It is time for Gray Davis to resign and endorse Cruz Bustamante

Don't get too excited about the latest "revelations" about Arnold Schwarzenegger alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour. This is a typical GOP smear tactic which is now being used by a desperate Gray Davis in the same way that Clinton haters like Lucianne Goldberg smeared President Clinton as "the groper" of Juanita Broaddrick. If there were any credence to these charges, we would have known about them long ago. As Kathleen Parker wrote in the article "Schwarzenegger-Clinton parallel" published in the Mercury News:

On Sunday, a women's peace group that calls itself CodePink, a pink-painted pinkie poke at the Bush administration's color-coded terror alert system, protested outside the California Republican Party's Fall Convention. The protesters brought signs reading ``Groper for Governor'' and ``Sexual Misconduct is not a Family Value.''

These terms have a vaguely familiar ring. But these aren't Republican women clamoring to condemn an aggressive intern handler. These are feminists, those same staunch defenders of women's delicate sensibilities who averted their eyes when Bill Clinton was groping and sexually misconduct-ing in the little room off the Oval Office.

<snip>

Schwarzenegger does have a reputation at least as titillating as Clinton once had, based not on made-up media reports but on the claims of real women from his past. Yet the same crowd that rallied for Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers, Juanita Broaddrick and others can't find anything believable among the women who claim that Schwarzenegger groped them.

The phenomenon of principles selectively applied is nothing new, but women's groups both left and right have surrendered any moral high ground they might have once claimed. They're just one of the boys now. What woman wants, she may alas deserve.

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/2003/09/17/living/6791474.htm

As many people expected, Gray Davis has reached into his bag of dirty tricks in order to save his sorry ass. If this man had any decency left, he should have resigned long ago and let Bustamante become Governor. There is still time for Davis to do this. His resignation would not stop the recall election, but it will show that the only choices are between Cruz and the people behind Arnold, people like Pete Wilson and David Dreier. As it is, Davis's unpopularity is bringing Bustamante down with him.

What's more important, save Davis' sorry ass or keep the governorship? The two are becoming increasingly mutually exclusive.

For the sake of all (and I am including our aspirations for Election 2004), Davis should throw in the towel now and endorse Cruz Bustamante for Governor. This is conceding the first question on the ballot, a question that Davis will lose irrespective of what happens to Arnold (the voters are in a Anyone But Davis mood), and will focus our efforts in electing Bustamante against the Arnold/Davis/Dreier cabal.

:(

to do any good

It's time for CRUZ to drop out and endorse Davis. When faced with the choice of Gray Davis or the perverted son of a Nazi groper coke addict, I'm confident that Californians will chose Gray Davis.

and have failed to resonate with a public desensitized by previous smear campaigns and hell-bent on ousting Davis. Many of those that want Davis out are Democrats.

Most Latinos could care less about Davis's fate, polling data shows that their votes are split evenly on the recall question, but Latinos will vote en masse for Bustamante.

I fear you guys may be stuck with a dumber guv'ner than Reagan for a year or so. I don't know how it happened, but there seem to be a lot of California Democrats who'd prefer a famous dumbass to a perceived failure. Oh well, relax, it could be worse. At least Arnold's going to be easy prey in the next real election, he's not a total neo-con, he's too dumb to implement a truly fascist agenda on his own (unlike McClintock), and he'll move the laughing stock of the West Coast from Salem to Sacramento.

You guys may need someone with a wee bit more charisma and freetime than Cruz to take him out. Maybe get Sheen or Redford, eh?

writes

"On Sunday, a women's peace group that calls itself CodePink, a pink-painted pinkie poke at the Bush administration's color-coded terror alert system, protested outside the California Republican Party's Fall Convention. The protesters brought signs reading ``Groper for Governor'' and ``Sexual Misconduct is not a Family Value.''

Do we trust a reporter who slams CodePink and defends Ahnold?

NBC news just now reported that the reporters who did the story in the LATimes say the story has nothing to do with the Davis campaign, that they contacted the women directly.

Or are you among those that prefer to go down with the ship with all flags flying?

There is more at stake here than Davis's hide.

I was against this recall from the begining. Davis was reelected after serving four years. Theres no reason for this recall. Davis was the same person he was before the reelection. Nothing changed. California chose davis and should let him finish his term.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

Davis resigning just guarantees the success of the recall. It nullifies all of those "no on the recall" votes. It doesn't change the fact that we will vote a replacement. It doesn't give Bustamonte more votes, since they aren't running against each other. People voting "no" are still choosing a replacement, should the "yes" vote prevail. His resignation doesn't change the "real choices" at all.

Bustamonte resigning doesn't create more "no" votes. It just shifts all of his votes to one of the others running. And without Bustamonte, we don't have a dem to vote for who has a chance to win.

investigation. Are you saying the women who have come forward are all lying? Until I know otherwise, I'll assume their credibility is at least the equal of Kathleen Parker's.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, women have come forward with allegations of harrassment before now. The mainstream media simply chose not to give them the same coverage they routinely gave to anyone willing to make a claim involving the Clintons.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0905-07.htm

Protest Says Schwarzenegger Degrades Women
by Adam Tanner

<edit>

Some published articles have portrayed Schwarzenegger as touching women's bottoms and breasts without their consent.

In a recent interview with Reuters, his best friend Franco Columbu confirmed that such incidents have taken place, such as when he touched the breasts of a British television presenter.

"Like the girl in London when he was lying on the bed, the couch or whatever it was, and touching her and taking a picture," Columbu said. "That stuff is Arnold, he does that. He says, 'You have nice big legs' and touch her, fine. But nothing harmful or telling somebody 'Leave, I am going to be with her alone."'

"They love it of course. I've never seen him do something that was, like, out of place. Talking, yes, he would say something like 'Oh, you look so sexy,' 'Oh, ya, you have a nice ass,' but that's it."

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