Free Republic

Former Gov. Gray Davis now admits he was unprepared for the 2000-01 energy crisis that sent electricity bills soaring, brought rolling blackouts and ultimately helped bring an early end to his political career. Davis, recalled by voters in an unprecedented move, was replaced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in October 2003, a year after Davis had won a second term. The former Democratic governor said he erred by buying power at inflated rates during the height of the crisis, but said he acted because he "wasn't willing to risk" sustained blackouts. "Did it turn out to be a mistake? Yes," Davis...

A large, boisterous crowd of several thousand greeted Arnold Schwarzenegger during a lunchtime rally at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa today. Arnold makes a point.

<p>It's back.</p> <p>After a short hiatus, courtesy of three activist judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the California gubernatorial recall election is on schedule again for Oct. 7. The court's 11-member panel rebuked the smaller panel, finding no compelling reason to interfere in a state election. The idea that punch-card ballots are too inaccurate to use even though they have been used in this state for decades was too much even for this court. Often, the lunatics run the asylum in California, but occasionally the adults retake control. Here, fortunately, is one of those cases.</p>

By Adam Tanner SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Seeking to add muscle to his team, Arnold Schwarzenegger named financial heavyweight Warren Buffett (news - web sites) his senior economic adviser on Wednesday as the actor prepared a high-profile run for California governor. Reuters Photo   Late in the day, state election officials certified a final list of 135 candidates after rejecting more than 100 applications as incomplete. In its final form, the roster becomes the longest list of candidates to run for governor in state history. Schwarzenegger was assured a place in the crowded field that ranged from serious politicians to...

EMERGENCY FREEP this Saturday!SHOW OUR OUTRAGE OVER TAX FUNDED UNION THUG TRAINING!As Reported on Free Republic State Funds Being Used to Fight Recall Recall Gray Davis Committee mail list ^ | July 29, 2003 | Recall Davis Committee via comwatch  JUST IN FROM: Howard Kaloogian Chairman, Recall Gray Davis Committee NEED RECALL SUPPORTERS FOR SATURDAY MORNING IN SACRAMENTOA quick note to our northern California friends to remind them that we need as many people as possible to join us for a recall rally/protest in Sacramento on Saturday morning (August 9th at 8:30 AM) in front of the Sheraton Grand...

<p>SACRAMENTO - With new polling showing Gov. Gray Davis facing tough odds to save his job, jittery Democrats met around the state Monday to consider breaking ranks and urging U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein or another prominent party leader to run in the historic recall race.</p>

<p>Vote against the recall, but vote for Feinstein, too, just in case.</p> <p>The discussions, prompted by private polls that purportedly show Davis losing in the recall, are expected to continue right up to Saturday's deadline for candidates to file to run.</p>

UNION THUGS and LIARSBlood Suckers NOT TaxpayersFrom: http://www.stoptherecall.com PDN branded extremists by the...   When all else fails, lie! Gosh... we must be doing something right to make their list! PDN Webmaster's Note: Of the hundreds of photos and pages devoted to true patriots, they're outraged because a mere one or two on the recall movement, ranks in the top five positions in every search engine on the internet. They can only dream of such ratings.  Besides, for PDN to be included in a list with such notables as CRA and the California Republican Party suggests we've arrived for all...

RECALL RALLY MOMENTS in PICTURES These are thumbnails from the PDN Website - Click to open full image in new window. PDN has many more photos to sort through and post with commentary. It was a pleasure to share booths space with our friends from the Anti-Tax Rally last month and an honor to finally meet and be able to introduce the founder of FreeRepublic.com, Jim Robinson to the many PDN and local grassroots folks in attendance.     1 & 2 Mark Williams first up of many talk show hosts to address rally. 3 to 7 Crowd scenes hour...

Bill Simon just announced on the Hugh Hewitt show that the Secretary of State's office have contacted his people and told them that over 900,000 signatures have been validated. This would mean that if the Sec. of State announces the certification tomorrow, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante would have 15 days to announce the special election which would be held 60-80 days after that. Candidates could have as little a 24 hours to get their paperwork in once the election date is set. Here we go.

SACRAMENTO - Assemblywoman Sharon Runner encourages taxpayers, after paying what she deems an illegal car tax imposed by Gov. Gray Davis, to apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a refund. The refund form, available on Runner's Web site, www.assembly.ca.gov/runner, will allow taxpayers to pay the increase and then request a refund from the DMV, she said. The refund form also will aid in a lawsuit against the Davis car tax, Runner said. It includes a letter from Runner and instructions regarding how to complete the refund form. The assemblywoman advises taxpayers to keep a copy for their personal...

Tame has been in front of Lowes getting signatures on the Recall Davis petitions. Today the local fox channel (channel 26) went there with a camera and interviewed him. Unless they decide against running the spot, he should be on the 10:00 news. Tame has permission from the store manager to be there with his table and petitions. The store manager is away for the week-end so the assistant manager told Tame due to several complaints, he would have to leave. After some discussion, it was agreed that Tame could spend the rest of the week-end in front of their...

<p>Gray Davis came into the governorship of California with a well-deserved reputation for leaving nothing to chance, having survived his decades-long, rung-by-rung climb up the political ladder by capitalizing on, even exploiting, any opportunity to align himself with a popular political position.</p>

<p>Five-year-old flag carrier Rebekah Matta, 5, gets a shoulder-height view of Saturday morning's dump-the-governor rally at the state Capitol, thanks to her father, Mark Matta of Sacramento.</p> <p>Familiar faces from Bill Simon's campaign pop up, along with a handful of the governor's backers.</p>

Drive Launched to Qualify Davis Recall Effort for the Ballot Supporters of an effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis launched their petition drive Saturday. Several hundred activists were at the State Capitol to kick off the effort. Supporters must gather more than 900,000 signatures to qualify the issue for the ballot. Recall supporters are unhappy with the governor's performance, particularly his handling of the budget crisis. "Gray Davis made a lot of promises that got him elected, and now he's falling down on the job, and every day we go deeper and deeper into debt and he's doing nothing,"...

<p>A makeshift group now impetuously trumpets its intention to remove California Gov. Gray Davis. California is a state in the progressive tradition. We have referenda to overturn state laws we don't like and initiatives to pass state laws we want. And we can use the ballot box to change the state constitution itself.</p>

Recall Gray Davis! They were right before the election... Click to stream the Dump Davis Chants   Sacramento'sDUMPDAVIS NOWPatriotsGreeting the Governor Their message is still right TODAY!Freeper Message playing on KFBKIf you've been listening to KFBK tonight, you heard some familiar voices replayed over and over again each time Gubner Davis name was mentioned. They're our own Dump Davis Cheerleaders led by Freeper Impeach98 with tactical support from ElkGroveDan and Saundra Duffy during the Dump Davis Campaign last year.In an interview with Mark Williams, organizer Ted Costa credits Mark's Night Talk Live as one of the inspirations for their group's...

recallgraydavisFebruary 4, 2003 Dear California Citizens & Friends Across the Nation: It’s time for us to take action and recall Democrat Governor Gray Davis. I need you to go to www.RecallGrayDavis.com right now and join this important cause before it is too late. I’m former State Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian, and I am proud to have served as one of the leading conservative Republicans in the California State Assembly during the past decade. However, I am not proud to see the disastrous track record and ethical and criminal investigations that have surrounded Gray Davis’ administration. Each and every day Californians have...

Dear Californians: As Chair of the California Quarter Committee, I am sending my thanks to Californians for their participation in the California Quarter Program. As we draw near to the much-anticipated selection of the California Quarter, it is my hope that the final design will visualize the concept of our diverse state. The generous participation of the public has made this historic program possible. From more than eight thousand submissions received between September 9, 2002 and November 9, 2002 the California Quarter Selection Committee has chosen twenty California-inspired ideas! The twenty images posted here give Californians an opportunity to comment...

