tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56340972011-05-26T16:46:30.330-07:00The Condor: California RecallThis is a foray into the wilds of California's first-ever gubernatorial recall election. It will leave the usual, mundane coverage of the campaign to the media's finest and, instead, pick over the carcass. Your comments or questions are invited and will be posted in edited form if they are sufficiently interesting, regardless of whether they agree with the Condor. Please send them to <a href="mailto:mrcondor2003@yahoo.com">mrcondor2003@yahoo.com</a>. California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comBlogger781100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1065803398098178062003-10-10T09:29:00.000-07:002005-01-09T01:12:42.970-08:00Condor Recall Blog in Suspension
This blog on the California recall has been suspended. For unknown reasons, the dates on the items are incorrect. For additional information, you can reach David Jensen, producer of the blog, at mrcondor2003@yahoo.com. Thank you.California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1065690080233783522003-10-09T02:01:00.000-07:002003-10-09T02:20:07.336-07:00
The Cream Is In Motion
Arnold's successful candidacy and the first ever recall of a California governor have set the stage for a 10X transformation of California politics, one that will ripple across the nation.
What is a 10X change? It is the alteration that turns cream into butter. If you stir water rapidly, it goes faster but it still remains water. But if you stir cream fast enough, it California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1065590276492905122003-10-07T22:17:00.000-07:002003-10-07T23:09:21.983-07:00
An Introduction for the New Governor
Arnold the Vulgarian meet John the Pro Tem. You are moving into John Burton's neighborhood, but do not expect John to be leading the welcome wagon.
Forgive my rudeness. Now that you are the new CEO for California, we should refer to you as Arnold the Conqueror. Certainly more fitting than Governor Groper, a term that should tell you that the groping California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1065513028364697462003-10-07T00:50:00.000-07:002003-10-07T22:19:58.693-07:00
The Trick Has Been Turned
Arnold will win today's election, boosted to victory by a complex and poorly designed ballot and the peccadilloes of former President Clinton.
Let's take presidential matters first. In 1992, when Clinton was first elected president, the public simply would not have tolerated a major candidate with 15 reasonably credible women saying he had groped them or worse. But California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1065426533206032012003-10-06T00:48:00.000-07:002003-10-07T00:48:24.320-07:00
The Nation's No. 1 Political Soap Opera
A yapping pack of reporters chase the mysterious "woman in red" down the streets of Modesto. Commentators talk of "groping and goose-stepping." Google News shows 1,800 references to Hitler -- a number generated only because it is connected to Arnold. It's California politics today, taken to a nearly surreal level.
And it's all part of the nation's California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1065256486838616702003-10-04T01:34:00.000-07:002003-10-04T01:59:27.946-07:00
The Feeding Frenzy, Governor Groper and Gorman
Arnold is trying to shake off the groping allegations, but they seem attached to him like so many leeches. The blood letting will continue until Team Arnold can find another target for the media.
The big question about the sexual harassment charges was whether they would stick and become a major issue. Even some Democrats were saying the initialCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1065167282030923972003-10-03T00:48:00.000-07:002003-10-03T01:11:28.040-07:00
Groping For an Answer
Will the Charges Stick?
Who would have thought that former President Clinton would turn out to be Arnold's biggest campaign asset? In fact, Davis might want to scrub any plans to have Clinton campaign for him this weekend.
If President Clinton had not inured the public to sleazy sexuality in high office, the groping charges against the Arnold would have killed his California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1065082003425408942003-10-02T01:06:00.000-07:002003-10-02T01:19:36.853-07:00
Arnold's 100-Day Wish List
Time for a Reality Check
October First was Fantasy Day for Arnold. He made his inaugural address as governor in Sacramento but the election was still six days away.
Arnold is a man whose livelihood is imaginary events, so it is not unexpected that he would deliver his inaugural address ahead of the election. It is also probably good campaigning on his part. The onlyCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064990784987194662003-09-30T23:46:00.000-07:002003-10-02T01:07:48.736-07:00
Latinos Could Be Hidden Bonus in Recall
Where are the Latinos -- the largest population segment in California -- in this election? The conventional polls don't tell us much; their results are all over the place. But one little noticed poll suggests Latinos could play a definitive role in the outcome.
