CA DU'ers check in please - regarding the recall

I'm on the other side of the country in PA. Talkingheads and headlines are all a blather about the recall, mostly fawning over AHHH-nold and bashing Davis

I have a few friends in CA, spoke to them about the recall - and they basically feel while they are not thrilled with Davis, that alot of the "problems" being highlighted by the repugs are actually originating from AWOL's all-hat-no-cattle bushit. They plan on voting NOT to recall Davis.

What's the mood out there with you CA-DU'ers? How do you feel about Davis? How much of the problems are his fault and how much is originating from AWOL?

Im from northern Ca., an entirely different proposition and political thrust than my fellow californicators in the south. The north of the state tends towards democrats, Greens and "leftwing purists", at least according to some of my fellow DU'ers.

But, as to your question; Davis is not liked, and rightly so, he is a money grubbing, do nothing, blame everyone else type who just happened to be a better choice than Simon (I voted for Camejo).While the energy crisis is not of his making he certainly failed to act with any sort of inspired leadership which did nothing to alleviate the crisis.

However, there is a little matter of an election, one which Davis won, therefore, in my unheeded opinion, this recall is nothing more or less than an attempt to circumvent the wishes of the electorate. You know, these GOP types are getting pretty good at this! It would seem that there are, possibly, going to be in excess of 300 names on the ballot! This is going to be quite a circus as Davis' name will not appear at all.He can only remain in office if the majority first votes no on the recall.

I intend to do so but I will ,perforce,choose someone from the second part of the ballot in case the recall carries.....Right now it might be Bustamonte, though he is not to my taste, at least he expressed the desire to roll back the trebled vehicle registration increases, and , with a new truck and boat, that is important to me.......

California is always an interesting place but lately it is more so.....well Im going Salmon fishing while I can still afford to own the damn boat!

I'm also from the NorCal rad fringe, and agree completely with Ardee's analysis. I don't think Davis will survive the recall, unless he does so simply because enough people oppose the recall effort itself. He is THAT unpopular, even among ardent dems. You might remember that the turnout in the 2002 election was terrible, largely because it was viewed as a choice between Davis and Simon, a no-win situation any way you slice it. My feeling is that most folks pretty much agree that while Davis isn't responsible for California's economic disaster, he's done little to help matters and spends far too much time looking after his own political future. Yes, he was pimp-slapped by Bush* and Cheney* and their buddies at Enron et al in 2001, but while he might have been made the pansy, he was also a pretty good pansy. The only thing that fires Gray Davis up seems to be extorting campaign donations from Sacramento lobbyists. He's done little to contradict the appearance of running a state government for sale to the highest bidder.

I too voted for Peter Camejo in the 2002 election and frankly, although I'll vote no on the recall (I figure every "NO" vote costs Darrell Issa a buck or so), I'll also vote for Camejo on the second part of the ballot. Cruz Bustamante is way too far to the right of my aspirations for California's governor.

I voted for Camejo with the full knowledge that Davis was a lock, Im leaning Bustamonte because its only fair to maintain the democratic governorship and to keep it from being stolen!

Like I've said for 2 years on this board...I won't vote for someone who doesn't earn it. Frankly, I hope Bustamante carries a progressive message.

'Nuff said!

But I'll give Bustamante a chance.

While I condemn Lieberman for several things he does have a rather excellent track record in many areas......I wonder to what you refer?

Again, should the recall pass I think it omportant to keep a repug from the governors office.....Its either Bustamonte, Camejo or Huffington, at least at this time.....500 possible candidates....sheesh!

He was constrained a bit when he represented Fresno, but has been very supportive on many issues. I am convinced he will REALLY stand up for working people.

they're about ready to revolt, imo.

oh. i'm voting no on the recall and yes to bustamante. it's only right, being a dem and next in line. i was planning to vote for him next go-round anyway...

The energy fiasco can be laid at Pete Wilson's door for deregulating to begin with, then at the feet of the bush buddies who defrauded us, then at the court that, while admitting the fraud, refused to make them pay us back.

