IT'S AS IF HE BELIEVES THIS STUFF!:

Simon Bears Dissonant Message, Observers Say: Gubernatorial candidate's adherence to Republican dogma against big government is at odds with increased expectations after 9/11, according to experts. (MATEA GOLD, 9/21/02, LA TIMES)

As Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon Jr. campaigns to unseat Gov. Gray Davis, he has been skeptical--and at times even derisive--about what government can accomplish.

In the fashion of a true-blue conservative, Simon has argued that government should be doing less, not more. Want to make housing more affordable? Loosen land-use restrictions. Hope to rejuvenate poor neighborhoods? Eliminate the capital gains tax for companies that invest in those communities. Need to build more dams, power transmission lines and highways? Contract the projects out to private companies.

"California can be a state that stands for limited government and unlimited opportunity, and not the other way around," he tells audiences. In front of Republican audiences, the candidate often blames bureaucrats in Sacramento and state regulations for strangling the economy and school reform.
Simon's message, which sticks closely to traditional Republican orthodoxy, has surprised many political experts, who say it is jarringly dissonant in the current climate. The terrorism attacks of the last year, the recent string of corporate abuses and the failure of California's energy deregulation have made voters increasingly distrustful of big business and eager for more government protection, according to pollsters.

What's he supposed to say: "I envision a big government housing program that runs as well as airport security?"
Posted by Orrin Judd at September 21, 2002 7:10 PM