So everyone is up in arms about California, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the joke people claim it's becoming. However, in the midst of the fog and propaganda put out by both sides, a few things are clear.....This is not just a recall perpetrated by Rightwing Psychos (I wish I could take such credit) and somewhere along the line, The Democratic National Convention and the Californian Democratic Party strayed way off course. There are a lot of questions concerning who is actually to blame. There are actually several threads dealing right now with these issues, but what I want to ask, gets to the heart of the situation. This is not antagnoistic of the Dems, nor is it rubbing anything in anyones face.

Pure and simply put, the Democratic Party's handling of Davis and California has been (strategically speaking) the worst handling of politics since Carter came out about the UFO's. Starting at Davis' reelection all the way up until yesterday when Bustamante and Ghiramendi pulled in rank and out of line to join the recall, this has been a disaster for the DNC. Now the DNC is gaining some ground with their "Cali has become a Circus" theme, but how did it get this far?

It seems to me that there were (and will be several more) instances when it would've been very helpful for the Democratic Leadershipto step in with a firm plan and try to resolve things before they had come this far along.

So here are the questions..........

What if anything do you believe The DNC should have or should not have done differently

What should they do now

Will these new tactics of having other Democrats cary-out the smear campaigns and calling this a circus work

Is California just a smaller picture of what is going on inside The DNC on a national level

Please don't take this as anti-Democrat...it's not meant that way. I am interested to hear everyones opinions especially the Dems.

Well, this can apply to others than Dems, but I think it is a mistake to try to appeal to every little group that has an issue. A party should not only say what their stance is on the issues, but exactly what they are going to try to accomplish in the coming election cycle, if elected. That gives the voters some idea as to whether their issues will get addressed, or if the party will just spend its time working for the special interests. If a particular issue is of much lesser importance than others, then the voters need to know that that issue probably won't be addressed until the more important issues are settled. Then the elected officials need to hold themselves accountable to their goals or expect the voters to do it for them.

Bill,
Don't you think that strategically speaking the DNC should have got involved a lot sooner???

The democratic party on a national level should have vigorously opposed the tax cut and Bush's education plan. That way the might have avoided the budget crisis to some extent because the federal government would have money to give to the states.
This is smaller picture of what is going on in the whole country due to Bush's economic plan and tax cuts. When the government increases demands on the states and cuts taxes in a bad economy this is the logical outcome. I see the recall as misdirected anger at Bush's tax plan and what's going on with the RNC on a national level
Force Davis to resign then have Bustamante balance the budget.

The Dems just lack the killer instinct that the repubs have. Say a lie loud and often, scapegoat others, play into the prejudices and hate of others. I saw it coming down when I heard G.Gordon Liddy saying "head shots, head shots, head shots" and the glorification of Oliver North by the right. I actually really saw it coming with Morton Downey Jr- anybody remember him? Shouting over his opponents, calling everyone "pablum puking liberals" that didn't agree with him and blowing smoke in thier face? Lee Atwater of Reagan's election in 1980, the king of mean? This was the begining of a new era, the reign of attack politics. The dems will be playing that game pretty good in a few years, and hate politics will be brought to a new low. Sad.

Rancid Uncle, your blaming of President Bush for the economy of a state run entirely by Democrats is convenient. Three points:

1) Lets at least mention what ALL has hurt California's economy: 9/11 and all its financial aftershocks, Enron(which is in CA), state spending increases by the Dems, and yes, federal tax cuts. There are others, but this is a far more complete picture.

2) California's woes highlight classic flaw I see in liberal economics-frivolous spending that creates nearly irreversible costs. Liberal states are hit first and hardest by economic pitfalls because every dollar they have is already over commited to some new (and I think usually counterproductive) program. The only option liberal states really leave themselves for unforseen crises is to raise taxes.

3) Federal funding being cut from CA strains their economy only in the immediate. Once a state is fully weened off the federal nipple and running its own government, which I think is a good thing, the state will be able to better foresee the costs in the next budget.

And C.Ram, I'm sure all dirty politics came from the right. Thats reasonable. Keep in mind that what Gray Davis is most known for is dirty campaigning. Also, I must disagree with the entirety of that one-sided rant after watching Republicans learn so painfully over the last few decades how to match the media ploys and manipulations performed so well by the left since JFK, maybe even FDR. Media saavy Republicans are a very new development, and from my experience, at least with campaigning, Dems have long cornered the market on sleaze.

Also, I live in Cincinnati, a city still under boycott until the Black United Front's demands are met, which include total amnesty for all the rioters. Please don't preach about Republicans of all people, scapegoating and exploiting race. I assure you, liberals are way outgunned in that arena. But thats for another thread anyway.

The only thing I can see that the Demos could have done in CA would have been to somehow get into those secret energy policy meetings before and after GWB's appointment.

In simpler terms, not a darn thing.

Well, maybe one. Demos could have put up price/wage controls to handle localized inflation (like Nixon tried to do nationally). . . but having drifted too far right, that was out of the question. Nobody thinks like that any longer. Free markets, you know? So what if that 3-bedroom rancher is going for a million and a half? The economy is destined to grow forever!

I hope Arnold gets the ball. Some royal tush needs to get kicked.

What did Gray Davis do that George W. Bush didn't do? Bush misled us about the size of the deficit, increased spending, lowered taxes, and turned a surplus into a deficit. Why isn't he being recalled(obviously because it isn't a law but if there was a presidential recall)? Why aren't republicans outraged about the federal deficit?

Whats even more embarrassing than the Davis record is the fact that the republicans LOST to him just a few months ago. You have to admit that took some doing.

Actually Davis ran a terrible smear campaign against Bill Simon that included lies, trumped up charges of wrong doing in S&L's (all of which Simon was absolved of by Democratic judges) and then Davis did something wierd...he told the truth and called Simon a conservative!!! That's why Simon lost. Even Kevin Shelley our Controller out here told Davis that he better not try running the same disgusting smear camps like he usually does, and Kelley is a staunch Lib!!!

Let us not over look the fact that the Dems blame the state economy on a national budget deficit, that's right, even though we're a state run by almost nothing but Democrats. Why didn't they have the wherewithall to see Bush's so-called disaster coming and pull the plug on spending??? Because their constituants wouldn't have kept bankrolling their Multi-million dollar campaigns. California is home to the most crooked politicians in the world giving the peoples money away to those that will hand them the largest sum of money in return for their camp. California may actually be the perfect axample of crooked government, gone to hell in a handbasket and if I may be so bold, I predict that in the next 2 years California will be home to the largest uncovering of political scandals involving the most disgusting hand ringing ever!