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More Parsky Watch Parsky Watch - The Magazine Take the Parsky Watch IQ Test Visit the Parsky Watch Store	Back to Parsky Watch archives Feeble campaign to defend Parsky Parsky Watch #24 September 15, 2002 PARSKY WATCH 24: FLATTERY WILL GET YOU NOWHERE They say imitation – no matter how pale or crass -- is the highest form of flattery, so we at Parsky Watch extend a hearty “muchas gracias!” to the debut issue of Western Political Review. Of course, there’s nothing like the original, so here we are again. In case you haven’t seen it, Western Political Review published an self-contradictory screed accusing PW of destroying Bill Simon’s campaign for governor, promiscuously quoting from an array of unnamed “experts” and “insiders.” Now, while the PW launches its missives anonymously, we don’t make things up and ascribe them to imaginary experts. For example, WesternPR quotes one “Sacramento insider” thus: “Let me get this straight. You have the President’s best friend in California, who has access to millions of political dollars, and his own party leadership does attack e-mails against him? They must be $%#%^& idiots!" According to Western PR, ParskyWatch has “hurt the Republicans best and possibly only potential winner in November, Republican gubernatorial challenger Bill Simon.” Western PR then goes on to say…er, excuse us, to quote another insider saying, “It is stuff like this, coupled with Simon’s campaign bungling week after week, that have kept major Republican donors on the sidelines. No one is going to give a dime to these knuckleheads, and Gray Davis, despite being as vulnerable as he is, is going to waltz back into the governor’s office -- and the national arena.” Now wait a minute – why are “major Republican donors on the sidelines” if Gerry Parsky “has access to millions of political dollars”? We’re flattered that WesternPR’s authors credit us with such power – but who are they kidding? Apparently we must continually remind some memory-impaired people that Gerry Parsky assumed control of the state party based on a promise to raise enormous sums of money and “professionalize” the party -- neither which has happened, to the detriment of all statewide Republican candidates. And puhleeze – the Parsky Watch, which has uttered nary a critical word against the Simon campaign, is hurting Simon’s campaign? We shine a spotlight on Parsky precisely because his incompetence, broken promises, anemic fundraising and inexplicable refusal to fund elementary political operations is hurting not just Bill Simon, but the entire ticket and key legislative races. We loved this quote from a “well-placed political observer in Sacramento: "With Davis in office for the next two years however, Bush will have a next to impossible chance at winning the California primary [emphasis ours], no matter who the Democrats nominate." Call us crazy, but we think the President will have zero problem winning his party’s primary in California; and wouldn’t a Davis victory give him four more years, instead of two? Ah well - details, shmetails. However, we do agree with this statement ascribed to one of WesternPR imaginary sources (in this case, a veteran California campaign consultant): "President Bush has every right to be angry with the incompetents running the state party here in California. They quite possibly could cost him his re-election." This is exactly what we’ve been saying all along, and its heartening that WesternPR admits Gerry Parsky has run the California Republican Parsky into the ground and should stick to writing checks, for the good of his party and his President. So, welcome to the fray, WesternPR. And a hint: we know who the Parsky Watch authors are, too.