The budget debacle stems from the energy fiasco and the bush admins determination to bankrupt the nation.

These are the issues fueling the recall, and they are bogus. They are not Davis' fault.

The problem is with the other question. How do we feel about Davis? I've never met anyone who liked him.

Discounting the rws who wouldn't support jesus if rush didn't give them permission first, moderates of both parties dislike Davis. I despise the man. Many of us showed up to vote for him holding our nose...not wanting to re-elect him, but also not wanting to give the governorship to a repub.

My problem with Davis is specific. He has supported, continued, and enhanced Pete Wilson's attacks on public education in my state. As an educator, I do not forget or forgive this travesty.

I don't know what others' issues with him might be; I just know that he doesn't generate enthusiastic support. Many dems in the state are planning to vote "no" to the recall on principal, even though they don't like Davis. It's kind of like reluctantly doing laundry. You may not like the chore, but it has to get done.

Other's are eagerly looking at the replacement options. While they keep saying they'll vote "no," they are so eager to replace him that I don't believe them.

I'm sure there is a californian somewhere who actually likes him; they'd do a better job speaking to his strengths than I! If you were wondering where my vote stands...it's in the laundry group.

People don't like him, because he doens't get into the back-slapping, relationship building needed in the poliitcal biz. Also, his policies are too far to the right of most Dems, so they don't like him. He should have courted them, because the Nazi Party in CA was never going to like him anyway.

That said, he won the election in 2002--it's a Nazi power grab, pure and simple. Also, the Dems are so short-sighted they can't get over their dislike for Davis and see the bigger picture--this is another in a long line of attempts by the Nazi Party to subvert the Democratic process--the Impeachemnt, the Florida criminal theft, the Texas Redistricting, and so on. It will never end unitl the Dems grow a collective spine and fight back. Sadly, I don't see that happening--it appears to be egnetically impossible.

I fear for the future of this country.

I'm also a prof in the California State University system (and a member of the California Faculty Association), and I've watched the steady undermining of what once was a model of public higher education under Davis's administration. The situation is GRIM this year, with little prospect for improvement in the near future.

You seem to blame all of the problems with education in California on Davis, alone, forgetting or passing over the sixteen years of repuke governors that came before Davis. I paid for my son's education at UCLA, and I saw tuition rise every god damn year under the repukes. To blame the problems in the schools on Davis is fucking revisionist history. God save us from the Greens. Vote for Nader again, he brought us Bush. Now, we'll get Ahrnuld.

...I do think that Davis has done way too little to reverse the trend. Public education in CA has continued to fall apart on Davis's watch.

As for tuition rates, you need to look a little more critically at where the cost of a college education comes from at a public institution. Your tuition payments only covered a fraction of the cost of sending your son to UCLA-- higher ed is a societal investment, and the majority of the cost of higher ed is borne by taxpayers and, to a lesser extent, grants and grant overhead (much of which can be traced back to tax monies, too). When tuition rates rise at public universities it's nearly always because the legislature is undermining the public's share of the costs, whether in response to the governor's wishes or not.

A couple of years ago CA had record budget surpluses, yet Davis did little to undue years of neglect in public education. Many of the high visibility initiatives he has supported have either not worked, backfired, or never been fully implemented (e.g. high-school exit exams).

Lotta disinformation out there. Davis problem is that he views his actions as speaking louder than his style, which is admittedly lackluster.
*Student achievement scores up 4 years in a row
*Established CA FIRST statewide accountability program
*developed program which traioned 100,000 teachers at UC for deployment during shortgage
*program to board certify teachers--10 fold increase of certifications on his watch
*recruited 15,000 teachers staewide from the private sector
*has raised computer to student ratio to 1:5
*expanded Cal-Grants to assist almost one in three hs grads attend college
*increased Education funding by 32% over the last four years

That sounds like he's been doing SOMETHING to me.

