Talk About Real Issues in Campaign

Why has Gov. Gray Davis made abortion a key issue in his campaign against Richard Riordan? This is just a smoke screen to cloud over the real issues for which he has no solutions. Riordan has said that he will abide by existing laws. So, why can’t we have a campaign based on the real issues? There certainly are enough of them.

Paul Bernstein

Beverly Hills

*

Can anyone imagine Democrats voting for a Democratic politician who was against abortion, against gun control, against gay marriages and gave big donations to Republican candidates? It would never happen because, as diverse as the Democratic Party is, there are some core values almost all of them agree on.

So how could any Republican consider voting for Riordan? The man is everything the Republican Party is not: He supports abortion (even if he doesn’t like it personally), he supports gun control, he welcomes the gay lifestyle and he has made huge contributions to Democratic candidates--which means the opposing Republican candidate didn’t get his financial support. I ask all my fellow Republicans to vote for either Bill Jones or Bill Simon. It is much better for the California Republican Party to lose with dignity than win with disgrace. Riordan can call himself whatever he wants, but he is not a Republican.

Robert M. Brickson

Corona del Mar

*

When I watched the recent gubernatorial debate in San Jose I was saddened by the statements of the GOP’s team of conservative Bills (Simon and Jones). They both stated that the Republican Party didn’t have to apologize to women when we know clearly that many women have left the Republican Party because they didn’t feel they have a voice. Every election cycle the California GOP throws up the same slate of conservative candidates that are out of touch with women and the broad electorate of California. The result being that every election year major GOP candidates in California go down in defeat to the Democrats.

I believe that Riordan is the right person for the job of governor of California because he can bring many groups of people together across this state, like no other political leader we have had in a long time, and bring the women’s vote back to the GOP.

David Shaneyfelt

Garden Grove

*

According to Andrew Escobar (letter, Feb. 16), “The true heart and soul of any political party is to win elections.” He asks, “What use are rhetoric and ideology when they cannot be implemented through the election of public officials?” Obviously, a party cannot accomplish anything if it doesn’t get candidates elected. But it’s not either-or. A party needs both beliefs and election power. To ignore the supporting ideology is a subversion of the political process. We already have too many politicians (we each have our own list) to whom getting elected is the only thing that matters. But I turn his question around and ask: “What use is getting elected when there is no clear ideology?”

Any political party must of necessity combine and compromise the various beliefs of the individual party members. The Republican Party has a particularly hard job because it has combined so many extreme views: anti-abortionists, the religious right, the gun lobby, etc., and in the meantime there is very little that is truly of general interest to everyone.

The true heart and soul of a political party consists of the underlying beliefs and ideology of its members. Yes, the party must be elected to enough offices to survive. And yes, voting for ideology alone can lead to the “Nader effect,” which serves no real purpose except as an object lesson. Rally around Riordan if you like. I will decide later how to vote.

Robert Scott

Los Angeles

*

Bill Jones seems to think that women, particularly Nancy Daly Riordan, should be controlled by their husbands as to how they should think and vote. Riordan knows that when women are at the table, policy formation is strengthened. He gets my vote in the Republican primary.

Beth Lowe

Board Member, Seneca Network

Santa Monica