One of America’s more dubious celebrities, Larry Flint of Hustler fame, has just announced his intention to run for governor of California in the upcoming elections. And I thought our political scene couldn’t get any worse.
Here’s a link for those interested
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/08/04/flynt.governor/index.html
And yes, I am aware of the irony that I am writing from Minnesota, the state who elected a former professional wrestler governor.
Seth
But your governor was also a Navy SEAL.
The guy has chutzpah, I’ll say that for him.
People are getting very spooked here about the plethora of candidates who have signed on to run. The fear is that multiple major party candidates will cancel each other out and we’ll end up with a nutball or worse.
Our GOP is dishevelled here with the media and DEMOCRATS supporting the concept of LA moderate Riordan being the palatable choice. Arnold probably won’t run, Simon, the last challenger who WARNED US about the deficit that Davis tried to hide from, may. If the GOP shows self-discipline, they will back just one candidate. As usual, they will probably avoid a really hard working pragmatic guy like Tom McClintock for a money-bags (Simon), a super-moderate LA (Riordan) or perhaps a retread as yet-to-be named from private retirement or federal office, or movie star, of course..
Those in power who fear the hurly-burly world of democracy and have legitimate fears about further screwing up such a huge economy, seem to be re-trenching to let Gov. Towel Boy stay in power. But today, a very prominent insurance reformer, Harvey Rosenfeld, just blasted Davis very hard for trending towards big insurance providers over the beleaguered. This may be the last straw for Dems who feel that their party really DOES support the little guy. Meanwhile, Davis is courting the farther left by his latest legislative order to not discriminate against cross-dressers and trans-genders in the workplace. Yeah…
Hurly-burly indeed. I swear, doing business in California with all the restrictions, permits and social mandates is like being that guy on Jackass.
Hurt me some more, Gov. Albino!!!
Sorry, I don’t normally name call, but this guy…
I thought the guy who bought the election was the REPUBLICANS’ choice for the governorship…
FWIW: Larry Flynt said that he’s going to do a bit of polling and won’t run if it doesn’t appear that he stands a chance. I’d bet a pile of gold against a pile of dogcrap that he doesn’t stand a chance…
PC
[quote=“allezlesbleus”]I thought the guy who bought the election was the REPUBLICANS’ choice for the governorship…
Good question. Was he the Republican party’s choice, or rather “his own choice.” I can’t recall now how much real backing he had/has. Hopefully, someone more involved can fill us in.
All the Best,
Tom
Only in California…
I can’t remember that Republicans thought Davis would be a beatable opponent as Davis had and has great capacity for fund-raising and connections. OUr GOP has been pretty anemic for years.
I just remember that Davis waged such a dirty campaign that the second-most powerful Demo lawman, Bill Lockyer (he grandstanded during Laci Peterson tragedy if you recall), has threatened that Davis better not run another “puke” campaign (his words) or he will challenge him. The RUMOR is that Lockyer worked out a deal with Republican Riordan, who supposedly agreed to run on the recall but not seek the office next Spring. Sounds fishy to me tho.
I dunno about only in California tho, Sammie. I still love Trafficant from Ohio! Takes b@#$s to wear a dead badger on yer head and fight re-assignment to the graybar hotel.
…and consider a run for the Presidency from jail. :roll:
All the Best, Tom
I would actually prefer Larry to Davis. I admire Larry because he is an outspoken (some would say too outspoken) advocate of freedom of expression, speech, etc. In his own way, he has a great deal of integrity and social concern.
However, my post is really to say that, as another weird aspect of this, I heard that at least FOUR other people with the name Gray Davis have signed up to run…curiouser and curiouser…
And didn’t you hit that one right on the head! Only Califoria would come up with the idea that all you need to trun for Governor is 65 signatures on petitions and $3500. Last I heard, they were predidcting upwards of 200 names on that lil 'ol ballot.
I’d not surprised at all if the recall fails. It seems to me that a lot of voters might just prefer to keep the devil they know than try to get their minds around that clown circus hoping o replace him.
After my own state just survived four years of a grafter, thief and muderer (by proxy) in the Governor’s chair, I’ve only one caution for the left-coast folks.
As Groucho Marx so wisely warned us:
“Be careful what you wish for, because you just may get it.”
