Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (462486)	9/21/2003 6:24:17 PM
From: Ish	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Lizzie, have you become unemployed?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (462486)	9/21/2003 6:28:41 PM
From: Kevin Rose	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Yes, the Bush administration is in denial about a LOT. Economy, Iraq, terror, environment, integrity, etc etc. However, do not underestimate the power of the right wing media. FOX + Hate Radio + $170 million war chest adds up to a lot of innuendo and half-truths. Bush can afford to stand seemingly above the fray and let the Coulters, Hannitys, Savages, and FOX robots toss the grenades. It will be a dirty campaign from the Republicans, I suspect.

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (462486)	9/21/2003 7:05:16 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 769667

JIM BOREN: In a perfect world, Gruener would be front-runner ______________________________________________ The Fresno Bee Last Updated 5:54 p.m. PDT Saturday, September 20, 2003 (SMW) - When it comes to assessing the seriousness of candidates in this wacky recall election, the general rule is that if you don't know their names, file them under the dozens of flakes running for governor. So when a pushy representative for Democratic candidate Garrett Gruener called the other day to set up an interview, the flake meter began spinning out of control. But I quickly discovered that Gruener's lack of political traction says more about the faulty anointment of candidates by the news business than it does about the quality of his candidacy. Gruener, who doesn't register on the public opinion polls, is anything but a crackpot looking for publicity to feed his ego in this bizarre year of politics. He offers thoughtful solutions to the state's most critical problems, and has personal wealth that may be his only vehicle to get his name before California voters. Instead of lumping him in with the watermelon-smashing Gallagher, adult film actress Mary Carey and the other oddballs running for governor, he should be considered in the same tier of candidates as Cruz Bustamante, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom McClintock and Arianna Huffington. Unfortunately, the political press has already determined the "serious candidates" and Gruener didn't make the list. That means he won't appear in the televised debates and most voters won't be able to compare him with the top-tier candidates in a side-by-side setting. That will make it will be difficult for Gruener to break out - even with ideas that overshadow the well-rehearsed prattle coming from the front-runners. At a time when the future of California should be discussed, Bustamante, Schwarzenegger and McClintock offer sound bites vetted by their handlers. Huffington, a legitimate outsider, does offer some interesting ideas, but they are not in the mainstream of the state's political thought, and that makes her unelectable. But Gruener, 49, a venture capitalist from Oakland, offers proposals that many voters could embrace if only he had the high-profile platform that the front-runners are making their pitches. Gruener cofounded the popular search engine Ask Jeeves and several other companies in the high-tech world. He understands finances and innovation, and how they can be leveraged in state government. That expertise is in extreme short supply in a California political system run by special interests. During a visit to The Bee last week, Gruener laid out campaign themes that first put the state on firm financial footing and then aim to return California to greatness. You can read his thoughts on these issues by going to Gruener's Web site: www.gg4g.com. He hopes to use the power of the Internet to bring millions of Californians to his movement. Gruener has already spent $750,000 on his campaign and will spend at least another $250,000. He detests the 30-second campaign advertisements, so he's running 15-second spots that direct voters to his Web site so they can read his in-depth proposals for fixing California government. He maintains that the state has unlimited potential, which can achieve the "world's strongest economy, the best schools, and the cleanest environment." But first, California's leaders need to "stop the bleeding" with a strategy that employs cuts to spending programs as well as tax increases. Gruener wants to roll back state spending to 1999 levels (adjusted for inflation), with only education exempted. That would reduce spending by $3 billion. He would raise state income taxes temporarily on the wealthy by increasing the top bracket from 9 percent to 11.3 percent. He would make the vehicle license fee more progressive. Someone driving a hybrid such as the Toyota Prius would pay less, he said, and someone driving a Hummer would pay substantially more. Gruener also supports closing a Proposition 13 loophole by reassessing commercial property at its market value, but he would not change the way the initiative treats homeowners on their residential property. Gruener said a quality education is crucial to California getting back on track, and he would challenge public schools in the state to be the best in the nation. Among his proposals is to give laptop computers to every student in grades 7 to 12, with the goal of putting them on the cutting edge of education and innovation. "The state has the strongest innovation economy in the world," Gruener says on his Web site. "We should expect our schools, the source of innovation, to be nothing less than the best. Unfortunately, California is near the bottom of the list as far as dollars spent per student." That must change, he said. In the end, Gruener's message is relatively simple: The state must invest in areas with high return and cut back on areas where excessive spending have shown little results. But while the message is simple, his plans to carry it out are extensive, and not dictated by campaign contributors. That sets him apart from the front-runners.