The conventional pollsters are squabbling among themselves because of the hugely contradictoryCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064903733886555342003-09-30T00:02:00.000-07:002003-09-30T00:02:31.653-07:00
Time for a New Truth-Telling Standard
Where are the brave hearts of the press in this campaign who claim to "afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted?" They are nowhere in sight, at least on the important issue of the tax burden on the California poor.
It's not like it hasn't been presented to them. But newsies sometimes seem to find greater pleasure in reporting campaign gamesmanshipCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064820073632583872003-09-29T00:21:00.000-07:002003-09-29T00:34:57.770-07:00
An Inside Look at the Bellwether County
If you are keen on knowing who will win the election next week, keep a sharp eye on the Imperial Valley -- if you know where it is.
Located in the only sub-sea level corner of California, it is a place of almost no rain but it has mud holidays. The opening of dove hunting season is nearly a holiday. And red-tag Levis are still the favored trousers.
As California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064558379117140402003-09-25T23:39:00.000-07:002003-09-26T01:55:51.566-07:00
The California Sunset
Picture It Gone
The recall debates are over, for all practical purposes. Now we settle down to seeing what big money can do to with direct mail and TV advertising. Mailers are already dropping into voter households. Candidates are stepping up their TV ad schedules as the election day approaches.
And it may be that the best mailer wins.
This week's debate was pretty muchCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064465676963280922003-09-24T21:54:00.000-07:002003-09-24T21:59:52.693-07:00
Histrionics and Bluster
But Candidates Fail to Rise Above Expectations
Gray won. Nobody emerged as a leader from the pack of five. Few voters changed their minds.
There were plenty of histrionics, the new art form of politics, an outgrowth of TV political news shows in which supposedly intelligent people try to outshout each other. Some viewers found the display entertaining, others found it California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064438365236653302003-09-24T14:19:00.000-07:002003-09-24T14:22:51.040-07:00
Recall's Most Imaginative Use of Technology
Dan Weintraub of The Sacramento Bee has posted an item on how Garrett Gruener is going to piggyback electronically on the campaign debate tonight.
So all you true geeky policy wonks are going to have to put your TV and computer side by side if you want to see all the action live. If you missed who Gruener is, he is a tech venture capitalist with a California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064378943676640722003-09-23T21:49:00.000-07:002003-09-23T22:19:47.833-07:00
A Preview of Arnold's Administration
Not a Pretty Sight
What kind of governor would Arnold really be? A question difficult to answer. But we do have some inklings based on a report last week.
In short, he would be a spendthrift with a slow-moving and bureaucratic administration. It would have more than its share of backstabbers eager to grab the money and run.
The clues came in a Los AngelesCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064346890440774842003-09-23T12:54:00.000-07:002003-09-23T13:15:44.553-07:00
Remember Tony Hope?
McClintock Does
Now that the dog's lunch of legalities is over, Team Arnold can renew its focus on Job One -- pushing McClintock out of the race.
They may have gotten an assist from Darrell Issa, whose millions put the recall on the ballot. Issa dropped out of the recall race, knowing that he had no chance of getting elected. On Monday Sept. 22 in San Francisco, he California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064295002925804932003-09-22T22:30:00.000-07:002003-09-22T23:39:19.560-07:00
The Dark Side of Mr. Sunshine
Just as Arnold announced his support of some fine policies that would open up government to more public scrutiny and understanding, he fouled himself.
On Saturday newspapers carried stories about his support of expanding the public's right to know more about the internal workings of the Legislature and the governor's office itself. But, on the same day, the LA California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1064191879783371712003-09-21T17:51:00.000-07:002003-09-21T21:00:31.706-07:00
Mini-Flap over Bee Blog
A baby brouhaha has sprung up around the highly regarded and well-read political weblog by Dan Weintraub on The Sacramento Bee's web site, sacbee.com.
Fellow political blogster Mickey Kaus, who writes for Slate on MSN, says that The Bee "apparently caved" to complaints from the Latino Caucus of the Legislature concerning remarks by Weintraub.
"So now readers of California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063957131858670502003-09-19T00:38:00.000-07:002003-09-19T01:26:23.306-07:00
Replacement Four Eye Boob Tube Boycott
It's a first. Gubernatorial candidates declare they do not want their mugs on TV. What next? Flying pigs?
Okay, that's a modest exaggeration. But most of the major candidates to replace Gray Davis are considering boycotting a bigtime opportunity to peddle their political wares on TV. The replacement candidates --minus Arnold -- are irritated that the California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063939871394017322003-09-18T19:51:00.000-07:002003-09-18T23:10:29.566-07:00
Go, George, Go
George Will provided an inspiration to us all in his column Thursday Sept. 18 in the Washington Post. He used the court doings to launch a wide-ranging and readable commentary. Here are a few highlights:
On Arnold: ."An already stale novelty."
On McClintock: "An incurably unflamboyant person" determined to summon California "up from infantilism."
On Bustamante: "Blazingly California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063857368232450712003-09-17T20:56:00.000-07:002003-09-17T20:56:07.630-07:00
Stop the Nonsense about Illegal Immigration
It's about the free market place. It is prosperity vs. poverty. And it is as unstoppable as the ebb and flow of the sea.
But once again, the tens of thousands of Mexicans who illegally enter the state each year are becoming a hot topic in California politics. Recall fever has caused the delirium.
Illegal immigration is a phony issue and plays to theCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063776074454060852003-09-16T22:21:00.000-07:002003-09-16T22:23:29.493-07:00
First Presidential Pique
Now Democratic Dismay
Golly guys, you should be glad for the relief. But no, at least some Democratic presidential types are peeved that they can't break through the California barrier.
The recall election is laying a something of a blanket on the fires of Democratic presidential aspirants, according to the New York Times on Wednesday.
In a piece by Adam Nagourney, California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063772588877502092003-09-16T21:23:00.000-07:002003-09-16T21:46:04.973-07:00
Sausages and Polls
"LA Times Poll Scandal?" the headline screams. Results seem to be tainted at the hands of politically correct editors at the newspaper. So goes Mickey Kaus' web log on the differences between the Field and the Los Angeles Times polls.
They are five points apart on whether voters favor the recall, among other differences. In a very unusual move, The Field Poll fired off its California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063692780080902922003-09-15T23:13:00.000-07:002003-09-15T23:20:56.916-07:00
The Politics of Higgely-Piggely
The next few days in the recall campaign are going to be pretty goofy in the wake of the court decision. It's all up in the air, but the play must go on. It's sort of like those challenges in professional football. Everything stops while men in funny outfits re-examine the issues. But in this case, the players still have to carry on -- not knowing for sure California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063606697814982462003-09-14T23:18:00.000-07:002003-09-15T00:13:34.770-07:00
The McClintock Matter:
Arnold's Big Test
Arnold's biggest leadership test is upon him, and he is not yet even governor. The challenge is to remove one of the key stumbling blocks to becoming governor -- Tom McClintock. How Arnold handles the matter will tell a lot about how he would govern -- far more than any number of position papers or debates.
As readers of this web log know, the main California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063598968375299832003-09-14T21:09:00.000-07:002003-09-14T21:09:28.400-07:00
A Great Tidbit
Dan Weintraub has a wonderful item from Clinton's speech in Los Angeles supporting Gray Davis. As of this writing Sunday night it had not appeared in either The AP or Reuters stories. It is the kind of comment that rarely gets reported in daily coverage by reporters focused on "news."
The bottom line on the item is that after Gray Davis left Jerry Brown as his chief of staff California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063493090633575412003-09-13T15:44:00.000-07:002003-09-13T15:45:35.623-07:00
What About Me?
So what does George Bush really think about California's recall election. Well, it turns out that he is a little miffed.
Writing in the October issue of Harper's magazine, Lewis Lapham reported about how Bush was surprised at a news conference Aug. 13 by the temerity of a reporter who said the California recall was the biggest political story in the country.
Here is the California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063431468063442282003-09-12T22:37:00.000-07:002003-09-15T00:07:07.913-07:00
Poorly Designed Ballot:
Some Voters Will Be Confused,
Davis Penalized
It's the usual morning chaos on Oct. 7. You are rushing to take the kids to school and then speed off to work. But this morning, you also want to vote in the recall election. It won't take long.
Zip into the polling place, grab the ballot. Top item is Gray Davis -- yes or no. You vote yes, because you think the recall is a California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063353617160934862003-09-12T01:00:00.000-07:002003-09-12T01:19:42.943-07:00
Good News for Gray
Bad News for Arnold
And Then There is Mom Feinstein
You can almost hear the cheers of joy and cries of confusion from the corner office of the state Capitol. The recall election is a toss-up, according to the latest poll from the Los Angeles Times.
