San Francisco Chronicle: White House Memo casts recall as windfall

[Jack Rabbit]

From the San Francisco Chronicle
Dated Wednesday August 6

Memo casts recall as windfall for Bush
Grassroots appeal to 'women against Davis'
By Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

While White House and national GOP officials insist they won't get involved in the California recall, a memo obtained by The Chronicle outlines a Republican strategy to oust Gov. Gray Davis and help President Bush before the 2004 presidential election.
The memo by California GOP organizer Julie Leitzell, who heads a political action committee called CommonSense Direction, says the Oct. 7 recall election presents an opportunity to target disaffected voters -- particularly women.
"We will work outside of the campaigns and outside of the party," the memo to Republican activists says. "None of the candidates will be attending, as we want to make sure the media are steered toward the 'common sense women against Davis' angle."
Leitzell's memo clearly suggests the imprimatur of the White House.

Read more.

[Rose Siding]

1. They hung him out on energy manipulation

and now they plan on cashing in:

"How much has Gray Davis cost every family and taxpayer in California? How much more will the bill come to if he is left in office? Whether we were for or against the recall as a political strategy, it's important that we use this opportunity (and hot news hook) to present an image of diverse Republican women (moms, educators, business owners, students, working women) united around fiscal responsibility and against the job-killing policies of Davis' regime."

Some people are just stupid and greedy enough to buy this.

[Atlant]

9. I have bad news for you...

> Some people are just stupid and greedy enough to buy this.

I have bad news for you.

LOTS of people are just stupid and greedy enough to buy this,
and they will buy it because there'll be a ton of money aimed at
selling it to them.

Atlant

[Richardo]

15. Gee: substitute "Bush" for "Davis" and "US" for "California" = hypocrasy

Are they so blind to it? A great Dem counter argument, it seems to me.

[mistertrickster]

2. More dirty tricks from the Dirt-meisters

The party that brought you Whitewater, state-trooper gate, Paula Jones, Monica, Impeacement, the 2000 stolen election is now meddling in state politics?

Who would have dreamed? At least they're consistent.

[Gman]

4. The Texas redistricting jihad

also has the WH's fingerprints all over it as well as Delay's.

[Sequoia]

19. Great Graphic There

but we're not surprised at all by this. Bush wants to rape the state of California. So Davis isn't a friend of women but Bush is?

[Kool Kitty]

21. Hell, if Bush is a "friend" to women,

I'd hate to see our enemies!

[kskiska]

3. So much for their "dismay"

This plays right into their hands. Or so they think. Who knows? Could backfire on them.

[SideshowScott]

5. They are just trying to protect the White house...Bush is in on it too...

You KNOW Bush/Rove/Cheny will be watching this with close eyes..HECK they helped create this mess with letting buddys Lay and ENRON rip off the state..Bush is all about revenge and california has been a thorn in his side since he annouced he fights agianst " Libial Hollywood" during his election..Hes been sticking it to the left coast ever since..They are just trying to hide the cold hard fact that Bush's fingerprints are on the recall as well..Ask yourslef this who has more to gain by this recall..The state of califronia who is spending millions of taxpayer dollars for this recall..Or the GOP and Bush..So they can get a Republican Gov to help steal votes in a state with big politcal swing like cali
I really hope it backfires so loud you can hear it all over the country

[pansypoo53219]

8. yeah

they need to cover up for enron and the others. and ya can't do that outside of Govt.

[joefree1]

6. This WILL set back the Rethuglican party in California

for the next twenty years. We're fighting back.




http://stoptherecall.com

[gasperc]

7. oh brother, who dumped the $500 billion dollar deficit in our lap

whatever they try to use in the recall will get thrown back at them next year!

[Emboldened Chimp]

10. I don't understand this

How does having a puke governor in Dem-controlled CA going to help * get our electoral votes?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

11. Visibility...

for one thing.

With a GOPer in the leadership role Bush can fly into CA and have lots of impressive campaign photo ops with The Governor of California, which will lead to much more local news coverage and a better, more controlled way to get his message out.

He just can't do that with a Dem governor.

[okieinpain]

14. also when they start pumping billions of dollars into cali

the GOP will say see " a repug governor, got cali back on it's feet", and people will only see that things are better, not that the fed government is now helping out the state of california.

we're screwed.

[chadm]

12. Maybe they're hoping...

the new governer might be able to get more of those Diebold machines in place before the next election. The "Governer Coupe" strategy seems to work pretty well in Florida, why not here?

[realFedUp]

13. Guess I'll send this around to all my women's circles

Women aren't as stupid as this administration makes
us out to be. And BTW, what have the Bushies done
for women? Legislate overtime pay which
they depend on, cut funding for childcare programs,
bled the funding for family planning clinics, helped
to bankrupt states so jobs are lost....on and on.

This administration is toxic waste for women.

[peterh]

16. One only has to go as far as Minority Leader James Brulte...

the California Senate's top Republican, to see the influence on California politics from the WH. While the repugs have been playing very hardball politics from energy to the budget, Davis hasn’t exactly been the brightest bulb in countering it.

