Conservative Out of House Race in Calif.

[Eugene]

Conservative Out of House Race in Calif.


Tuesday May 9, 2006 4:46 AM

SAN DIEGO (AP) - A conservative Republican seeking the congressional seat vacated
by jailed former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham said Monday he's dropping out of the race.

Eric Roach spent more than $2.3 million of his own money in finishing a close third
behind former Rep. Brian Bilbray in an April special election, according to records
from PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks campaign contributions and spending.

Roach said he was stepping aside to avoid damaging Bilbray's chances against Democrat
Francine Busby in the June 6 runoff in California's 50th congressional district.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5809509,00.html

[begin_within]

1. Thank heavens. He was icky. Not that Bilbray's any better, but still.

[LA lady]

2. not good!

I think this news sucks! His votes will go to Bilbray

[begin_within]

5. Frankly I think most people believe Busby and Bilbray are the only ones in

the race... If anyone had gotten 50% plus one vote in the April election, they would be the congressperson now. So it's a runoff between the 2 top votegetters, Busby and Bilbray. It came as a surprise to me to hear that Roach was even in the race at all at this point. I believe the number of votes he will be "turning over" to Bilbray is insignificant. The national Repub. committe has been spending lavishly, $$$$$$$ on TV commercials attacking Busby, showing the same thing over and over and over - I'm sure I saw their first attack ad well over 100 times, and they just switched to a new one. The find video of Busby, for example a clip of her clapping, and then juxtapose that with a remark about her supposedly supporting a teacher who was found with child porn or something. Busby's campaign had to put an ad refuting it and tell the real story, but the R's keep running the ad anyway. They are incredibly tacky people on top of everything else.

[napi21]

3. WHY would ANBODY spend Millions of his own money to get

a job that pays $165,000 a year? I still don't understand that!

I even have a difficult time understanding why anyone with a cushy life even wants to be a Congressman, but I guess I can understand if a candidate gets a lot of contributions, his ego gets in the way, and he might figure "Hey, they think I'll be great, so I'll do it."

That doesn't sound like what happened to this nut. So WHY would anyone do that?

[begin_within]

4. Well, as Cunningham demonstrated, there are the fringe benefits.

[Hardrada]

6. Where do these people GET all that fucking money anyway

just to flush it away?

[SoCalDem]

10. It's just the "circle of life"...political life

candidates take bribes from corporations who expect favorable legislation from said congress-critter..Congress-critter MUST have loads of loot so they can pay for air time on TV...(time thet WE "give" the networks for FREE, and they tuern around and sell for big bucks so their boards of directors and fat cat pals will have the money to GIVE to candidates, so THEY can get preferential treatment..

the solution?

Each candidate that meets a threshhold, would be GIVEN 30 minutes PER DAY on a special "election channel". No "mock debates"..juts the candidates addressing the issues.. Perhaps it could be interactive with call in questions like c-span..

Voters would know where to turn toi find out about the issues and to hear what the candidates have to say.

Since we let the networks have the airwaves for FREE, why should they be making huge amounts of loot by running election ads that we all hate anyway..? Every 2 years they could certainly provide such a channel.

With no need for big money, the candidates would all have to abide by public financing and could only spend money on stuff like office staff and posters, bumper stickers, etc..

They could all have a website and could sell their stuff, but that money could only be used in verified, approved ways..

Incumbents would never go for this though, because they would start losing their seats to less well-connected people, and laws might start to favor the vast middle classers

[TheWraith]

8. Well, some people do it because they believe in the cause.

Right here in my own district, we've got a guy running named Jack Davis. He's an millionaire industrialist, very strongly against free trade. In 2004, he blew $1.2 million of his own money trying to unseat Tom Reynolds, who's the head of the RNCC. Came damn close, too--Reynolds had to start running ads for the first time since he got elected. Now he's doing it again in 2006.

[WhiteTara]

9. does the name Dukestir mean anything?

they aren't in it for the salary, they are in it for the power, bribes and babes (or babers for the closet gays in congress). :shrug: Isn't that politics is good for?

[Hardrada]

11. That seems to cover it!!

[Robbie Michaels]

7. I have some good news

I don't have written proof, but I was watching the local newscast of the CBS affiliate in San Diego during my lunch break and a reporter announced the results of the latest poll for the 50th District.

Francine Busby 45%
Brian Bilbray 38%
Undecided 17%

Considering that until recently a Democrat had a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected in that district, this is great news!

If this holds true on June 6th, then a hockey game will break out on the river Styx. :-)