November 5, 2002, 11:55 a.m. By Mark Joseph Bill Simon, Republican candidate for California governor, has been written off as a sure loser by most political observers. But it's not the first time Simon has been underestimated. Running in the Republican primary against two established politicians, two-term Los Angeles mayor Dick Riordan and Secretary Of State Bill Jones, the political neophyte Simon soundly trounced both by double digits. Part of the credit for Simon's upset victory could be chalked up to the political mischief of Gary South, Governor Gray Davis's campaign strategist who ran ads against Riordan in the Republican...

Simon Leads Davis by Three Points, and the President Sends a Message By Leo LacayoMonday, November 04, 2002From the Campaign Trail:Exclusive for CHRONWATCH.COM     As Bill Simon came down the stairs of his Boeing at the private air field in San Jose this past Saturday, I extended my hand to greet the next governor of the state of California.  Minutes before, Mr. Simon had been preceded by a bus full of the saddest people I have ever seen, the press corps that is accompanying him!      Simon turned and walked over to the landing-strip workers who had moved the stairs to his...

Our Sacramento "Dump Davis" freep was a great success, attracing over 100 committed activists, including freepers and their friends! Video highlights include chants, speeches and some great visuals of the Dump Davis dump truck RonDog rented for the occasion! And who can resist seeing the eGray Hooker strut his stuff? I hear no price is too high ... View Here!

<p>Gov. Gray Davis and his allies say we shouldn't believe the long-suppressed accusations of admitted felon Mark Nathanson, who said Davis conspired with him to squeeze campaign money from people seeking permits at the California Coastal Commission.</p> <p>At the time he leveled the allegations, Nathanson was in federal prison on an extortion conviction, looking to cut his sentence by helping prosecutors snag a bigger fish. His charges were rejected by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office, in part because Nathanson, they said, had lied to them in the past.</p>

October 30, 2002, 9:35 a.m. A Q&A by Kathryn Jean Lopez William E. Simon Jr. is the Republican candidate governor in California. Kathryn Jean Lopez: Why do you want to be the next governor of California? Bill Simon: There's only one reason and one reason alone: I am truly concerned about the direction our state is taking, and I know I can help. We face so many problems, including a severe energy crisis, an ailing economy, and failing schools. I know with my experience as a charity leader, federal prosecutor under Giuliani, and family businessman, I can bring real solutions...

October 30, 2002, 9:00 a.m. By Bill Whalen Finally, the "other shoe" dropped in California's governor's race: A federal judge released a pair of letters from attorneys representing a convicted state coastal commissioner alleging that, a decade ago, he and Gray Davis schemed to pull campaign donations from developers in exchange for political favors. The timing couldn't be worse for Davis as it comes at a time when he's trying to leave one final, positive imprint in what otherwise has been one of the nation's most negative campaigns. Of course, it's a needed break for Republican Bill Simon Jr., who's...

We now have video from Monday's freep! Our short clip stars Monica and the usual suspects. Monica is hilarious and just has to be seen to be believed, so check out the clip now! Not much action from the opposition, but I did get a shot of a gigantic group of them moving in. What I found particularly intriguing is that about 1/3 of these people were wearing the Firefighters' event shirts and carrying the special "Firefighters for Davis" sign. So, even though there was a big draw in Clinton, many of the people we have seen are repeats from...

By Duke Helfand, Times Staff Writer Ask Gov. Gray Davis why he deserves a second term and he'll tell you that he kept his word with California voters: public school test scores have risen steadily since he took office. "For the first time in decades, California's schools are showing real improvement," he says. But Republican challenger Bill Simon Jr. believes that Davis' education policies have failed, particularly for students in the state's worst schools. "There has been marginal improvement ... but it's not the type that anyone should be proud of," he says. As the Nov. 5 election approaches, both...

Most still support the governor, but not as enthusiastically as they did in 1998, poll shows. By Matea Gold, Times Staff Writer California's Latino voters, who energetically supported Gray Davis' candidacy in 1998, still favor the Democratic governor but are decidedly less enthusiastic about him this year, according to interviews with voters and experts on Latino politics. At this point in the 1998 governor's race, 72% of Latino voters said they were backing Davis. He ultimately won 71% of the Latino vote, according to Los Angeles Times exit polls of voters. According to a Times poll published Tuesday, however, Davis...

Times poll shows the governor's lead stems from a dislike of Simon, not from incumbent's popularity. Most think state is on wrong track. By Mark Z. Barabak , Times Staff Writer One week before election day, Democrat Gray Davis is clinging to a steady lead over Republican Bill Simon Jr., but widespread discontent with the incumbent has kept him from pulling away in the governor's race, according to a new Los Angeles Times poll. Californians remain underwhelmed by their choices: More than half of likely voters in the poll say their pick is merely the best of a bad lot....

Davis, legislators of both parties lavished windfall on programs. Analysts see years of pain ahead. By Jeffrey L. Rabin, Times Staff Writer During Gray Davis' term as governor, California's state budget has gone from a record surplus to a record deficit. When the state treasury was flush with cash, the governor and lawmakers from both political parties pushed state spending to new heights. In part, that money was spent to expand programs—especially in education—that locked the state into future spending. But when the economy faltered and revenue sank, the governor and the Legislature kept spending at near the levels they...

WHERE'S BUBBA?What if the leader of the Democratic Party came to town, and NOBODY noticed? From the FRONT PAGE of the online edition of today's Los Angeles Times: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 Republican challenger Bill Simon Jr., left, holds a news conference on the beach in Malibu. Davis, right, campaigned in Inglewood to get out the vote.(LAT) That's it: "Davis campaigned in Inglewood to get out the vote..." NO MENTION of BUBBA - ANYWHERE in today's L.A. Times!(At least none that **I* could find!) Talk about a "low profile" event! FReepers are used to being ignored by the mainstream media,...

Rally Against soon-to-be-EX-Governor Gray Davis appearing with disgraced EX-President Bill Clinton Southern California FReep ALERT! TODAY - MONDAY, October 28 - 5 pm Bill Clinton AND Gray Daviswill BOTH be at the Animo Leadership Charter High School(on the "University of West Los Angeles" campus)1155 West Arbor Vitae Street(on the North-east corner of Aviation and Arbor Vitae)Los Angeles, CA90301 THEIR Rally starts at 5:30 pm(Bubba speaks at 6:00 pm)OUR FReep starts at 5:00 pm MASSIVE NUMBERS of FReepers are requested! This may be the LAST PUBLIC APPEARANCE of Gray Davis before Election Day!Sign ideas from NON-California FReepers are WELCOME! fromYahoo1 Maps

The Democrats were lucky we were at this event, because otherwise the poor Firefighters would have fallen asleep from boredom. Picture it: An evening of impossibly dull speeches, all alike. The speaker thanks the firefighters for inviting him, thanks the firefighters for all the hard work they are doing, takes about a minute tooting his own horn, and tells them to be sure to walk precincts and talk to people and get out there to vote! By the time this pattern is repeated five or six times, even the dumbest Firefighter is going to have gotten the idea. Well, we...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to raising money for Democrats and getting them excited about voting, no one can do it like Bill Clinton.</p> <p>Former President Clinton talks with Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend at a campaign rally.</p>

Southern California FReep ALERT! THIS MONDAY, October 28 Bill Clinton AND Gray Davis will BOTH be at the Animo Leadership Charter High School 1155 West Arbor Vitae StreetLos Angeles, CA 90301 THEIR Rally starts at 5:30 pm OUR FReep starts at 4:30 pm MASSIVE NUMBERS of FReepers are requested! This may be the LAST PUBLIC APPEARANCE of Gray Davis before Election Day! Sign ideas from NON-California FReepers are WELCOME!