...shoes. Standardized test scores have gone up (not very significantly, IMO, but up) because elementary and secondary school curricula have been forced to teach to the standardized tests rather than to foster real inquisitiveness and learning skills in students. Meanwhile operating budgets have declined (or simply failed to keep pace with real costs). Schools and colleges can't buy textbooks and laboratory supplies. My department's operating expense budget goes DOWN every year, while the cost of providing lab supplies, computers, software, etc., increases annually. New faculty are expected to replace two or three previous faculty (I replaced two directly, and am now going to pick up part of the load of a third, who's leaving the system) because the CSU can't afford one-to-one replacements for retiring faculty. We're slashing classes, exploiting "part time" lecturers who work just as hard for far less pay and few benefits, increasing class sizes, and using ten year old technology (or worse) to educate students for today's employment market and graduate school. Sorry, I'm not impressed!

Davis did not "Establish CA's FIRST statewide accountability program." That was Pete Wilson's baby, and I was in the classroom when it happened. That in itself could give you a novel about dirty dealings. Davis should have abolished ol' Pete's "standards and accountability" movement. Instead, he supported it, continued it, and enhanced it. While Pete was busy here in CA, GW was busy in Texas and Jeb was busy in FL with similar agendas. That's what GWB's NCLB is modeled after. It is a clone of these state programs.

And..."Student achievement scores up 4 years in a row"....where do I start?

1. Poorly written tests published by bush buddies. They donate to a campaign. Our ed $$$$$ are poured into purchasing their stuff. And their test prep stuff, and their "workshops" on how to teach to the test, and...:puke:

2. Corrupt test scores. The scores are percentile rankings, not percentages. "Lake Wobegon" is not statistically valid. Legislation written to force all kids to be above average....why is it that no one can see the mathematical joke here? And...the tests have changed every year. To be a true score, the numbers should compare scores on the same test. You can't legitimately compare the scores on test A given in 2001 to the scores on test b given in 2002; they are 2 different tests. I could go on, but won't.

At this point, it really doesn't matter that Davis' sucks when it comes to education. It sure isn't going to get any better under a republican. I'm going to vote no on the recall. I'll campaign for the no vote. I'll support exposure of true disinformation about Davis. But I absolutely will not pretend that he has supported public education.

I find more passionate dislike of Davis from Northerners...and
political insiders but for most of the rest of us he's been fine.
We understand the dot.com bubble burst, the rising cost of housing,
the traffic, the energy gouging and other problems that concern large and diverse urban areas in this country. We have an educational system that has to deal with kids who come from homes where other languages are spoken....many other than Spanish. Prop 13 has been a real blockade on raising monies for the state. Indian reservations and their businesses can't be taxed. Arnold's bill for after school kids -Prop 49 made it harder for educational dollars to be allocated fairly.
Anyway, most people I know think this recall is unwarranted and simply a move by people who can't get a majority of votes in a real election. We don't like money being spent on this when teachers are being laid off and there are hikes in vehicle fees (although we all got a DMV rebate a couple of years ago when there was a surplus) We'll vote NO on recall and for Cruz on the bottom half...if not some of us voting for Larry or Arianna if we're in the mood. That's just from my neck of the woods.

I find Davis has done a job consistent with the tools available to him. The recall effort, IMHO, is a pervserion of the democratic process. Five percent of the voters sign a petition to overturn the results of a general election. Davis is not a pretty candidate. He is a rarity in this day and age. Colorless, odorless and tasteless to the general public. It seems to me that the further away from the political center, the more virulent the dislike for Davis. The Greens because he's not liberal enough. The repukes, because he's not one of them.
I'm voting against the recall. I don't know at this time how or if I will vote for any sucessor.

I live in Los Angeles.

Our power wasn't messed with since the DWP is a public utility. As the deregulation bill was originally written, they were going to privitize DWP and the big pusher of that was Riordan, er, Dicky Rear-End the incompetent ass who was Mayor at that time. There is NO WAY IN HELL I would vote for that senile old ass.

What scares me are all the Hummers going down the street with their ARNOLD FOR GOVERNOR bumperstickers, but make no mistake about this, Karl Rove's fingerprints are all over this charade.

