Remember what the recall is about

Posted: September 12, 2003

by BILL SIMON

Remember what the
recall is all about

Job One: Remove from office the worst governor and most
duplicitous politician the state has ever seen.

2002 Republican nominee for California governor, William E. Simon, Jr.,
serves as co-chairman of William E. Simon & Sons, a private investment firm
and merchant bank, of the William E. Simon Foundation, and of the Cynthia L
and William E. Simon, Jr., Foundation.

Five veteran political writers and Party leaders consider, from a variety of perspectives, the question: How should Republicans approach the October 7 recall election? The authors are Rush Limbaugh, Assemblyman John Campbell, Senator H.L. Richardson, ret., William E. Simon, Jr., and Shawn Steel. Under the heading “Equal Time,” CPR reprints portions relevant to the recall of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s August 6 announcement that she would not run.

All recall — all the time! That slogan could sum up the national media frenzy surrounding California’s October 7 date with destiny. No longer concerned with promoting my own candidacy, I am now focused like a laser on reminding Californians and especially fellow Republicans what this recall election is really all about — removing from office the worst governor and most duplicitous politician I have ever seen.

With all the media attention given to the various replacement candidates, it can be easy to lose sight of the fundamental question facing voters — whether Governor Gray Davis should be removed. In fact, recall opponents are using what they call the “circus” atmosphere surrounding the election to discredit this constitutional process and scare voters into saving Davis.

We must not let this happen. This historic recall election is a true grassroots uprising against the corrupt politicians and bungling bureaucrats in Sacramento who have driven our state to the brink of a financial meltdown. It represents a powerful force for positive change — for leaders who are honest and accountable, and for a government that is limited and local in nature.

Nothing can stop this genuine grassroots movement — except our own complacency. Recall supporters must spare no effort to remind their friends, neighbors, coworkers — every Californian they meet — why it is so important to remove Gray Davis and put our state on a new, more hopeful path.

Davis and his cronies have spent California into bankruptcy, resulting in the biggest deficit and worst credit rating of any state in history.

His job-killing policies have thrown
hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens out of work and forced thousands of small businesses to close their doors or flee the state.

He turned an electricity problem into a full-blown crisis — a crisis that remains with us to this day. And he has done nothing as California’s quality of life continues to decline — our schools, roads, water, housing, and health care.

Gray Davis would never have been reelected last year if he had not lied about the budget, lied about the power crisis, lied about our declining quality of life, and spent a record $80 million lying about me.

The truth has now come out. But instead of apologizing to the people for the mess he has made of California, Davis continues to dodge, duck, and deceive. We must not let him get away with it!

So as we continue to follow all the political machinations and colorful punditry surrounding the replacement candidates, let’s not lose sight of what this recall is all about. Angry and concerned citizens across California have risen up because we are fed up. We want our government back. We want to set California on a new course that can only begin by removing Gray Davis from office on October 7.

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