Huffington considering leaving governor's race (may endorse Bustamente!)

[arcos]

Huffington considering leaving governor's race
She may oppose the recall and throw her support to Bustamante

Independent commentator Arianna Huffington said Monday she is strongly considering leaving the recall race, signaling a growing fear among the political left that Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger stands a good chance of becoming California's next governor.

Huffington, appearing at a campaign event in San Francisco, said she would decide as soon as today whether to urge her supporters to oppose the recall and possibly back Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante -- reflecting the view that in a close race, votes by progressives for Huffington and Green Party candidate Peter Camejo could help elect Schwarzenegger.

"I'm talking to a lot of supporters and people who are part of the campaign. I'm going to make a decision later this week," she told reporters.

"What is very important . . . is to make sure that the state does not go to a Republican who is going to bring to the state the same disastrous economic policies we have in Washington," she said. "That is a very important consideration."

<snip>

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/09/30/CAMPAIGN.TMP

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. She will endorse Bustamante

[Piperay]

2. That's good...

it is kind of scary that it is so close she feels the need to do it but I will be glad if she does.:thumbsup:

[Judi Lynn]

3. Thanks for the good news.

I really admired the way she got some good shots off at Arnold during his "Superbowl of Debates."

Hope she can help. It's important to real Democrats everywhere.

[tlb]

4. No surprise, now she can play the " noble self sacrificing" heroine

in the book she will write about her run. Never mind how she ruined the best opportunity to stop Arnold by showing off and hijacking the debate away from the ACTUAL contenders who could perhaps have gotten the voters attention.


The next day the only story was Arianna/Arnold bickering, and NOTHING about Arnold's grasp of policy. For all the wishful thinking on this board how Arianna " kicked Arnold's butt" his poll numbers took off like a rocket after that debate. If she hadn't been there grandstanding, perhaps the results would be different.

[Piperay]

5. Good point...

I like her and at the time of the debate I liked that she was kicking groper butt but later I realized how it made all the other candidates look weak and arnie look like he actually took someone on. Arnie got all the soundbits he could have ever dreamed of from his dust-up with Arianna. :argh: :-(

[w4rma]

9. The press would have focused on Arnold, anyway

I think that Arianna did all she could in the debate to show him in a negative light. I think she helped Davis's recall numbers.

[leesa]

10. There would NEVER have been a disparaging article about Arnold

I guess you don't understand that the media is completely controlled by the RW. Arnold could have just sat there picking his nose and his debating skills would have been lauded. Same thing they did with Dubya and Jeb when those idiots 'debate'

Don't fall for the RW media's tricks. They also told us Gore lost the debates to Dubya, which was absurd from any debaters point of view. They want you to make comments like the one you made.

[xchrom]

6. too bad

i have just loved her in this debacle called an election.
it's a smart move if the goal is simply to keep a repuke from the governors house -- though my feeling is that california will send arnold to sacramento. i don't get it -- but that seems to be where we are heading.
if we do -- i'm willing to work on the re-call arnold drive.

[thebigidea]

7. well...

"i have just loved her in this debacle called an election."

that's exactly the point. and her exit is precisely to bring her back into the spotlight. good PR for her, considering she'll do pretty poorly in the election.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Love her or hate her

this is actually a GOOD thing if she goes through with it. She has a significant number of supporters out there and if she drops out and throws her endorsement behind Bustamante, it might just put us over the edge. Remember, this is going to be a SQUEAKER and EVERY vote will count -- unless of course you happen to be in one of those unfortunate precincts that purchased the Diebold machines in which case, "who cares what you think?" signed George Bush :puke:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. kick

[Room101]

14. I'm an Arianna supporter......................

I will throw my vote to whoever she backs. Green or DEM

[Drifter]

12. Why wouldn't she endorse ...

Davis.

I think the ultimate outcome of this recall election is to defeat it. It sends the message to the Republicans that people can not be used to forward their undemocratic agenda.

Cheers
Drifter

[Emboldened Chimp]

13. Now, if Camejo would do the same

We should be in good shape.

[davidinalameda]

15. I thought she was going to endorse the Green dude

if she pulled out

I would hope that she would endorse Bustamonte. He's the best chance we have to beat Ahnuld

[Blitz]

16. There is a rumor

that has been repeated this morning on KGO 810 AM (the more liberal of the Bay Area's 2 leading talk stations) that Bustamante is thinking about dropping out and throwing his support behind "No on recall." I would be very surprised by this since it could backfire, with many Democrats who may have voted for him and no on recall deciding to stay home.

Similarly, if Arnold is, in fact, ahead of Bustamante, it might be in his best interest for McClintock to stay in since many conservatives who would vote "yes on recall" and for McClintock might stay home if he dropped out and "No on recall" could win.

One week to go. This should be interesting.