I have a friends in the entertainment industry and they tell me that Arnold is not your typical bible thumping God-Fearing Republican. Au Contraire, there are allegations of plenty of hookers, cocaine, drugs (and I include Steroids in that), and other assorted depravities that Arnold indulges in. I would LOVE to see this all come out and I wonder how it will play in the Red States. Yes, I am curious as to how the typical Ohio housewife of the family of 4 who voted for Family Values Bush will say when she sees President Sock In A Jock endorse this depraved dildo!

Already, there is big chunk of the GOP Right here who is pissed off here, even the Reverend Lou Sheldon, who runs the Traditional Values Coalition has come out against Arnold. Don't forget that Larry Flynt will pour a lot of gasoline on the fire when he releases what he has on Arnold.

From all the rumors going on here, Flynt has a lot of dirt that he will dump on Arnold, including some gay stuff. That will really go down well in the Bible Belt, don't you think? Already Flynt's folks are making publc comments made by gay activist Andrew Sullivan and this is NOT going to help Arnold in the California Bible Belt

Here's Sullivan's quote: AH-NULD!: I interrupt my break to say simply: Yay! A pro-gay, pro-choice, hard-ass Republican! An Eagle has landed. Now let him soar.

I have a gut feeling that Flynt and Davis are going to tag team Arnold with the dirt and when this is over, Arnold is going to be utterly destroyed.

Another thing to remember is that Gray Davis is a tough campaigner. He is the kind of campaigner that Democrats ought to be. He isn't afraid to fight back and when he does, he takes no prisoners. I remember several years ago when he ran against Mike Curb, the idiot record producer who was groomed by the same jackasses who brought you Ronald Reagan. Well, Mike Curb was a record producer, one of the records he made was entitled, "TEENAGE REBELLION" and it incluided a song called "THE GAY TEENAGER". Davis produced spots with policemen holding the record and reading the lyrics.

After that, Mike Curb left the state in disgrace and the last we heard he's hanging around Branson Mo. Maybe he'swaiting for Dennis Miller to build his theater there, to give Yakov Smirnoff some competition to see who is more hip!

Don't forget that Labor is solidly behind Davis and they will come out in force to defend him.

As for me, I think he was dealt a lot of hole cards and he played them the best he could. That is why I will vote NO and for insurance, I will vote for Bustamante.

Seems like everyone is going to attack arnold.

Gray to scare the electorate and Simon to Rally the base. and Flynt just because he wants the publicity.

I just want Bush to stand on a podium with Arnold before all the shit hits the fan. I really think the RWs are going to howl about Bush pushing Arnold over Simon.

Owns a ton of property there and donated millions to a Baptist-affiliated college in that city.

Fortunately, he left California in disgrace, but keep an eye on him -- he's too rich to ignore!

You know there is a lot of blame on Davis, but
the Legislature is also a major factor in a
delayed budget, refusal to find ways to raise
revenues while deep cuts were also being made.

We don't need more Republican politicians in this state...
we need fewer.

I am currently coordinating a joint effort with the CFC which is AFL-CIO coalition of unions and the State Democratic party to get out the vote. Our polling shows the recall question a TOSS UP (50 % for 50% against, likely voters, statewide sample), and this is without us energizing the base.

Once folks realize that Californias CREDIT RATING is at stake if it passes , they will vote no. We still have an overwhelming Dem majority out here.

please email me at LMFinancialP@hotmail.com if your wish to join an internet action group in California to save us from Roves latest "destroy them" strategy.

The thing to keep in mind is that the pro-recall nuts have basically had the stage to themselves for the past few months. Opposition to it has been confined to the editorial pages (including some Righties, like Safire). That's going to change dramatically in the next number of weeks. And I think Davis will go after the very idea of the recall (who was behind it and why) and not after Arnold (or any other candidate--it's too late for him if it gets to that). He'll pour lots of money into ads showing Californians how their electoral process has been hijacked by wingnuts (probably should've been done months ago...but who knew?). He's really a bloodless bastard, so no one should count him out in this thing--especially since he has right (lower case as in good, justice, the American way) on his side, and will probably have the most popular politician in California campaigning with him--Bill Clinton.