<http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aWQ7nzIScPvM&refer=us>

``Republicans are not going to vote for a tax increase,'' said Brulte, who describes himself as the Bush administration's point man in California and a personal friend of Bush political organizer Karl Rove.
The minority leader's opposition to any new taxes -- and the Democrats' resistance to more spending cuts -- is one of the reasons California now has the lowest bond credit rating and the highest borrowing costs of any U.S. state.

[Q]

17. Reminds me of when Jeb 'the crow' Bush promised to stay out of...

...the Florida 'cheat and win' recount. It was later found that he made nearly a hundred calls to the Bush* Campaign, Harris and other Bushie operatives.

[NashVegas]

18. I Think Maybe it's Time for an Investigation Here

Rove
Lay
Bush
El Paso
DeLay

How much of Davis' troubles are a direct result of the Cali utilities mess caused by the price gouging that started in the *home stretch* - the final two months of Campaign 2000?

[sam sarrha]

20. the deregulated power brokers were running power back and forth

all around, all over the country before it got to California at inflated prices, it probably did cost them some serious extra money, but it was worth the PRIZE of California's political conquest!!!, a pipeline here in El Paso, raised the cost of flow thru 2,800%... and plants shut down for 'scheduled' maintenance during the peak demand season...!!!

[PATRICK]

22. Micromanaging complete takeover of America

In my district I can see the signs. First a Repug pundit trashes Houghton as a RINO with merciless bad taste- right after Norquist's call to action. Houghton's district was "saved" as some sort of deal? Whatever, but it pushed into an urban suburban gerrymander where he has to adapt to more conservative Repug ops hungry for his job.

Lo, Houghton is criticized for failure to communicate, etc. in the very town wfrom which his "challenger" a rabid pro WH agenda extremist is arising. Not an old pro yet, because Houghton is extremely self wealthy with a strong base. The usual young troll brainless fresh face Mark Assini(Man, now even recruiting Italians with Dickensian names?)is running ads on the same RINO attack line. Already the candidate dares to make assinine issue statements wildly out of touvch with the general electorate.(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

They hope to tire and discourage Houghton, the anti-war, anti-tax tax "maverick" and chock up another piece of the rubber stamp.

All these New York changes have been crafted by Cheney Inc. The "salvation" of Houghton's seat came with a price which I hope Houghton will not oblige. Meanwhile, of course, in that compromise a Dem seat was lost and only failed in taking down a neighboring Dem seat(Slaughter's) by pitting two popular Democrats against each other when one bowed out gracefully.

Believe me, every seat is being grabbed at. I wish OUR party had such in depth concern for every seat when it counted.

[xchrom]

23. they know how to

capitalize on certain situations. and they have the money and a breadth and depth of know how.
you can see the juggernaut building since reagan and we're probably close to some kind of apex, or at least i hope so.
may the 04 election see the down hill side.

[Democat]

24. The recall should be used to attack Bush nonstop

Anyone who votes to recall Davis should be educated to the fact that he is a far better leader than Bush.

Every complaint that is made about Davis can be made about Bush ten times worse.

The Democrats should spend 100 million dollars in California and make it into a national issue that Bush is worse than Davis.

If Davis is being recalled for being this bad, look how much worse Bush is.

Whenever a Republican attacks, the Democrats must punish them for their attack by attacking back even harder.

[SoCalDem]

25. Airtime, folks...airtime...

Our side must PURCHASE every spec of airtime.. The rightwingers have it for FREE all day ...all night...

That's at the center of all our current problems.. We passed the microphone to the crazy people, and they are NOT giving it back..

[Democat]

28. You are right about that, especially in California

The media in California has almost done more to make the recall a reality than the Republican Party.

Almost every radio station, newspaper, and television station in the state has been promoting the recall constantly.

[Democat]

26. One more thing about Ralph Nader

Remember when Nader said there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats?

Does anyone actually think that the Republicans would have any chance to steal the California governor's office without Bush's people in Washington working behind the scenes?

More proof that Ralphs 2000 position that there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats was one of the stupidest and most harmful lines of bullshit he's ever spoken.

[WillyT]

27. *Singing* --- Who Ya Gonna Call??? --- BUSH BUSTERS !!!

LOL!!!

:bounce::kick::bounce:

[Mz Pip]

29. WAKE UP CALIFORNIANS!!!!!!!

If by now the people of CA can't see this recall for what it is, we are doomed.

I can understand the dislike of Davis to a point, but this operation is so much worse. This is GOP payback for overwhelmingly supporting Gore in 2000. I can only hope that Calfornians turn out and overwhelmingly give the finger to the GOP and vote NO on the Recall.

MzPip
:dem:

[robbedvoter]

30. Steering the media - ya mean they don't simply order them?

Ah, but is Gary Coleman more attractive than Davis?(to a "common sense" woman as the WH targets her.

[Unknown Known]

31. Rat bastard repukes

They are raping and pillaging the entire country:mad: