internet and some cable television talk shows accused the newspaper of shilling for Gov. Gray Davis. And many voters agreed. "This is a Davis ploy — he's the king of dirty tricks," one Schwarzenegger voter said,...

In the wake of California's recall election, the temptation to draw far-reaching conclusions is strong. Despite 11th-hour allegations against Republican Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, the final results were decisive. Schwarzenegger, a political novice and outsider, overcame accusations of sexual harassment, past drug use and alleged admiration for Adolf Hitler, and he did so while offering precious few specifics about what he will do as governor. He ducked all but the final debate among the major candidates, and he relied heavily on the so-called soft media, with appearances on Jay Leno's and Oprah Winfrey's shows. Does this mean that celebrities, immune from...

It occurs to me that discredited, disgraced, evicted politicians are pretty much one-trick ponies ... that trick being the selling granting of pardon's to imprisoned felons. I'm willing to out on a limb here and predict that Governor Gray Davis is a politican of such character. I've put together an online poll where you can vote for how many pardon's you think Gov. Davis will sell grant. See the following links to vote and/or to view results: Gray Davis Pardon Poll - Click here to VOTE Click here to VIEW RESULTS

I was going to write about the need for politics and government to be separated but after I read the first line I keeled over from the pain in my belly, as I was laughing too hard. Although the ultimate goal would be to have politicians campaign from their political parties and then disengage from the political arena after they were elected to office so they could better connect with their constituents and do the work they were elected to do without due influence of their political parties, this notion will always remain a pipedream. Politics is embedded into our...

Foolish talk by foolish men Once again Americans were treated to the likes of a Baghdad Bob as the Democrats own Transylvania Terry (alias: Terry McCullough) took to the microphones on the eve of the California Gubernatorial Recall election. As the votes were being tabulated to show a significant Republicans victory, Transylvania Terry was foolishly telling the world that, yes, it was neither Governor Gray nor the Democrats fault, but President Bush and the Republicans responsibility for anger being displayed. Just as Baghdad Bob’s foolish words were noted as the victory tanks rolled into Baghdad, this Democrat’s foolish words were...

CNBC cable television just reported that Arnold was confident based on his last internal tracking poll numbers showing double digit lead on pro-recall vote and Arnold over Bustamonkey. Those number are very reassuring, particularly based on report low turnout in San Francisco and in Los Angeles.

Unlike other politicians today and the media, who routinely refer to illegal immigrants as simply “immigrants,” California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger — who is favored to win Tuesday's recall election — actually calls them “illegal immigrants.” And unlike so many pols and scribes across the political spectrum, Schwarzenegger clearly declares, “Let me be clear: I do not support an amnesty program.” And unlike Democrat politicians, Schwarzenegger opposes issuing California drivers licenses to illegals. By contrast, on September 5, in a secret ceremony reserved for Hispanics and the Hispanic media, desperate, Democrat California Gov. Gray Davis signed SB60, giving illegals...

Arnold's campaign bus has been roaring up the state, attracting mobs of supporters whereever it stops. But what's it like to be at an Arnold rally? What does he look like, sound like, seem like? A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend an Arnold rally. Due to the huge size of the video, I've had some trouble uploading it to my site. But now, just in time for the election, my video of an Arnold rally is ready. Click on the link above to read my first-person account and download the video. Since it's...

Mike Shelton, Cartoonist The Orange County Register

<p>SACRAMENTO -- Setting the stage for a post-election legal challenge to the recall vote, Democrats are set to launch a national fund-raising campaign today to help pay for any legal action needed if the election on Gov. Davis' future is close.</p>

[Editorial] Sean, Sean, Sean... From the very minute that Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy for Governor of California, Sean Hannity's behavior has been more like a star struck groupie than a professional commentator or political pundit. Sean has admitted many times, on both his radio and television shows, that his views are much closer to those of State Senator Tom McClintock, the real conservative in the race. Yet, Hannity supports Arnold. He insists that he "hasn't endorsed anyone," but it's clear who his horse is in this race. Hey, we like Arnold too--and if McClintock wasn't running, we'd support him...