This report comes from you from deep in he heart of recall country...Darrell Issa's home district.

If Bustamante had not jumped into the race, I would've voted for Arianna Huffington in a heartbeat. However, I will first check the box that says there should be NO recall of Davis, then check the box for Cruz just in case he is.

I'm not a huge Davis fan, but he's getting railroaded for things that are not his fault, after legitimately winning re-election last November. This recall sets a bad, bad precedent.

Schwarzenegger may pick up some independents and renegade Dems, but the Religious Right in California does NOT like him. They're throwing their weight behind Bill Simon. Arnold's not going to cakewalk to Sacramento--it'll be tight.

I think its VERY important to remember ...

IF the republicans say it: .. it probably isnt true ....

IF the GOP says that Davis is an AWFUL governor who has signle handedly ruined the good state of California, ... well it simply isnt true ....

Davis, as bereft of personality as he his, is an EFFECTIVE executive ... He is BRUTALLY effective in the way he makes and breaks alliances within coalitions: ...

He isnt particularly 'leftist', and his GREATER battleswere with the 'liberals' of the state ...

This whole fiasco, in my own eyes, can be encapsulated in ONE word: ...

Strawman ...

The GOP have created a STRAWMAN of Davis as the progenitor of failure in California, and have HAMMERED the point over and over again, ad nauseum, to the point where lots of good people actually believe it is true ....

To blame Davis for the economic malaise in California, while in the midst of a general malaise in the entire nation, is simply ludicrous ... One might wonder if Davis has been sneaking into Texas and New York and making THEIR budgets bleed red ink too ...

THe GOP have created a STRAWMAN image of Davis, and Davis simply doesnt respond enough, nor forcefully and clearly enough, to refute these basic charges ..... You cannot stand idly by, and expect the insults and false charges to simply go away ... yet: Davis, even now, hasnt said much of anything ....

I like Davis, I regret that he is apparently unable to remove the stigma someone else has placed on his brow ...

I will vote against Recall, and for Bustamante ...

...and I'm basing that on his abysmal approval rate.

As for me, I'm in the majority for once: I support the recall. Like the majority of Californians (not necessarily of recall supporters), I don't want to see a Republican as governor, unless his name is Riordan and even then it's only a compromise. In the replacement I'll prolly vote for Camejo (or Arianna if he drops); in the recall, I'll prolly vote yes.

Feel free to flame.

based on an approval rating ? ..

tsk tsk ....

Even Democrats who have BOUGHT the GOP lies about Davis dont 'HATE' Davis ......

...basing one's opinions on statistics rather than 50 unrepresentatvie anecdotes?

I don't see how you can use any other word to describe somebody with an approval rating lower than Nixon's at his zenith (~22% as opposed to Nixon's 27).

We use words to represent a REAL state of affairs, since the words themselves are abstracts of the physical realities ....

"Hate" is a pretty strong term: .... one can EASILY be against something without 'hating' it ...

To use a specific poll measuring 'approval' ratings .... this is NOT the precise same meaning as 'hatred' ....

Using words in this way convey a false sense of the reality of those whose thoughts are represented in this poll, who may not HATE Davis specifically, but who may be frustrated by the events and the situation instead ...

There is no absolute relationship between approval ratings and hatred ....

Non sequitur fallacy ....

Redeye has concluded, based on public opinion syrveys, that Davis is unpopular in California.

That seems reasonable to me.

Now, if he were basing his decision to vote to recall on those same surveys, then those flaming him would have an argument. That would be a terrible reason on which to base one's vote.

While I believe Davis has made mistakes, I believe those errors have been made in good faith; fruthermore, I believe malfeasance should be the standard at which a governor is recalled. Therefore, as things stand, I will vote to retain Davis.

Disagree with it as I may, Redeye has concluded that Davis should be removed from office. His views seem honest enough, and I will agree to disagree with him.

