http://dailynews.netscape.com/dailynews/cnn/story_2.tmpl?story=2002030511035001281451&shortdate=0305

Californians vote in a primary Tuesday to pick a Republican nominee for governor, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Condit will find out if he has a political future.

Condit said voters in his district would decide the election, not the media, and he insisted the race should be "about my 30 years of public service" rather than the Chandra Levy case.

The congressman has been politically scarred by questions about his alleged relationship with Levy, a former government intern who is missing.

"I'm out here fighting to the end," Condit said at a news conference Monday night in Modesto during which he verbally jousted with reporters.

Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile, talking Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer," said she had little sympathy for Condit, who has blamed the media for his political troubles.

Condit, 53, has represented California's Central Valley for more than a decade, but his bid for an eighth term in the state's 18th Congressional District has been complicated by the disappearance of Levy, linked romantically to the married lawmaker.

Levy, 24, was last seen in Washington this past spring shortly after completing an internship. Police said they found no evidence of wrongdoing and never named any suspects in the case.

Condit emerged as a key figure because of his alleged relationship with Levy. He has refused to describe it publicly, but police sources said he admitted to an affair with the young woman during an interview with investigators.

Levy's family accused Condit of impeding the investigation by holding back details about the relationship initially.

Many fellow Democrats said Condit should not have sought re-election, and the crowded Democratic primary field -- six contenders -- reflects that political reality.

Condit previously has coasted to victory, but he is trailing in some polls, and his congressional district has been redrawn, forcing him to reach out to new voters.

State Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza, a former Condit aide, is the strongest Democratic contender, according to some pundits.

Condit, who for months refused to talk about the Levy case, has done some interviews lately saying his re-election would help keep the Levy investigation in the spotlight.

Last week, Condit told CNN's "Larry King Live" that "there was no reason" for him not to run.

While he has been criticized as evasive, Condit insisted he has been forthcoming about the Levy matter but acknowledged the final judgment rests with voters.

"The public will have to decide whether or not they like my answers to the questions," he said.

In the governor's race, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan -- supported by the White House -- is in a tougher-than-expected battle for the GOP nomination.

Recent polls have businessman and political novice Bill Simon, son of the late William Simon, treasury secretary under President Ford, pulling ahead. California Secretary of State Bill Jones is also in the race.

"It looks like it has turned into a real horse race between Dick Riordan and myself," Simon said in a recent interview.

"You know, up until two weeks ago, Dick was way ahead in the polls, but in the last couple of weeks, I have surged in part because our message is beginning to resonate through California."

Riordan -- an abortion-rights, anti-death-penalty Republican -- said he is the only candidate who can beat Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in the fall. "He is the enemy of the state," Riordan said of Davis.

But Simon may have benefited by positioning himself to the right of Riordan in a pitch to the Republican faithful.

"Simon defined himself as the conservative, and two-thirds of GOP voters in this primary are conservatives," said Mark Baldassari of the Public Policy Institute of California.

Simon's campaign also has been aided in recent weeks by a multimillion dollar ad blitz by Davis.

Davis, who faces only token opposition in the Democratic primary, has gone after Riordan, whom the White House encouraged to get into the race in the belief that his moderate GOP positions would play well against Davis in the general election.

Also on Tuesday's ballot is Proposition 45, which would modify a state constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1990 that limits state Assembly members to six years in office and state senators to eight.

If approved, voters could sign petitions asking that their legislators be allowed to run for re-election for two more terms in the Assembly or for one more term in the Senate. Twenty percent of the voters in a district would have to support such a move.

In Los Angeles County, Linda Sanchez is making a bid to join her sister, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-California, in Congress. She is one of five Democrats seeking the nomination in the 39th House District, which is heavily Hispanic and Democratic.

-- Maria (Maria9470@lycos.com), March 05, 2002

Answers

"saying his re-election would help keep the Levy investigation in the spotlight." Too funny! In other words, elect me because having me around will constantly remind you that an intern is missing and probably dead.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), March 05, 2002.

