WHEN THE PUBLIC IS UNAWARE.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)

So nearly nine of 10 Californians believe power shortages in the state are phony. What are we to make of this? Could it be that Gov. Gray Davis' public relations campaign against power generators has taken root in minds across the state?

According to a Los Angeles Times poll taken between June 23 and 26, 86% of Californians say electricity wholesalers rigged the market. The implication, of course, is they did so to jack up prices. More than half -- 53% -- simply don't believe there is a shortage.

No doubt, Davis' rhetoric has swayed the public. He's likened out-of-state generators to murderers. He's vilified them, built them up as the enemy (as if this were a war), fingered them as price-gougers and threatened to seize their property.

Davis has even fetched former Gore campaign pit bulls Chris Lehane and Mark Fabiani. They've been brought in, at taxpayers' expense, to help Davis poison the public against wholesalers. Those in President Bush's home state of Texas have been in the bull's-eye more than others.

Eventually a drumbeat will have its intended effect. When folks are told something long enough they tend to believe it, especially when divergent views are muted.

For all his effort, Davis hasn't exactly separated his performance from the state's power woes. Nor has he clearly saved himself politically. The Los Angeles Times poll found that 44% in the ...