We voted for Davis because Simon was our other choice, not that we would have voted for a Republican anyway, but many might have if it were Riordan. Many misguided types who vote for the man don't realize they are really voting for the party.

I find Davis to be an experienced bureaucrat if not a charismatic one. He can't please everyone and had to make some hard decisions because of the fiscal mess left him by his Republican predecessor.

I hope he wins this recall for no other reason that it will teach those Bushistas not to mess with our Democratic system. To tell the truth I am so mad about this, now that there is emerging proof that all this might have been orchestrated from Washington, that I think we Californians should seriously think of secession until we get a legitimate President in the White House.

1. The recall is perfectly democratic. The people don't like Davis anymore so they recall him. There's nothing closer to direct democracy other than legislation being passed wholly by referenda.

2. While I support California's secession to some degree, basing that support on the president's identity is idiotic. For one, it presumes that the USA will allow California to easily reenter once a Democrat becomes president, which is absurd. For two, few of the defects in the United States are political, and few of the political defects depend on the president's identity. From the perspective of almost everyone outside the US as well as many inside it, there's absolutely no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats; and even so, the only groups of people whose problems can be reduced to Dem vs. GOP are American women who want to abort and have the means to do so, gays who'll stop short of marriage and equal adoption rights, and people with strong opinions on gun control.

Mine stands as it is. To clarify what I meant by secession is for California to withhold taxes and other support of the federal government until we get a legally elected administration. I, of course, think all the states should do so until this happens.

Davis has always been a centrist. He didn't run as a liberal and didn't win as a liberal.

Having said that, he did drag his feet on EVERYTHING his first term and only came around to supporting his base immediately prior to the next election in order to get more donations. Davis is FAR from the worst governor California has ever had. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't remember the draconian labor programs of George Deukmejian.

The LA times opened this AM with a story about Arnold stepping all over his tongue when asked about specifics. The California Business Rountable which is a group of business leaders ( elite), labor and management has come out AGAINST the recall so I imagine soon ADS will be on the air. Business abviously wants some certainty in tough economic times and Davis though unpopular is more certain than what tey might end up with.

One of the biggest PSYOPS going on right now is radio. Not just talk radio, but mainstream FM radio. All the CLEARCHANNEL stations are making snyde comments about Davis in the morning and milking it for everything it's worth.

One of the MAIN reasons I am going back and forth in my head about Bustamante right now is the number of votes he cost Davis immediately prior to the election last November when he publicly pulled his support over a bill in which he could have PRIVATELY put Davis over a rack and accomplished the same thing without turning voters against him.

Main reason I would lean towards Flynt if he is on the ballot....to SPITE those wgo signed the petition and those who paid for it. Besides, he is capable of running an empire. I wouldn't underestimate his PULL to gain votes either. The PORN business is a HUGE industry in the SF valley.

I feel the same way about it your friends do. Davis has made mistakes and takes stands I find appalling. Nevertheless, I feel the mistakes were made in good faith and a difference of opinion, even a strong one, is not a reason to recall a statewide officer.

However, this election is about Davis. It won't be very easily turn into a referendum on Bush. I'd love to be proved wrong about that, but I don't think it will.

I live in Santa Barbara, CA. The mess that is California is really of our own making. We have been in a slow financial melt down ever sense we voted to approve the Howard Jarvis property tax cutting initiative back when Jerry Brown was the gov. Proposition 13 stopped cities and counties from reassesing property values up as inflation and the market pushed up prices. Now property is only reassesed when it is sold. This greatly reduced funds, mostly to local school districts. The State stepped in and made up the difference with State tax collections (income tax and others).

The problem is that commercial property is not turned over as often as residential property so more and more the property tax burdon has fallen on new home buyers and less and less on big business/corporations. The State was able to use "creative financing" sence prop 13 passed to bolster schools, cities and counties. Now with the dot com bubble burst and the stock market way down the State has run out of "creative " ways to finance things the way it has in the past.

The reality is that we in the state are finding out that there is no free lunch. We need to pony up more money for our schools and other districts and restructure our property tax system. An interesting note is that Ariana Huffington is advocating this very thing from the getgo in her campaign for gov.

My take is that the circus nature of this recall will get the voters out to vote and that they will decide that as much as they dislike Davis they will hold their nose and vote for him by voting no on the recall.

Yes, it is a fact that we voted in Reagon, the actor, but that does not mean we will vote in a moron and blatant womanizer actor like Arnold. At least Reagon spoke well with clear diction and had a very honest look to him. Arnold has none of the qualities that Reagon possessed, in fact he has no qualities at all. IMHO. Bob

and I was right. But enough about spilt milk. I have spent too much of my life, saying, "I told you so." Yes, we did hold our nose the first time around to vote for Davis and we will again, but we will be 65 million dollars further in the hole after it is all over with. This really has many of us really pissed off.:mad:
:nuke::nuke::nuke:

It addressed a very real problem, but fixed it in about the worst way imaginable.

The late Paul Gann was one of the principle authors of Prop 13. If memory serves me correctly, Gann also responsible for that wacky two-thirds requirement to pass a state budget. I can't say his legacy to California is anything of which to be proud.

..........is a great state full of all things that should make it the wealthiest place on the globe. Lots of rich people, great agriculture, wonderful climate, lots of cheap labor from Mexico. Unfortunately we have had a string of polititions going back the the first Brown who were/are pigs at the public trough. Same today, only the repugs are turning it into a blood sport. Bob

for education, universities and various non-profits. Nobody has anything very good to say about him.

But there is also a clear understanding in my circle that, as bad as Davis is, the ills that have befallen California clearly aren't entirely his doing, i.e. Did he personally burst the dot-com bubble? (Of course not.) What about the Enron-energy mess? Not Davis's fault, although he takes the blame. Realistically, there is very little that anyone (including Arnold and his business connections) can do to fix this mess right now -- and California isn't the only state in fiscal crisis.

The recall is obviously a case of the Republicans trying to exploit a breach in the wall of a state that has long eluded them. They have paid big money to overturn the results of a legitimate election, and now are allowing the taxpayers to foot the bill (current estimate: $35-$40 million) for the recall election.

Years ago, I had some professional interaction with Gray Davis personally; he was kind, polite, generous and basically a nice, albeit uncharismatic guy -- so, maybe I'm inclined to not be as rough on him as some others would.

Is Davis competent now? I can only say that I don't think he's *incompetent.* Do I like the way he's running the state? No. Is he my kind of Democrat? No, he's not progressive enough for my tastes. Should he be fired for that? Perhaps, but only in the next *regular* election.

Unless Davis is proven to be grossly incompetent or has engaged in criminal behavior at the state's expense, he should be allowed to hold office until such time as he's voted out in a regular election. The undoing of a legit election is a dangerous thing, and something that Republicans are beginning to specialize in.

Because I don't think the 2002 election should be overturned, I am opposed to the recall, and have no desire to replace Davis *at this time.*

and that's not entirely his fault...but that's the mood i sense. not sure who i will vote for yet, buti will vote against the recall.

Davis was the first Dem politician that showed some guts in castigating Bush and his cronies about the energy manipulation. That's worth a NO vote on the recall for me.

I'd like to think he's going to make it a referendum on the Bush administration; I think he'd get a lot of mileage out of that strategy.

And let Larry Flynt publicize Arnold's pictures.

Arnold will raid that fund and use it to give his millionaire friends a huge tax cut. That's what at stake here.

I am a Social Worker and was dismayed when he was dismissive of social services when first elected. I haven't always liked him because he appears cold and calculated. I think that perception of him has led to the success of the recall. However, he is not the cause of all California's problems. Sheesh, he is not that powerful. Thes problems have been carrying over from other governers for at least the last fifteen years if not longer. To blame one man for the mess CA is in is beyond stupidity. Also, I am so ticked off because I bet that the morons that signed the recall did not even vote in the "legal" election. He has not done anything criminal as a Governor here and does deserve to be recalled.