DOONESBURY DOONESBURY

<p>Los Angeles -- Gov. Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger will pivot their campaigns dramatically in the final week before the recall election, believing that Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante has been little help to the Democratic governor and Schwarzenegger has enough support to win despite a tough Republican challenger.</p>

<p>ST. PAUL – The eagle landed on new governor Jesse Ventura's desk in the winter of 1999.</p> <p>It was heavy bronze, wings spread triumphantly - a gift from Arnold Schwarzenegger, then merely an actor with an eye for politics.</p> <p>"Eagles," the inscription read, "are like leaders. They don't flock."</p>

A judge Wednesday asked Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante to prove that his campaign is contractually obligated to continue paying for television ads bought with campaign donations that the judge earlier this week ruled illegal. Bustamante is not disputing Judge Loren E. McMaster's finding that the $3.8 million from five public-employee unions and three casino-owning Indian tribes violates California's campaign-contribution laws, but he says the campaign can't get the money back from television stations. The campaign contends that $2.2 million worth of commercials already had run by the time McMaster issued his ruling Monday and that an additional $2 million...

Does electing RINO's as governor of a state really work? The same points made in favor of electing a RINO candidate like Arnold Schwartenagger were made about Christie Todd Whitman back in 1993. Rush Limbaugh then, like Sean Hannity today, urged New Jersey conservatives to vote for Whitman. Whitman even proposed a tax cut in order to entice conservatives to vote for her. (Schwartenegger won't even pledge not to raise taxes and has a left-wing economic advisor in Warren Buffet. How did the idea of voting for the lesser of two evils that turn out in New Jersey? A little...

I'm a reporter working on the recall, and a source at Fox News Channel told me that Arnold will be on Hannity's radio show at the top of his first hour at 3 p.m. eastern. Just a head's up to my fellow freepers

Who won the California Recall Debate for Governor? Cruz Bustamante 26% Arianna Huffington 4% Tom McClintock 20% Arnold Schwarzenegger 31% Peter Camejo 19% Poll Link

Roger Hedgecock, who is filling in for Rush Limbaugh, has just said that Tom Mc Clintock has reiterated his vow to stay in the California recall race to the end.

California state judge Loren McMaster ruled this week that Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante violated campaign laws by paying for a TV ad campaign with more than $3 million from Indian casinos and unions, donated in violation of state contribution limits. Richie Ross, Mr. Bustamante's campaign manager, says the campaign has already spent the money and thus can't comply with the judge's order to return it to the donors. The controversy will dog Mr. Bustamante's campaign as well as raise questions about the disproportionate influence that Indian casinos now exercise in California government. When Californians voted in 2000 to give Indian...

<p>LOS ANGELES — California's top candidates for governor applauded the 9th Circuit Court's unanimous ruling to allow the recall election (search) to go on as scheduled.</p> <p>"We are ready to beat the recall on Oct. 7," Peter Ragone, a campaign spokesman for embattled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis (search), said on Tuesday. "This recall has already cost enough in terms of public funds and time away from the public's business. It is time to move forward."</p>

The most notable feature of the opinion of the 3-Judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in Southwestern Voter Registration v. Shelley, the California recall case, is its length, 65 pages, around 12,000 words. All those words to establish that holding an election using a mix of vote recording systems, particularly, punch cards, offends the US Constitution's guaranty of equal protection. The Court uses a great many of those words detailing the difficulties of using punch card ballots. Since it's clear enough that there is nothing inherently wrong with punch cards–-if they were uniformly used...