A few weeks ago, even Democrats were rather unkindly calling Gov. Gray Davis road kill. But now, The Times reports for California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063346792965366732003-09-11T23:06:00.000-07:002003-09-12T00:54:25.040-07:00
Sifting the Web Entrails
How Many are Reading What?
While sacbee.com readers may seem to be showing a relatively low interest in the recall election, the Rough and Tumble California political site chalked up its busiest month in 2003.
Rough and Tumble has become a staple for those who follow political and governmental news in California. Every day, it offers a synopsis with links to such news California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063341041614524342003-09-11T21:30:00.000-07:002003-09-11T23:59:43.346-07:00
Arnold Running Strong with Latinos
A new poll is out on the recall election, and Arnold is whomping Bustamante in this one, 40 percent to 28 percent. Moreover, Arnold performs strongly among Hispanics, narrowly trailing Bustamante, 37 percent to 40 percent.
That is very bad news for the lieutenant governor, if the figures are valid and continue to hold. It means that the Prop. 187 vote by California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063339228154755712003-09-11T21:00:00.000-07:002003-09-12T00:03:29.523-07:00
Beware, Beware
An Advisory for Those Who Write to the Condor
This web log is very interested in comments from its readers, pro or con. We have a note to the side of this page that invites readers to comment via email and promises to publish their remarks.
But we have a misunderstanding about the publication of email concerning the contents of this web log.
So to make everything perfectly California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063248744750857042003-09-10T19:52:00.000-07:002003-09-10T22:15:10.030-07:00
Reality Check for Web Monkeys
...And Their Print Cousins
California's recall election by general consensus seems to be generating renewed interest in politics but there is at least one caveat to that conventional wisdom.
The case in point is sacbee.com, which reports that the recall election accounted for only 3.5 percent of all page views on its site during August.
That figure seems to fly California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063183645834364582003-09-10T01:47:00.000-07:002003-09-10T01:54:21.670-07:00
Best Web site for Recall News?
Here is One, Slightly Flawed Answer
What California news outlet produces the best Web coverage of the recall election? The verdict is in -- at least from the Online Journalism Review.
But it seems that the OJR missed one tremendously important criteria in its awards -- just how fast the sites jump on breaking news.
Mark Glaser wrote the Sept. 9 piece on web California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1063087162498043552003-09-08T22:59:00.000-07:002003-09-08T23:07:07.740-07:00
Prepare for Political Cannibalism
In the next week or two, we are going to find out whether it is true that Republicans eat their young. The victim in this case is likely to be State Sen. McClintock.
The reason is that Monday's Field Poll shows Arnold losing to Bustamante, 30 percent to 25 percent, with McClintock (13 percent) in the race. With McClintock out, it is nearly a dead heat (given California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062745268815927502003-09-05T00:01:00.000-07:002003-09-05T00:48:32.520-07:00
Goo-Goo Rules
Campaign Debates
And an Honest Answer to the Budget Mess
In a bit of refreshing candor, a print pundit has confessed that political campaign debates have little or no value.
Most political reporters and columnists flog the virtues of political debates as if they were some sort of political grail. If only we had enough debates, the cry is heard, the voters could make good choicesCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062649585036084242003-09-03T21:26:00.000-07:002003-09-03T21:44:01.323-07:00
Campaign Debates:
Let's Lower Our Expectations
Campaign debates are one of the sacred cows of politics. Their history is part of the American political myth. The great Abe Lincoln cut his political teeth during one such face-off, according to legend. Debates signify good government and good politics. Today they are necessary rituals that must be performed by most candidates.
But do they reallyCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062626381722421802003-09-03T14:59:00.000-07:002003-09-03T21:49:59.660-07:00
Movies By Night
If we are to take Arnold at his word, four weeks ago he regarded the governor's job as a part-time position.
The Republican candidate made the statement in an article in The Wave, a weekly, free entertainment magazine in the Bay Area with an estimated 400,000-plus readers. The comment was published in the Aug. 7 issue in an interview with film critic Fred Topel prior to the California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062492040378405482003-09-02T01:40:00.000-07:002003-09-03T14:54:27.456-07:00
The Leadership Question
An Expert View
It's been a whirlygig world of Hollywood and Indians so far in the recall campaign. The gamut has ranged from group sex to mammoth campaign contributions. The noise has suppressed the central issue in the campaign -- leadership.