<p>A missed story Re "Hundreds join anti-war rally," Oct. 20: The Bee gave great coverage to the anti-war protest, but was silent about FreeRepublic.com's "Dump Davis" rally, which took place on the same day on the south steps of the Capitol.</p>

October 23, 2002, 9:00 a.m. By Bill Whalen SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Paul McCartney is touring California. So, too, are the Rolling Stones and Sheryl Crow. But what about the Republicans' rock star, George W. Bush? Will the president play here before Election Day? Is touching down in the nation's most populous state a good use of his time, or are there worthier venues for the current "W. Across America" campaign tour? These are tough questions. Unfortunately, California offers no easy answers. Common sense and conventional wisdom dictate that the president of the United States go out of his way —...

ONE IN AN OCCASIONAL SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS WITH CALIFORNIA VOTERS. IN THIS ARTICLE, BAY AREA DEMOC Voters say the governor just doesn't seem Democratic enough. By Mark Z. Barabak, Times Staff Writer OAKLAND -- Ask Mary Ann Boddum about the race for California governor and she goes on at length about Bill Simon Jr.: his inconsistent stands on issues, his questionable business practices, lack of personal integrity and bumbling campaign. "I just don't think he's suited for the job," Boddum said of the GOP gubernatorial nominee. She is scarcely more impressed with the Democratic incumbent, Gray Davis. He kowtows to...

California is found to lag most states in various measures of providing for its youth. By Carla Rivera, Times Staff Writer Despite high levels of wealth, California compares poorly with many other states in providing adequate education, health care and economic security for young children and their families, according to a study by the advocacy group Children Now. The annual California Report Card to be released today by the Oakland-based group found that the state ranked 33rd among states and the District of Columbia in public school expenditures per student, last in student/counselor ratio, had the third-highest rate of juveniles...

Latest infusion will pay for TV ads through election day. Candidate touts business acumen. By Matea Gold, Times Staff Writer Republican Bill Simon Jr. plans to lend his gubernatorial campaign up to $2 million this week to compete with Gov. Gray Davis in a last round of television advertising, the Republican candidate and one of his senior strategists said Tuesday. "Oh, I'll put a little more in," Simon told reporters after a speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council at a downtown hotel. "It will be enough to ensure that we're going to be up" on television through election...

But Cindy Simon won't talk the talk. The supporting player shies away from issues. By Nicholas Riccardi, Times Staff Writer San Diego -- Cindy Simon seems like a natural today, standing behind a podium in a posh ballroom, talking about business policies like workers' compensation reform and bashing Gov. Gray Davis. But a year ago, she had never made a political speech, and this group -- the Conservative Order for Good Government, open only to registered Republicans -- would not have had her as a member. Simon, a child of suburban Illinois and former Wall Street bond trader, was a...

From The Stanford Daily (the emphasis and color is MINE: Governor speaks in Palo AltoDemonstrators both for and against Davis rally outside the Technet Forum Katherine Liu Governor Gray Davis speaks during the Technet Forum at the Hyatt Rickeys Hotel last night. He discussed his political platform and emphasized recent successes in health care and education.[full size] By Brendan Marten World & Nation Editor Wednesday, October 23, 2002 last updated October 23, 2002 2:09 AM Gov. Gray Davis, Class of ’64, discussed his political platform — emphasizing his successes in education, labor and health care — in front of...

Sometimes, it's hard to believe your own eyes - especially when you are so often dismissed by the press. If they tell us there was a small but enthusiastic rally of freepers in Sacramento, who are we to argue? Even among people who believe they are conservatives, there seems to be an enormous amount of fear, uncertainty and doubt spread about the Simon campaign. And it is oh-so-easy to be "realistic" and "accept the inevitable" - but if we all behaved that way, well, we just wouldn't be Freepers, would we? So I would like to present a series of...