Real Clear Politics elegantly presents all the polls concerning the California Recall election at this link It seems that just about everyone pushing Schwarzenegger as the best chance for Republicans also feel McClintock would be preferable if he had a chance to win. McClintock is thought to most reflect their values and positions on issues. But “Tom can’t win.” A simple perusal of the poll numbers, though, belies this conventional wisdom. Do the math. If only 60% of Schwarzenegger supports decided to vote for McClintock, McClintock take the lead. Some examples: The vilified LA Times Poll: Schwarzenegger - 25 Bustamante...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore, whose contested defeat in the 2000 White House race has become a rallying cry for California Democrats, has joined Governor Gray Davis in urging rejection of the Republican-led campaign to oust him. Gore's appearance with Davis at a voter-registration rally on Friday in a predominantly black neighborhood of south Los Angeles capped a week that also saw former President Bill Clinton spent two days campaigning with Davis to help the governor keep his job. It also came as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to reconsider its controversial decision...

IMPEACHED EX-ERSATZ PREZ STUMPS FOR DAVIS CLINTON PARADIGM PROVES INSTRUCTIVE FOR CALIFORNIA by Mia T, 9.14.03 Hamilton (or Madison) discussed the importance of wisdom and virtue in Federalist 57. "The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust." (Contrast this with clinton, who recklessly, reflexively and feloniously subordinates the common good...

<p>Arnold Schwarzenegger's top fiscal adviser says he is drawing up several budget options that would avoid new taxes while imposing spending cuts that he insists won't cause widespread hardship.</p> <p>John Cogan, the conservative Stanford University economist who also drafted George W. Bush's tax cut proposal during the 2000 presidential campaign, said in an interview that the cutbacks needed to wipe out California's budget deficit would still leave spending significantly higher than in 1999.</p>

Arnold Tapping Into Hollywood's Wallet LOS ANGELES -- Arnold Schwarzenegger's taking aim at Hollywood -- and its money. The actor was scheduled Sunday to attend a fund-raiser hosted by Jim Belushi, who co-starred with Schwarzenegger in 1988's "Red Heat." The fund-raiser is one of two aimed at potential Hollywood donors as Schwarzenegger campaigns to replace Gov. Gray Davis in the Oct. 7 recall election. Belushi's publicist, Alan Nierob, confirmed the fund-raiser and described it as a small garden party. His office said it did not have access to a guest list. The second was to be hosted by Ivan Reitman,...

Federal Panel in OK's Oct. 7 Recall Vote BY RACHEL KONRAD, Associated Press Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. - A panel of federal judges said Friday it would not postpone California's gubernatorial recall vote, removing one of the last legal barriers to the Oct. 7 election. The decision came the morning after the U.S. Justice Department (news - web sites) made a formal determination that Monterey County's hurriedly assembled balloting plans for the election to unseat Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites) did not constitute a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act. Justice Department spokesman Jorge Martinez said Friday...

Yesterday on the LARRY ELDER SHOW, Larry interviewed former radio talk show host, att'y, and media whore Gloria Alred about Arnold's running for governor and the interview in the 1977 issue of OUI magazine where Arnold bragged about taking part in an orgy. Alred, in her typical "we're talking rape here - if it is rape and I don't know if it is" fashion, pathetically attempted to attach the words "rape" and "sexual assault" where no such activity existed. Alred used to be a host on KABC, but the station chose not to renew her contract earlier this year.

California Dreamin’ (With apologies to the Mamas and the Papas) All the money’s gone and we’re recalling Gray He’ll be out of a job before the winter, hey! Then you might have a chance if you live in LA California dreamin’ ‘bout that glorious day Stopped into a church I passed along the way Well I got down on my knees and I began to pray That California would come in from the cold And choose the conservative way California dreamin’ ‘bout that glorious day All the money’s gone and we’re recalling Gray He’ll be out of a job...

<p>DENNY, Calif. — Up here in the dense forests of the Trinity Alps, the rest of California can seem like a foreign country, a thirsty, power-hungry neighbor that sucks away resources and delivers little in return.</p> <p>With fewer than 14,000 residents, not a single incorporated town and a culture that mixes a pinch of 1960s hippie, a dash of 1860s rancher and a hefty serving of libertarianism, Trinity County has felt disenfranchised from state politics for a long, long time.</p>

Here are direct source links to MEChA sites and their stated ideas and ideals. I post these so there can be authoritative info from the actual horse's mouth -- ie Mechistas themselves. MEChA in large part does counselling of high school and college students. They will help them with details such as simply working out their schedule of classes. This is why many people who've heard of them may not know anything about their underlying philosophy, but may think of them as a helpful group of do-gooders. Bustamante has said he was never really in to the far out stuff,...