As we pointed out on Aug. 20, the best 10-point plan in the world to solve the budget crisis is not going to keep Davis in California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062489219965617022003-09-02T00:53:00.000-07:002003-09-02T01:05:12.916-07:00
Cruz Tries to Lock Down Latinos
Cruz Bustamante has the chance of a lifetime -- a chance to be elected governor of the largest state in the union. It is probably his only chance, unless he possesses Nixonian resilency.
Given that, Bustamante must make every effort and use every tool at his disposal. And that especially means locking down his built-in constituency -- Latinos.
Arnold is the California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062222439393165392003-08-29T22:47:00.000-07:002003-08-29T22:53:33.176-07:00
Never Assume!
Pigs Do Fly
Never assume. Never assume. Never assume. Yours truly did, and I am very embarrassed.
I assumed the Peter King column on the Gray Davis site was legitimately posted by the Davis campaign. It was not. The Davis campaign has now removed it from its site.
As it turns out, King's column is being done for the Los Angeles Times. The Davis campaign apparently lifted it California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062116507897560692003-08-28T17:21:00.000-07:002003-08-28T17:27:45.430-07:00
One Day Pigs Will Fly
An odd thing happened the other day on Gray Davis' campaign web site. It mounted an in-house columnist.
Peter H. King, former prize-winning writer and columnist for the Los Angeles Times and The Sacramento Bee, began a twice weekly column, which will apparently appear only on the Davis website.
Here are the last two paragraphs of his first column on Wednesday Aug. 27, California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062052625993090022003-08-27T23:37:00.000-07:002003-08-27T23:40:29.376-07:00
Persistent and Cunning
But Not Good Enough to be Governor
The conservative bible, the National Review magazine, says Arnold is unworthy.
An editorial in the Sept. 1 issue "alleges" that Arnold "appears to be simply a liberal Republican."
Here is the key paragraph:
"Schwarzenegger's Tonight Show campaign announcement brought the recall to a boil, but Schwarzenegger, it seems clear, does not California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1062048706501023232003-08-27T22:31:00.000-07:002003-08-27T22:34:58.053-07:00
First Scared, Now Rattled
Richie Ross, the guiding light for Cruz Bustamante, must think he has the Terminator by the tail.
Earlier this week, Ross taunted Arnold for being a "scaredy cat" for not agreeing to debate. In an article Wednesday by Mark Simon in the San Francisco Chronicle, Ross continued in that vein.
Of the candidate whose screen persona is never at a loss, Ross said, "They gotCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061945667400438232003-08-26T17:54:00.000-07:002003-08-26T17:59:16.796-07:00
Should Arnold Debate?
It comes down to a matter of winning elections or, perhaps, pandering to the media's need for a "debate."
That's the basic choice that Arnold has to make concerning participation in these so-called debates. So-called because they are usually nothing more than question-and-answer sessions that do not allow the candidates to use their wits directly on each other.
Quite California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061871466556928842003-08-25T21:17:00.000-07:002003-08-25T21:23:14.816-07:00
Readers Write
State Not Suffering More Than Rest of Nation
From Dan Walters, political columnist for The Sacramento Bee, on the item Aug. 22 on charges that California is losing jobs.
"Actually, the data indicate Cal got hit a bit less than the rest of the nation. But my main point: You're correct about marginal, at most, influence of governors on state economy but by same token, they invite California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061786259535942812003-08-24T21:37:00.000-07:002003-08-25T00:08:47.613-07:00
Oracles, Entrails and Polls
Political junkies like nothing more than a new poll with startling results. They squeeze it, play with it, dissect it and sift through its entrails, attempting to divine its hidden meaning.
And so it is with the Los Angeles Times poll which showed Bustamante well ahead of the Arnold and only 50 percent of voters favoring the recall of Gray Davis. Both results California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061588371943704102003-08-22T14:39:00.000-07:002003-08-23T21:56:50.133-07:00
Time for economic spoon-feeding?
There has been a lot of hoo-ha in the campaign about businesses fleeing California, with the implication that Gray Davis is responsible for the alleged departures.
Yes, businesses do leave the state regularly. They fail regularly. And they do come into the state regularly. But are more leaving now because of government regulation or laws? Nobody really knows.
California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061514411800523422003-08-21T18:06:00.000-07:002003-08-21T18:10:06.340-07:00
Checking green cards at the door
Call it a bit of a tin ear. That may be the kindest construction. But Team Arnold is making it abundantly clear on its web site that it does not want campaign contributions from "foreign nationals."