So if you lose, you lose, and if you win, ???
OK, I’ll take that bet.
jb
JB,
Sorry, should have made it clearer: the only dogdung that I’m accepting is the meal endproduct of the St. Goldidoo hound, well known for laying 24 karat pooch piles. 
PC
Nice quote on the end of your post. There you have it, from one the chief lieutenants of the most infamous dictators in history.
I’d encourage everyone to read the George Orwell essay, Politics and the English Language.
I second that: a timeless classic.
Wellll, we aren’t the only state with recall mechanism. And if you think its odd, it goes back to the Progressive Days (1910s-20s) and Gov. Hiram Johnson. Now that the process has seen the light of day from being a historical anachronism, the Legislature can surely increase it to 65,000 votes and $35 million. Then, it will be “normal” and people can point their fingers at only the rich folk buying elections.
I read a book called “The Way Things Never Were” that reviewed some of the Progressive mentality and results and we are still paying the penalty for SOME of those well-meaning social engineering schemes. Dismantling one-room schoolhouses in favor of larger school districts was one. Another was, through zoning and building codes, eliminating second kitchens from houses in the name of getting rid of servants quarters and to promote the independent nuclear family. So we have vast tracts of large houses unsuitable for in-laws, with now-childless older couples occupying them while young people with families and debt seek adequate housing.
Anyway, our recall process goes back to then. Groucho wasn’t the only to believe thusly.
As for Progressive, here in NorCal, it now means “Marxist” by those who believe in it but know better than to use the latter term in public discourse. My flesh crawls when I hear it around here because its always extreme socialism/income redistribution being called for at the expense of civil liberty .
Thanks for noticing! In case you were more curious, here’s the full quote:
“Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”
and here’s the context:
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/goering.htm
PC
You’ve got that one right, Weeks. What’s amusing is that Davis is currently trying - hard - to get the support of the left wing of his party by trumpeting the “right-wing threat to the progressive agenda” posed by the recall. This would play better if 1) he wasn’t extremely middle-of-the-road in all his public positions (mostly driven by polling, rather than conviction, as far as I can see) and 2) the most likely winner out of all the folks running for the office, Dick Riordan, is an extremely moderate Republican who’s rumored to have considerable behind-the-scenes Democratic support.
It’s interesting (in the sense of the old curse “may you live in interesting times”) to see how this plays out. But, arguably, this exactly what Hiram Johnson & Co. had in mind - they built this into the state constitution in response to long-term cronyism - and downright corruption - in Sacramento, a way of forcing the governor to pay attention to ALL the people rather than just his friends/contributors. If anything, I suspect Johnsom would have been dismayed that it took this long for us to hold a recall election (though there were 30+ abortive attempts over the years).
Now that it’s been proved possible, I expect more such attempts to pop up over the next few years, especially when the gubernatorial election was particularly close. And if they become too common (as perceived by the voters) the rules may well be tightened.
Actually, me and a few million other Illinoisans just spent the four years prior to this one WISHING we had a recall process. Within a year of that crook stealing the office, even the members of the party that elected were screaming for his resignation or indictment. BTW, ‘stealing’ is used literally - his campaign was financed in large part through illegal contributions and a license-for-bribes network in the Secretatry of State’s office. So far, over a hundred of his employees in that office, including his chief of staff, have gone to jail. I’m not the only one who thinks the only reason he hasn’t yet been indicted is fear on the part of a Bush-appointed US Attorney that he knows enough to bring down a lot more of the already reeling Republican hierarchy.
Still, and in respect to California, $35MIL may be unreasonable, but you’d think that 65,000 signatures in a state of so many millions would hardly seem unreasonable. Then they can spend the $35 MIL campaigning to be the replacement.
Has anyone, including the conservative Congressman that bankrolled this thing, considereed the possibility that you folks have now opened Pandora’s Box and that recalls may now become as frequent as tap dancers and actors running for office?
Yes indeed, what do you expect from a state that brought us that reactionary national disaster, Ronald Reagan? And though I loathe Flint for his contribution to the objectification and degradation of women, I gotta love him for his exposure of those philandering Republican hypocrites who were so self-righteously going after Clinton.
Jon Michaels