<p>PORN star and California gubernatorial candidate Mary Carey knows how to fix the state's colossal financial woes. "I'd have a Webcam in the governor's mansion and charge people $20 a month to see what I'm doing all the time," the "New Wave Hookers" star tells PAGE SIX's Ian Spiegelman. "People seem pretty liberal about nudity and they could see what their tax money is doing." Carey, who just turned 23, estimates that her Japanese fan base alone would bring in enough money to "balance the budget in two months." She's raising campaign funds by offering dates with supporters for $5,000 a pop, but she denies the claims of a Danish man who complained she was a dud. Carey says she's never even met him: "I wasn't even in L.A. last week. My grandmother - who's really my mother - died and I was at her funeral." So far, seven big spenders have ponied up the cash. "If you have millions and millions of dollars, what's $5,000 to go out with a pretty blonde? There's a lot of old guys with nothing else to do with all their money. George Bush charges $200 a plate to have dinner with him and I think I'm a little more exciting than he is. I have bigger boobs."</p>

7:51 PM PDT, August 26, 2003 Outsider’s Quick Turn as Politician Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign is led by Sacramento insiders who ran the state for most of the 1990s, then went to work for some of the special-interest groups whose influence he promises to curb. By Michael Finnegan and Joe Mathews, Times Staff Writers Day by day, the outsider image that Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken pains to project is clashing with the reality of his campaign. The California gubernatorial candidate who vowed to "clean house" in Sacramento, after what he suggested would be a campaign financed with his own millions, has...

<p>McClintock's big challenge is getting attention turned from the front-runners: Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democrat Cruz Bustamante. With Bill Simon dropping out of the race last weekend, McClintock stands as the leading conservative Republican left and it would seem natural that McClintock would attempt to fully capture that base before moving on.</p>

Get Use-ta Busta Gray Must Pay Cruz Must Lose Damage the Dems Get use-ta Busta, as in get used to Cruz Bustamante being Governor of California. That seems to be the way things are shaping up. I originated the slogan Gray Must Pay and Cruz Must Lose. Pundits and Republican operatives are now stressing how the Republican vote is split and the party will have to rally around one candidate. I was saying this from the first day Schwarzenegger threw his hat in the ring. I was stressing, here and here, how we need to get behind one candidate because...

<p>LOS ANGELES — The polls in California (search) are schizophrenic.</p> <p>That must mean the voters are too, right?</p> <p>Yes.</p> <p>And No.</p> <p>Schizophrenia must be catchy.</p> <p>All kidding aside, the polls are volatile because the voters are volatile.</p> <p>Why?</p> <p>Several reasons.</p>

Manhattan Fundraiser Planned For Schwarzenegger The Associated Press August 25, 2003, 2:12 PM EDT ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gov. George Pataki's fund-raising team is planning a $1,000-a-person event in Manhattan to benefit actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign to become governor of California. An invitation, a copy of which was obtained Monday by The Associated Press, asks potential donors to serve on the host committee for the "New Yorkers for Arnold Schwarzenegger" event. General chairmen for the function are required to donate or raise at least $100,000.

Clinton, Giuliani expected to have supporting roles in recall New poll shows drop in support for recall LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) --California's summer blockbuster -- the gubernatorial recall -- is expected to soon have a couple of political guest stars -- Bill Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. Numerous Democratic sources confirm that former President Clinton will appear with Democratic Gov. Gray Davis during a previously scheduled trip to California, set for September 15 to September 17. The two men have been conferring about the recall for weeks, and a high-profile appearance by the former president with Davis could give the embattled...