If you visit Arnold's website and click on the red "contribute now" button, you find yourself on a page with the following language:
"Foreign nationals are California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061441399204779842003-08-20T21:49:00.000-07:002003-08-20T22:08:17.263-07:00
Recall: The Fundamental Issue
The recall election is not about the budget fiasco. It is not about taxes. It is not about Prop. 187. It is not about Arnold's pecadillos or his dazzling wealth. It is not about political fundraising by Gray Davis.
It is about leadership. More accurately, it is about what voters perceive as leadership. On Oct. 7, they are going to decide whether Gray Davis remainsCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061359818083035102003-08-19T23:10:00.000-07:002003-08-19T23:41:03.420-07:00Univision Anchor Rails at Arnold
JUSIPER, the political news web log, thinks that the Prop. 187/Arnold story has very long legs. As evidence, Suni, one of the co-hosts of the blog, cites a piece Aug. 20 on the Univision web site by Jorge Ramos. Suni says Ramos is possibly the best-known TV anchor on Spanish language television. Suni described the Ramos article as "stunning in its rage and reach"California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061357013045728422003-08-19T22:23:00.000-07:002003-08-19T22:32:34.786-07:00
Chapter 2 of Latino Media Studies
Or Things Look Different in Different Neighborhoods
California's English-language newspapers don't seem to get it. The way they work is not the way every newspaper works.
The case in point is the coverage of the recall campaign. As pointed out in this web log last week, the Spanish language media in California are covering it differently than the Anglo pressCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061341548881509892003-08-19T18:05:00.000-07:002003-08-19T22:48:13.840-07:00Davis attacks thieving Republicans
It was no Checkers speech -- the TV talk that saved Nixon's career in the 1950s. But for Gray Davis, it was a strong effort. He sounded two themes which are certainly to be repeatedly endlessly during the campaign: The recall is a "right wing power grab," another effort by Republicans to steal elections they cannot win. And Prop. 54 is a Republican effort to California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061269451847788652003-08-18T22:04:00.000-07:002003-08-18T22:54:17.790-07:00Would You Buy a Business Plan From This Man?
Venture Capitalist Offers Himself Up Publicly
"The most aggressive Internet campaign of all time" is promised by one recall candidate who might be actually be able to fulfill such a vow.
At least he has a grasp of the full wonders of the Web. The candidate is Garrett Gruener, co-founder and chairman of the Internet search engine Ask Jeeves of California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1061243369936608442003-08-18T14:49:00.000-07:002003-08-18T14:52:50.610-07:00
Does this story have legs?
And how long are they?
Arnold's vote for Prop. 187 was a top story in the recall election for a brief period last week. But now it has slipped below the horizon.
Which may have been the intention of Team Arnold all along. If you have a skeptical bent, you might think that Team Arnold knew the liability that the vote posed. The last thing you would want is to have theCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060927211369956982003-08-14T23:00:00.000-07:002003-08-14T23:06:39.816-07:00Readers Write
Don't Feed the Pander Bears
This comes in from Joe Armendariz, executive director of the Santa Barbara Industrial Association and Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association, who even writes his own headlines (see above):
"So Arnold is coming under fire by the Democratic Party's top Latino racebaiter, Art Torres, for his support of Proposition 187. For those who don't remember theCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060843780155854962003-08-13T23:49:00.000-07:002003-08-14T00:04:39.470-07:00Readers Write
Arnold: An East Coast Perspective
JUSIPER has added more recall news from Univision, the Spanish language TV network, to its site. Sini, one of JUSIPER's chief bloggers, also sent along the following: "I am beginning to think (Michael) Tomasky could be right about this one (http://www.prospect.org/print-friendly/webfeatures/2003/08/tomasky-m-08-13.html">see article). If Arnold California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060840972711264062003-08-13T23:02:00.000-07:002003-08-13T23:10:06.066-07:00Here Are Arnold's Positions
Arnold's ace staff -- dubbed Team Arnold -- can stop trying to conjure up position papers for their candidate.
Reporter Doug Smith and researcher Robin Mayper of the Los Angeles Times have reviewed 10 years of interviews with Arnold. Their report Tuesday Aug. 12 on his views covers everything from sex to his personal drug use, including smoking cigars. Smith wrote, California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060840122700593692003-08-13T22:48:00.000-07:002003-08-13T22:53:21.753-07:00A Minority Affair
Or How You Can Lose by Voting
Let's assume that Gray Davis is recalled and voters have a chance to choose his replacement. Will the winner reflect the will of the people?