And of course he is guilty of killing her, all of the media hype before 911 "proved" that. Did you know Newt was getting a blow job in the Senate parking lot when his aid walked up to his car with his two daughters? Why do you think he was really kicked out as the senate majority leader?

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), March 05, 2002.

Like Maria, I believe Condit is guilty until proven innocent. Republicans are innocent until proven guilty, but Democrats are guilty until proven innocent. He should not be running for office, he should be hanged.

-- (another@ignorant.repug), March 05, 2002.

Another, you are truthful in the first two words of your handle. You are lying about being a republican, although I'm sure you are quite repugnant.

-- the ghost of (dumbya@ate.HisDad), March 05, 2002.

Lmao! Please file your complaints with Maria, she's a Repub and a Repug (in most cases, they are one and the same). You are obviously too dumb to figure it out, but I was just jumping on her bandwagon.

-- (boy are @ you. dumb), March 05, 2002.

So, Newt lost his job because he got head in a parked car? (link please). Is that all you can do is obsess on Gingrich's dick?

-- (Woodward@Bernstein's.bedroom), March 05, 2002.

Cherri, I would really be interested to know where you get some of the ideas you post.

My understanding of the political demise of Newt (not that I claim to be infallible here) is based on the results of the 98 Congressional elections, a terrible disappointment for the House Republicans. I saw Dick Armey on TV after the results were in, and the man was nearly incoherant (I seriously thought he might have gotten drunk to overcome his sorrow). Newt had done poorly in directing the House Republican effort, and then late in the campaign, when the polls indicated that things were not going well, he tried something risky that backfired very badly. He tried to make Clinton's blow jobs a winning issue.

Newt had already survived one insurrection plot, fueled I believe by the personal ambitions of Dick Armey. So the day after the 98 elections had taken place, he made what I thought was a pretty honest statement, declaring that the results had been very disappointing, taking responsibility, and stating that he would step down from his leadership position.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), March 06, 2002.

Cherri, where did I say that he was guilty. Please show me one sentence that states this. But you got to admit, unlike the Bush and Enron affair, there's a lot of smoke around this one. He has been uncooperative with the investigation (hence my comment) and seen doing way too much cleaning. Please Cherri your slip is showing.

Peter, that's what I remember too. Cherri just too upset that the Dem party is looking so bad these days.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), March 06, 2002.

Actually, Cherri’s relentless spewing of poisonous hatred is nothing more than a certification of her self-loathing. Her pathetic existence has been chronicled here in detail so there should be no doubt why she hates herself, and by extension those from any successful background.

-- Free (head@case.analysis), March 06, 2002.

Condit lost.

The buzz is that he will retire to an S & M Fetish Camp in the Ozarks.

-- (lars@indy.net), March 06, 2002.

Peter: It's unclear why it's relevant to this discussion, but I DO know where Cherri got her information on this one. It's REALLY OLD information, not at all associated with politics today, IMO. I have no idea if the scandals surrounding Newt had anything to do with his quitting, but it sure didn't look good that Mr. Family Values had these stains on his character.

Just to be fair, I'm giving the link to Skeletons in the Closet, which includes everyone's skeletons, and not just those of Newt. Scroll down to the OTHER POLITICIANS or something section and click on Newt's name to get the "scoop" on him. This site is usually only updated after folks have expressed an interest in running for the presidency. Newt apparently did at one time, so he's included.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), March 06, 2002.

Anita, the idea of Newt being a moralizing hypocrite does not surprise me in the least. What I was reacting to was Cherri's notion that she had the real skinny on his political downfall.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), March 06, 2002.

"Actually, Cherri’s relentless spewing of poisonous hatred is nothing more than a certification of her self-loathing. Her pathetic existence has been chronicled here in detail so there should be no doubt why she hates herself, and by extension those from any successful background.

-- Free (head@case.analysis), March 06, 2002."

Oh great, another jackass pretending to be a shrink! You should team up with cin and analyze each other. If you really know what you're doing you'll be disgusted at what you discover. How do you explain your "relentless spewing of poisonous hatred" toward Cherri?

-- LOL! (what@dip.shit), March 06, 2002.

I don't have the slightest interest, real or potential, in Rep. Gary Condit's future, except perhaps unless he were to sign on to fight the winner of the Tonya Harding vs. Paula Jones boxing match.

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), March 07, 2002.

come on, fessup big boy. We all are Condit junkies.

-- get a gripper (on@today's.headlines), March 09, 2002.

I would think that the defeated Condit is very nearly unemployable. No one, for example, is going to hire him as a lobbyist.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), March 09, 2002.

We will hire Conditto on a contract basis.

-- (Tony Soprano@Waste.Management.Inc), March 09, 2002.

Nothing to fess up to. The Condit scandal seems to be almost entirely a creature of cable tv news. Since I don't watch cable tv news whatsoever (incidentally, the same goes for the major tv network news), I haven't been corralled into the story. I don't listen to AM talk radio, either.

The Condit "story" (more like "rumorfest") has not occupied my daily newspaper in any noticable way and the few times Condit has appeared there, it is exactly the sort of story I skip over as not worth my time to read. In fact, if it weren't for this forum, I don't think I'd know who Condit is.

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), March 09, 2002.

LN--

Methinks thou doth protest too much. L'affaire Condit/Chandra has been in all the major newspapers as well as on cable TV news. Someone's daughter is missing, likely dead. A prominent pol, with well documented kinky behaviors, lied to the cops for 11 weeks about the nature of his relationship with her. That doesn't make him a murderer. It does make him a dead duck politically.

I would think you'd be glad. He was, afterall, a "blue dog" Democrat.

-- (lars@indy.net), March 09, 2002.

Point One: We have the young lady vanishing under suspicious circumstances, insofar as her ID material was left back at the apartment. Condit insisted she have no ID, when they went out on a date.

Point Two: We have Condit acting very suspiciously. His interview with Connie Chung was a disaster for him.

This is not something that has been cooked up out of thin air by the media.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), March 10, 2002.

"Point One: We have the young lady vanishing under suspicious circumstances, insofar as her ID material was left back at the apartment. Condit insisted she have no ID, when they went out on a date.

Point Two: We have Condit acting very suspiciously. His interview with Connie Chung was a disaster for him."

From the point of view of a disgusting Repug, I'm sure this is enough to make him guilty. Since he is a Democrat you don't need any actual evidence. Unfortunately for you, Dumbya has not yet finished completely corrupting our judicial system, so Condit still has certain rights left to protect him from tyrannical fascists like yourself.

-- (there is still @ some. justice left), March 10, 2002.

Laura, once again, reading your message, I have to say "Tut tut." Have I not told you that I am a Democrat. And furthermore, a conservative "Blue Dog" type of Democrat, like Condit.

What we have with Condit is a lack of hard evidence, just exceedingly suspicious circumstances. So he can't be convicted, but he sure as hell can be voted out of office.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), March 10, 2002.

Poor Gary's dead

A candle lights his head

He's looking oh so peaceful and serene

It looks like he's asleep

It's a shame that he won't keep

but it's summer and we're runnin' outta ice

Poor Garr

-- (Roland@hatemail.com), March 10, 2002.

Lars, you may think what you will, but I don't think I misrepresented myself. My local paper has not been flush with Condit stories. Not that I would have paid much attention anyway. As I near age 50, I find that crime stories about people I don't know lose interest for me - they all resemble each other so closely that there is nothing to learn from them.

And this is a crime story, not politics. Whether Condit is innocent or guilty, his politics doesn't make the slightest difference to that fact. Any pundit who tries to connect Condit's party affiliation to his guilt or innocence is the worst kind of political flack. Anyone who gives any credence to such corrupted punditry is morally blind.

Other than the unassailable fact of Ms. Levy's disappearance and presumed death, this story is utterly empty of signifigance. The only appropriate response to that fact is sadness for her and those who loved her. This is no different from the thousand other deaths and disappearances of young women I've had to read about over the decades. The rest is so much crap, in my opinion. Because this is my opinion and not merely a pose, it has been pretty easy to ignore the whole sad mess.

Since I don't live in Condit's district, the last possible reason for paying attention becomes nonexistant. Believe it or not.

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), March 10, 2002.