October 21, 2002, 9:00 a.m. Simon Can Still Win Seriously. By Bill Whalen Forget what you've read. Forget what you've heard. The governor's race in California isn't over. That's not the trendy thing to say here on the West Coast. For weeks now, reporters and pundits have built a funeral pyre for Bill Simon Jr., declaring his candidacy dead in the water, and waiting only for Election Night results before a final, fiery sendoff for the Republican challenger. And apparently there's not much love for Mr. Simon on the East Coast. Witness last week's comment by Rep. Tom Davis, chairman...

Did a Davis gay shill rain on Free Republic's Dump Davis Parade? The Bunker launches a preemptive strike From:  "thebunkernews" <TheBunker@crimewatch.us>Date:  Mon Oct 21, 2002  12:35 amSubject: Re: Saturday Rally draws criticism from Bill Simon Before anyone gives much thought to Rizo's article, consider his record: 1. He claimed to be a doctor fresh out of UC Davis Medical School! His own gay peers call him a thief, liar and con man. 2. He, ran a con game claiming to be a journalist with a detailed knowledge of current events and a claimed affiliation with Reuters, the respected international news service. No such...

Once again, we have proven that eGray Davis can RUN, but the cannot HIDE from FReepers, and their FRiends and......the "Chicken Man!"Over a DOZEN FReepers and our (soon-to-be-FReeper) FRiends joined with the ever-present "DEBATE Chicken" to FReep the elusive soon-to-be-EX-Governor of California as he tried to sneak into a United Farm Workers (UFW) rally at the Coachella Valley High School this afternoon. Once again there were MANY more not-yet-officially-registered-FReepers than there were actual FReepers.This is a GOOD thing!Pro-Simon "grassroots activism" is EXPLODING all across California, as MANY concerned citizens are responding to ANY notice - by e-mail or telephone -...

By Gregg Jones, Times Staff Writer Gov. Gray Davis continued his intense courtship of Latino voters Friday, touting his record before the nation's largest Hispanic business group and scooping up a handful of new endorsements from a constituency crucial to his reelection hopes on Nov. 5. In a speech before the annual convention of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles, Davis again made his case that California Latinos have benefited from his policies and appointments in the last four years. "We believe the Latino agenda is America's agenda," Davis told the business group. Salting his comments...

By Hugo Martin, Times Staff Writer In a television ad released this summer, Bill Simon Jr., the wealthy investment banker and Republican gubernatorial candidate, is seen shaking hands and chatting with runaway teenagers at a Hollywood shelter. Although the scene was staged to send a specific message -- meet the multimillionaire who feels compassion for the needy -- it was a familiar setting for Simon. Since he was a youngster, the 51-year-old businessman has volunteered at several shelters and clinics, including a stint at a hospital in Africa during college. He has also donated millions of dollars to charity through...

As the president joins other GOP candidates at rallies, his housing secretary stresses that the administration stands behind Simon. By Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writer SALINAS -- As Republican candidates in Missouri and Minnesota basked in the political embrace of President Bush on Friday, Bill Simon Jr. stumped in California lettuce country with a substitute: U.S. Housing Secretary Mel Martinez. "I bring you greetings from our president," Martinez told party loyalists eating huevos rancheros at Rosita's Mexican diner. Minutes later, Martinez said Bush's absence from California in the final weeks of the 2002 campaign should not be taken as a...

By Nicholas Riccardi, Times Staff Writer One in a series profiling Bill Simon Jr. and Gov. Gray Davis. The accidental candidacy of Bill Simon Jr. began in the fall of 2000, when Simon -- staring down his 50th birthday, recovering from his father's death, feeling a void in his life -- was hit up for a political donation by a state Republican official who offered up the requisite praise that fund-raisers use to lather up donors: Why don't you run? Three months later, a team of Sacramento consultants was cranking out glossy booklets featuring Simon's beaming visage and mapping out...