The answer: No.
Whether the ultimate winner of the replacement race is Arnold or Arianna or Angelyne, his or her victory will be a minority affair. "Picking a winner means accepting someone a majority of California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060835909482141912003-08-13T21:38:00.000-07:002003-08-13T21:44:46.830-07:00How Kennerly Did It
Photographer David Kennerly gained super access to Arnold last week, resulting in a fine set of photos that accompanied Newsweek's cover story. He appears to have been the only newsie to have such access.
"How did you do it?" the Condor asked the Pulitzer Prize winner, promising to share the information with his fans and readers of this web log. Here is a slightly edited California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060750525075748562003-08-12T21:55:00.000-07:002003-08-14T00:04:04.533-07:00Latino media whacking Arnold
It's not pretty. Terms like xenophobic, anti-immigrant and unimaginable stupidity are being bandied about.
It's a little of what is going on in the Spanish language media about Arnold's vote for Prop. 187 and his links to former Gov. Pete Wilson, who was the chief sponsor of the now overturned initiative.
La Opinion in Los Angeles is the largest Spanish language California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060738437856938312003-08-12T18:33:00.000-07:002003-08-12T19:16:29.843-07:00Running in front
Arnold Steinberg, a Republican pollster writing on the National Review's web site, has a fascinating analysis of the recall election. His bottom line is that Bustamante wins if the major Republican candidates run strong campaigns. Dan Walters, political columnist for The Sacramento Bee, pointed out today that Arnold is running what Hollywood would call a high-concept campaign. California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060665498616345392003-08-11T22:18:00.000-07:002003-08-11T22:32:20.963-07:00San Jose Merc Got It Right
The lead story on the front page of the San Jose Mercury News(newstand edition) carried a whopping headline Monday morning telling its readers that the immigration issue is now in play.
While many of the other papers around the state seemed to bury Arnold's admission that he voted for Prop. 187, the Merc's story by Laura Kurtzman had the right focus. It noted that California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060581923111821642003-08-10T23:05:00.000-07:002003-08-11T01:05:27.533-07:00Whoops. Big-time Arnold fumble
Prop. 187 from 1994 is still remembered in the Hispanic community as an expression of distaste and perhaps hatred of Latinos. The measure is widely attributed to be the basis for a significant shift among California Latinos to Democratic candidates. Former Gov. Pete Wilson and Republicans were its ardent backers. On Sunday, an Associated Press story by Sandra California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060577760995578702003-08-10T21:56:00.000-07:002003-08-10T22:23:59.500-07:00Time whomps Newsweek
Both Time and Newsweek star Arnold on their covers this week, along with nicely done stories and sidebars about the campaign. But between these two ferocious competitors, Time is clearly the winner this week. Its story by Karen Tumulty and Terry McCarthy was zippier, focusing quickly on the startlingly nature of Arnold’s disclosure. By contrast, the first name mentioned in California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060547386604172162003-08-10T13:29:00.000-07:002003-08-10T13:38:58.506-07:00What happens if Gray resigns?
Let’s say that Gray Davis is impossibly behind in the polls come three days before the election. He decides that the best thing to do is resign, making Lt. Gov. Bustamante governor. Does that make the election moot, since the person being recalled is no longer in office? Does all the money spent by Arnold go down the tube and Bustamente continue in office? Dan California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060495250671719962003-08-09T23:00:00.000-07:002003-08-09T23:01:29.790-07:00Is the Terminator a good investment?
Can Republicans take Arnold to the bank like Ronald Reagan? Even if he is elected as governor, his career is likely to be terminated before he reaches higher office. There is no chance he could run for president. The US Constitution requires candidates for the presidency to be "natural born citizens." Arnold, who is a naturalized citizen, was born in Europe California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060402831031440342003-08-08T21:20:00.000-07:002003-08-08T21:28:50.243-07:00Terminator Targets Free Air Time
California television stations traditionally have covered turtle races over budget battles and fender benders over campaigns for governor. But now that there is a genuine Tinseltown hero running for office, that could change. Peter Nicholas and Megan Garvey wrote about the issue in the Los Angeles Times on Friday. They quoted Sean Walsh, an aide to Arnold, as California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060300120756772942003-08-07T16:48:00.000-07:002003-08-12T19:33:22.700-07:00Arnie is big with Latinos
It will take a a few days before we hear about the private polls involving the replacement candidates. But the most recent Field Poll in late July showed Arnold running very strong in a small field of candidates -- No. 2 to Riordan. More significantly, Arnold was the strongest candidate among Latinos in the No. 1 Hispanic state in the nation, which has more than 31 California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060235635392908782003-08-06T22:53:00.000-07:002003-08-07T00:20:55.016-07:00Who‘s next? Miss Piggy?"
