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Lost in Orange County, California (or, Don't Blame Us -- It's The Media)

A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY

This past spring, while entering the supermarket, hardware store, or, unbelievably, just walking along the beach, I was constantly barraged with people asking me to sign the recall petition. Going to Home Depot was a tricky exercise in avoiding the myriad of paid signature gatherers ($1.00 per name was the going rate). Morning, noon and night, the clipboard people were there. They know that Republicans are the majority here --so, the anxious individuals would spend hours lurking around public places. The Bush legacy: The unemployed desperately looking for something to do to make a buck.

I witnessed many unsuspecting shoppers being told the problems of the state would be instantly solved by getting rid of Gray Davis. Nobody ever mentioned the $70 million dollar price tag on a recall. Not a word was said that a dubious fellow like Darryl Issa was behind the recall --and that those begging for signatures were paid on his commission system. In fact, several of Issa's workers told me there was an ongoing problem with elderly people being so pressured that they signed at more than one location. "They were just confused," one worker told me. Right.

Now that the recall is here, candidate information is scarce. The first debate was covered on a local PBS station --in the mid-afternoon. The second was shown on a little-watched local station -- also during the workday. The third debate, held today (9/17/03), is not even carried on local television --though the L.A. Press Club hosts it. At this moment, while the debates are taking place, Arnold face is on the local news as he travels from one area photo op to another. The Terminator never appears in the debates. But, who would know -- we don't even see them!

I received my voter packet yesterday. There are policy statements from every major candidate (Davis, Bustamante, Huffington, McClintock, etc...). In fact, everyone submitted his or her statement -- except Arnold. I couldn't believe there was not even a word of information offered from his campaign. In my twenty years of voting in California, I cannot remember any candidate for a major office that did not submit a statement for the booklet. Gosh, is he afraid to provide even a simple paragraph of opinion?

Yet, the polls tell us that Arnold is in second place. Why? Because the local media doesn't give us much else. Because Larry King, Oprah Winfrey, and the other major media outlets give The Terminator hour-long interviews to a large audience. Because, as a citizen of California, I can't even watch the debate being held right now in an auditorium an hour north of my home.

So, please don't blame the majority of Californians for this circus. It is not of our making.

A BuzzFlash Reader

A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY