Contributors
Doug Gamble- Contributor

Doug Gamble is a former writer for President Ronald Reagan and resides in Carmel. [go to Gamble index]

Paging Mr. Jones...
There’s a Republican running for Senator? Who knew?...
[Doug Gamble] 9/15/04

What if they held a U.S. senatorial election in California and no one showed up?

While that doesn’t literally describe the race between incumbent Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Bill Jones, it’s not too much of an exaggeration. It is so far out of the media spotlight and so far off the radar of the average California voter, most probably don’t even know the campaign is being waged.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will try to inject some pizzazz into the race tonight (Sept. 14) when he headlines a Jones fundraiser at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. If nothing else it should infuse the Jones campaign with some desperately-needed cash, with invitees paying $2,000 for an exclusive gathering prior to the main reception and dinner and $500 for the dinner itself.

The former California Secretary of State could raise even more money if there were a third price option -- $1,000 for the dinner, and he promises not to give a speech. Like Gray Davis before him, Jones unfortunately is also as dull and vanilla as his name.

The amount of enthusiasm Schwarzenegger has for Jones might be judged by the contradiction over whether he would show up for the fundraiser at all. The governor’s communications office originally denied there were any scheduled appearances for Jones, but four days later acknowledged the Beverly Hills event. Rumors that Schwarzenegger would be overpowered by a Jones press gang, tied up and dragged kicking and screaming to the event proved unfounded.

Schwarzenegger’s apparent reluctance to go all out for the GOP senatorial candidate is not surprising. His entire adult life, from bodybuilding to Hollywood stardom to politics, has been about winning and associating with winners, so why would he want to invest political capital in a loser? With Boxer currently leading by 15-points and with $6-million more money in the bank -- two reasons the media have written this race off as an uncompetitive yawner -- the chances of Jones pulling out a victory are on par with the odds of John Kerry inviting Zell Miller over for Thanksgiving dinner.

White House enthusiasm for Jones is also milquetoast compared to its backing for Republicans in other states.

The Jones candidacy was doomed from the beginning. The fact is, despite attaining statewide office, he just isn’t a compelling politician. Not only did he lose the race for the 2002 GOP gubernatorial nomination, he finished third to Bill Simon and Richard Riordan, the former a political newcomer and the latter a neophyte in statewide politics.

He won the senatorial nomination as the candidate of the party establishment, but at the grassroots level polls show that only 50 per cent of likely Republican voters are satisfied with Jones as their standard-bearer, while nearly 75 per cent of Democrats are happy with Boxer. If Jones can’t even energize his base how can he attract the cross-over votes he’d need to win?

He miscalculated in believing the same voter outrage that booted Davis from office would be a major factor in his race. Schwarzenegger’s victory did not represent a sea change toward Republicans in California politics, but was a fluke occurrence unlikely to be repeated anytime soon.

And Jones is wasting his breath trying to portray Boxer as out of step with most Californians in this liberal state. Apparently she isn’t, if two previous senatorial wins and a lack of voter animosity toward her are any indication. When he paints Boxer as a liberal, most Californians look at the portrait and say, “Fine with me.”

There was a popular Mills Brothers song that included the lyrics, “The whole town’s talking about the Jones boy.” Unfortunately for Republicans, the whole state’s not talking about the Jones boy running for senator, and barely knows who he is.CRO

California-based Doug Gamble contributed speech material to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and writes a twice-monthly column for the Orange County Register and CaliforniaRepublic.org.

Copyright 2004 Doug Gamble

§