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Davis' Dirty Deeds - October 7, 2003 By James
L. Hirsen, J.D., Ph.D.
The Schwarzenegger campaign is resonating with people, especially when the Davis camp is accused of dirty tricks. Too bad for Davis. His handlers have unwisely seized on the negative press instead of letting the stories wash down the sewer. Interestingly, though, the pursuit of trash has only served to heighten the perception that the allegations are just more of the same politics of personal destruction. The Knight Ridder poll, the only independent poll to come out since the sexual harassment and Hitler charges, shows that the recall is leading 54 percent to 41 percent and Schwarzenegger is leading Bustamante 36 percent to 29 percent. The sheer volume and hasty delivery of the scandal sheets show a complete disregard for the values the Left supposedly cares so much about. Transparent to all in the final days before the historic vote is the complicity of the media, with its graphic front-page allegations from unnamed women who claim to have been sexually harassed by Schwarzenegger on movie sets and at other Tinseltown settings, and the inaccurate reports that Arnold expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler. (When published by the media, the crucial phrase "But I didn't admire him for what he did with it" had been left out.) Maria's features are beginning to manifest some signs of strain but her inner strength isn't. Shriver told the California Women's Leadership Association in California: "I know the man I am married to. ... You can decide to listen to people who have never met Arnold, who have never sat down to see what's behind the body, what's behind the accent. Or you can listen to me." Meanwhile, other members of Arnold's extended family have weighed in. The Washington Post reported this interchange. Congressman Mark Foley said, "Eunice, I can't believe you're finally supporting a Republican!" Eunice Shriver replied, "Don't say that, dear," and added that she was "very optimistic, very confident in Arnold." Not that long ago, in the final days of the 2000 presidential election, a story about an old drunk-driving case involving Dubya coincidentally surfaced. It was part of the reason for the razor-thin margin, which forced the world to suffer through Al Gore's mantric mouthing of "every single vote must be counted." The folks in the Bush administration had better memorize this Left Coast object lesson.
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