GOP Struggles for Unity in Wake of Poll Posted: August 25, 2003 at 12:06 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A new poll showing actor Arnold Schwarzenegger trailing in the campaign to replace Gov. Gray Davis if he is recalled may have sparked suggestions for Republican unity, but the other major GOP candidates say they won't quit. "This horse is in the race to the finish line," state Sen. Tom McClintock said Sunday, a day after fellow conservative Bill Simon abandoned the race, arguing that the crowded field could hurt GOP chances. A spokesman for former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth said...

OK, I am so tired of all the same arguments over and over and over that I am not even going to the posts. In fact, I may be asking off the ping lists for this issue. Let me summarize EVERY SINGLE THREAD. If another thread opens on the California recall and Arnold discussion, please copy and paste the following: Please read he ENTIRE post before flaming McClintock is "better" than Arnold.Pros:Across the board, this is generally accepted as true. McClintock has a very specific plan that is easy to understand and makes fiscal sense. He concentrates on the fiscal...

California Candidates – Pitchman, Secret Smoker, Indian Rights Orator The Candidates. There are three major candidates for the California election, a pitchman, a secret smoker and teary-eyed advocate for Indian freedom. Cruz Bustamante, Democrat, current Lt. Governor is the frontrunner. This election is his to lose. Close on his heels is Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican, current movie actor. The dark horse is Tom McClintock, Republican, current California State Senator, defeated in his run for statewide office last November in the Controller race. What are their differences? There are a lot of them. And maybe some similarities. Schwarzenegger openly smokes cigars....

As a candidate in the Recall Election (www.GuzzardiForGovernor.com), let me make one thing perfectly clear: in 1994, I voted for Proposition 187. And I would vote for it again today. No issue in California’s political history has been as poorly reported on or as shallowly analyzed as Proposition 187. Nearly 60% of California voters supported the initiative. For the last decade, the mainstream media has insisted, “the anti-immigrant proposition was killed in the courts.” Here’s the truth: · Proposition 187 is not “anti-immigrant.” An immigrant is a person who applies in his native country to come to the U.S. Once...

<p>Gov. Gray Davis, taking a combative stance in the first major address of his fight for political survival, on Tuesday denounced the recall vote facing him as a Republican power grab.</p> <p>In prepared remarks, the Democratic governor acknowledged he was slow to act on California's energy crisis and that no one was happy with the budget he just signed.</p>

First California 'Votes' Are In Aug. 19, 2003 (CBS/AP) As the push toward an October recall election neared its final legal hurdle Tuesday, embattled Gov. Gray Davis struggled to hang on to ebbing support for remaining in office. The Justice Department on Monday signed off on the Oct. 7 election to recall Davis in response to warnings from a federal judge in San Jose, who questioned whether the voting rights of minorities would be upheld. A federal judge in Los Angeles said he would rule Wednesday on separate arguments to postpone the election because some counties will use old punch-card...

Schwarzenegger Unveils TV Ad Campaign AP POSTED: 1:42 p.m. PDT August 19, 2003 LOS ANGELES -- Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger says in the first television advertisement of the recall campaign that he wants to be "the people's governor" and "give California back its future." His campaign released text and videos of the 60-second commercial Tuesday. It is set to begin airing statewide Wednesday. The Republican actor addresses the camera directly in the ad, wearing a blue blazer and open-necked shirt in an office setting. He makes no mention of the candidates he is running against, or of Gov. Gray Davis, the...

Underdog Seeks Governor’s Job Political-outsider Bob Todd has announced his intentions to seek Governor Gray Davis’s job. “It‘s time the people ran their government, not corporations.” Todd ran for the U.S. House of Representatives three times in District 2 against fellow Republican Wally Herger. Todd intends to be a write-in candidate in the upcoming recall election, Oct. 7. Todd believes this is the right time for him to re-enter politics as the state’s economy and international standing is at an all-time low. “California use to have the sixth largest economy in the world and now is on the brink of...