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Politics : Those Damned Democrat's -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (1082)	5/12/2003 11:18:16 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1604

Davis Recall Effort Gains Strength Tuesday, May 13, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO — With approval ratings in the basement and a $35 billion deficit, California Gov. Gray Davis faces the biggest challenge of his political career -- staving off a recall effort on a term that isn't set to expire until 2007. "He's been making some very unpopular decisions to do with the budget, but that's what you have to do when you're in a tough position, you make tough decisions," said Steve Magviglio, an adviser to Davis. That's not the way San Diego-area Rep. Darrel Issa sees it. "The governor, with the help of his staff, cooked the books," Issa said, referring to what many opponents say is Davis' failure to protect a $10 billion surplus he inherited and then squandered in his first term. Davis was re-elected last November, but his approval ratings have dropped since then to a record low 24 percent, according to an April Field Poll. Now, Issa is emerging as a possible candidate, pledging to raise $1 million for the recall effort. "The vast majority of this will come from business leaders who are [seeing] skyrocketing costs of doing business in California," he said. The drive to remove Davis is gaining momentum -- 10 percent of the needed signatures are in. Petitions carried by volunteers and people paid by recall committees are being circulated. And the recall groups are using a new political weapon -- the Internet. Rescuecalifornia.com and recallgraydavis.com are posting petitions. Downloaded, signed and submitted -- 900,000 signatures are needed to force a vote. The recall is actually a two-step process. There's a ballot question about removing Gray Davis and just below that is a list of candidates, who for a small fee can put their name on the ballot to become the next governor. Out of that list of potentially dozens of candidates, the winner takes all. This week, Issa may throw his hat into the ring to become the candidate. He recognizes, however, that recalling Davis is an uphill battle. "The chances of California having a governor whose name isn't Gray Davis are still pretty small," he said. Fox News political analyst Susan Estrich points out that while statewide recall efforts are difficult, the volatile California electorate could respond to a recognizable alternative. "Anything could happen, if [actor Arnold] Schwarzenegger puts his name on the ballot ---remember Jessie Ventura -- it's a whole new ballgame," she said. The recall groups admit that their goals are lofty -- three-fifths of respondents to the Field Poll said they would not sign a petition to recall Davis. Still, that leaves enough voters willing to recall Davis. Recall sponsors rate their chances at 50-50. And, they add, ending Davis' administration is 100 percent the right thing to do. Fox News' Donald Fair contributed to this report. URL:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,86687,00.html

To: calgal who wrote (1082)	5/18/2003 11:04:31 AM
From: Tadsamillionaire	Respond to of 1604

Sidney Blumenthal -- much-hated former Clinton aide, ethically challenged former journalist -- $850,000 advance in hand, has a new book out on May 20,attacking everyone who ever attacked him or the Clintons, rehearsing once again the old right-wing conspiracy, every attack on them, answered. The right wing conspiracy revived, answered, again. Hillary's book is next. Could someone please tell these people to shut up? The Democrats might have a chance of electing a new president if they could get the last one, and his defenders, to clear the stage. It doesn't matter if they're right or wrong. They should be history. The Clintons suck up every bit of the available air. Nothing is left for anyone else. They are big, too big. That's the problem. The 2004 candidates need a chance to get some attention, to rise to Clinton's level, which they'll never do so long as the likes of Sidney Blumenthal are playing into the hands of conservatives in insisting on debating the scandals of the 1990s. Don't get me wrong. No one spent more time defending Bill Clinton than I did. Too much, according to most of my friends. But in a constitutional crisis, there was no choice. Enough is enough. There's no excuse for a grown man to have an affair with an intern, whether his name is Bill Clinton or Jack Kennedy. What the former president did was wrong. It's bad enough that Fox has given Monica Lewinsky a talk show. Of all the hundreds of women who could help find Mr. Personality, the last one on earth who's earned the right to do it is the Queen of Blow Jobs of the 1990s. The Republicans shouldn't have impeached him for it, but he shouldn't have given them the ammunition. And we shouldn't still be discussing it. Why are we? Or, to put it more accurately, why are they? Not because it serves the interests of Democrats of the future. It doesn't help Howard Dean, or John Kerry, or Dick Gephardt. It makes George W. Bush look good. It gets Sidney on TV shows. If the issue is ethics, no one has less than Sidney Blumenthal. He used to call me, during the Dukakis campaign, which I was running and he was supposed to be covering, to offer covert advice, which if accepted might result in better coverage. Much later, when I criticized him, he tried to get me in trouble with my editors. All the while, I was defending his boss. That's Sidney. He's Hillary's best friend. No wonder Republicans are delighted to see his return to the spotlight. It raises money for their causes. The Bill and Bob (Dole) show on CBS has proven to be a colossal bore. The ratings have fallen. Is anyone getting the message? I fear not. Let's not mince words. Hillary Clinton is never going to be president of the United States. There is no more divisive figure in the Democratic Party, much less the country, than the former first lady. And I like her. But many women don't. Even Democratic women. Even working women. Not to mention non-working, independent, non-political women. She can be a great senator. She's smart,hard working and effective. She is much respected among her peers. But the more people talk about her as a future president, the more money Republicans raise. The more people talk about her as a future president, the less attention the current candidates, who might win, receive. Revisiting the scandals of the past does no service to the Democrats of the future. Bill Clinton is a brilliant man. But the more attention he gets, the more the Democrats of the future suffer. He would be the first to say this, if it weren't about him. Enough with the Clintons. Please. Not for the sake of the Republicans. But for the Democrats ... To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. creators.com