GOP Candidates Look to Step In for Davis

Re “GOP Challengers Spar as Davis Campaigns to Remain in Office,” July 27: Regarding Bill Simon Jr.’s hint that he will enter the race for California governor, a note to Bill: Stay out. You are among the most important reasons Gov. Gray Davis was reelected last fall. Your campaign was inept, marked in greatest part by your inability to articulate any measure of policy on any number of important issues. Now, notwithstanding your having helped keep Davis in office, we have a chance to oust one of the most reckless governors in our state’s history.

Don’t get in the way. Stay out.

Mark Greenfield

Los Angeles

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California Democrats, wake up and smell the blood of your own slaughtered political party.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and the Republican Party want nothing more than to see the Democrats devour their own candidate. Granted, Davis was a tower of Jell-O during the Enron power-trading financial wrecking of California. But our anger and action should be saved for the real perpetrators: the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (it regulated nothing) and President Bush, Ken Lay and their cronies.

By the way, anyone heard or seen anything of Lay lately? No -- and we probably won’t, as long as his big bucks are there to protect him.

Travers Huff

Los Angeles

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Davis does not get it. We are not recalling him because he is a Democrat. We are recalling him because the Californians who elected him have discovered that he is devious, self-serving and a poor leader. During these difficult times we need someone who can lead our elected officials and us back into prosperity for all our citizens. I do not think that Issa, Simon or Arnold Schwarzenegger can do it. They do not have a wide enough appeal among all voters. We need a Gerald Ford type, a man who can bring back trust and integrity to a position badly tarnished.

Richard Riordan may be that man. He has proved his ability to work with both political parties. Perhaps he can bring some sanity back to California politics.

John A. Rayment

Laguna Niguel

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A Viennese weightlifter? I don’t think I’ll be interested. How about we recall this recall by next week and have the signatures of Californians collected online.

William Ha

Hawthorne

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I agree with Leon Panetta (Commentary, July 27) that politicians should serve their state rather than themselves. For many who serve in office, the greater good has been lost in the search for personal security. Therefore, the recall of any politician who has proved incapable of leading is imperative.

We did not sign the recall papers lightly. The ship is without a rudder -- what possible reason is there to stay the course for another three years? By the way, the cost of the election is similar to a grain of sand in the deficit bucket. Not much of a deterrent.

W.C. Wynn Jr.

Chino

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Many years ago I helped circulate petitions for a state proposition. Our supervisor was very clear in telling us that we must be registered California voters, that the signers of our petitions must be registered in the same county as the circulator, and, most important, that one invalid signature could invalidate the whole page.

We were not paid for this work. We did it because we supported the proposition. Now, a few rich spoilers are allowed to hire an out-of-state service to send in mercenaries who have absolutely no interest -- except financial -- in the issues involved. I find this beyond appalling. This is not the participatory democracy envisioned by those who set up the initiative and recall systems.

Julie May

Los Angeles

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I’m not a fan of Davis, but I am not in favor of spending money the state doesn’t have for a recall election. My solution is that the more than 1 million people who signed the recall petition should pay $35 each to cover the $35 million or more that this election is going to cost.

Dolores Briseno

Los Angeles

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Loved your July 28 editorial, “Proudly Writing Badly.” You should note that the spoken language can be bad, too; we now have 70-odd days of political nonsense ahead of us. Could we limit the candidates to one sentence each? They already know how to overload them.

Jennifer Krieger

Northridge