California’s major Internet news sites were not “fiddling, fumbling and failing” Wednesday when the Terminator announced his candidacy in a classic show business move.
From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. they were busy cramming news and photos onto their sites as the surprising announcement was made. Surprising because the conventional wisdom was that he was going to bow out. (That’California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060148857321319192003-08-05T22:47:00.000-07:002003-08-05T22:48:48.656-07:00Bad news for “Taxifornia”
Given the more than one million folks who signed petitions to oust Gray Davis, there are probably at least hundreds of thousands who think that his recall will mean no new taxes for the state. But The Wall Street Journal had bad news for those folks Monday. It came in the form of a column, headlined “Taxifornia” by Tim Ferguson, executive editor of Forbes, the CapitalistCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060145178354362422003-08-05T21:46:00.000-07:002003-08-05T21:48:16.223-07:00The readers write
A mistake in the recall betting story
Hal Varian, a UC Berkeley business professor who appeared in an item July 31 on betting on the recall election, wrote: “I think there is a typo on your blog. The tradesports traders think that the probability Davis will be in office at the end of Sept is above 90%. However, the probability he will be in office by the end of December is California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1060058967014840162003-08-04T21:49:00.000-07:002003-08-04T22:08:21.600-07:00A caveat to the chorus
We all can hear them -- the drums of defeat.They all tell us Gray is a goner. The last blow is falling as his fellow Democrats abandon their nominal leader. Check any news website or newspaper in the last few days. The chorus is loud and nearly unanimous.
“I get the impression that all hell is breaking loose in Democratic ranks today,” Dan Weintraub reported Monday in California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1059895828229123162003-08-03T00:30:00.000-07:002003-08-03T00:46:18.533-07:00“Trash” talk from state‘s top lawdog
“You trashy puke,” I was saying to myself as my daughter entered the backdoor of her house, wearing her carpenter’s tool belt and carrying a hammer the size of a hand ax.
Karen eyed me warily and warned, “The state attorney general may be able to get away with that kind of talk but not in my house.”
No stranger to rough talk with her years of experience California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1059890973138066442003-08-02T23:09:00.000-07:002003-08-02T23:19:24.343-07:00The 40-cent Quandary
On the surface, it appears to be only a difference of 40 cents, considerably less than your usual cup of coffee. But then again it could be more than half-a-million dollars. It all depends on which paper you read.
Both the Los Angeles Times and The Sacramento Bee on Friday attempted to answer the question of how much the recall effort paid to gather each signature on its California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1059805341574453782003-08-01T23:22:00.000-07:002003-08-01T23:23:54.710-07:00Perversion and the million dollar question
Is California's recall election a "nearly unprecedented perversion of representative democracy?" Harsh words, but at least David Broder, political columnist for the Washington Post, thinks so. In a column, Million Dollar Recall, published July 30, Broder laid out the background for the election in a straight-forward manner, not mincingCalifornia Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1059717357765594122003-07-31T22:55:00.000-07:002003-08-01T00:20:51.956-07:00Here's a trail guide to recall stories
If you need help keeping track of the recall news, take a look at Rough & Tumble, a Sacramento-based website. It was where the Condor found a link to the Reuters item on the futures market on Gray Davis(see item below). Each day, the site puts together a very brief summary of the top political stories in the major newspapers in California along with links California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634097.post-1059676990502836302003-07-31T11:43:00.000-07:002003-07-31T21:55:36.900-07:00Sacbee's Weintraub feeds the maw
Dan Weintraub, a columnist for The Sacramento Bee, scored a beat Thursday when he was the first among the major California print outlets to report that Gov. Davis wasn't going to take the state's cash -- if he won the recall. Weintraub's weblog, California Insider, cleared The Bee's website at 11:53 a.m. on July 31. By midafternoon Thursday none of the Web sites California Stem Cell Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.com