>>>Okay, let me get this straight: all the REAL conservatives were going to vote for Simon all along, and Riordan's voting base was the middle.

Tom, were you planning to vote for Riordan??? You have called him a RINO, etc. Do you really think he has good conservative creds? I don't understand why we have to quibble about every silly point. Who do you think is in the Riordan constituency? Can't we agree at least that Simon's typical supporter is somewhat to the right of Riordan's?

>>>So, all these middle-roaders were convinced by Davis' anti-conservative tirades to vote for someone MORE conservative than Riordan?

It sounds like you may be describing more than I have been discussing: the abortion spots. If so, please let me know. And - for the rest of this post - assume that all I am talking about is the abortion posts.

To answer your question: no. That's not what I am saying. What I am saying is that a majority of Riordan's constituancy is uncomfortable about voting for a pro-lifer. He was pretty thouroughly tarred with a very effective ad that had footage of him saying that abortion is murder. The ad also called into question his honesty and his resolve to stick to his beliefs (whatever they are).

This was an ad that was very effective in scaring away his typical constituancy. They either decided to vote for someone else, or moved out of the "citizens likely to vote" column.

Did Simon make a stand about abortion rights? I can't remember.

Anyway, if you think it's easy to get elected as a pro-lifer in a statewide California election, you are mistaken.

>>>Anyway, in a gubernatorial election, who cares? Under current law, the governor of California has no more to say about abortion than the dogcatcher.

What matters in an election is getting people to vote for you. For emphasis: what matters in an election is getting people to vote for you.

The voters seem to care about abortion. I don't know if the typical voter thinks the governor can close all the Planned Parenthood shops or not. Regardless, it has a big effect on their voting habits, particularly in some locations -- notably California.

>>Anyone, on either side of the political spectrum, who picks their politicians solely on the basis of whether or not he supports fetus-killing, has something wrong with their mind in the first place. There are many more issues far more critical to the freedom of this nation, which is threatened by both outside and inside forces.

I may have more sympathy for the pro-lifers than you. If you feel that murder is being done to an innocent soul every time an abortion is performed, then you had better jolly-well let your vote show it.

Personally I am uncomfortable about abortion, and ecstatically happy with birth control. It's a shame that typical conservatives and Catholics dislike birth control so much.