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| Why Davis is being recalled |
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| August 11, 2003 |
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By Jennifer Olsen
Special
to SF Gate
On October 7, Californians will decide whether Governor
Gray Davis will keep his job or not. This recall couldn't
have happened to a nicer guy.
After spending his first term in office doing nothing
but raising money, Davis now wants the public to believe
that he intends to focus on the people's business. "Whether
I have 64 days or three and a half years, I will spend
virtually all of my time on the state's priorities,"
he said last week during a visit to Chicago.
Gee, why was our governor out of the state, you ask? Was
he meeting with bond officials to convince them to raise
California's downgraded credit rating? Was he meeting
with Illinois officials to find out how that state wooed
a major employer like Boeing to the Prairie State?
No, not our governor. He was in Chicago to ask labor leaders
to give him millions of dollars to fight the voters' recall.
Davis' priorities have always been raising money first,
public policy second. In 2000, when the state was enduring
endured blackouts and high-tech industry had begun to
hemorrhage jobs, Davis ignored the energy crisis and the
dot-com bomb. Instead, Davis continued his madcap fundraising,
banking $14.3 million for his re-election campaign that
was still two years away.
From early on in his career, Davis has been getting in
trouble for his addiction to collecting political donations.
As Governor Jerry Brown's chief of staff, Davis was investigated
by law enforcement and the Fair Political Practices Commission
for his role in a scandal involving using state employees
and state resources to help raise money for one of Brown's
bids for president. As a state assemblyman, Davis was
investigated by the state Attorney General, a fellow Democrat,
and fined for using state resources for political fundraising.
As governor, Davis was forced to fire employees after
a scandal broke out regarding a no-bid software contract
with high-tech giant Oracle Corp. and campaign contributions.
In 2002, The Chronicle revealed a disturbing link between
cash contributions to the Davis campaign and positive
decisions by the California Coastal Commission.
Raising money is clearly one of Davis' political strengths.
Yet he has always tried to cast himself as the little
guy running against millionaire candidates. In 1998, Davis
defeated his primary opponents-millionaires Al Checchi
and Jane Harmon-with a campaign slogan of "experience
money can't buy." He encouraged the press' description
of him as a boring policy wonk. Yet despite decades of
government jobs, Davis has never really been interested
in public policy. Davis has always been interested in
raising money, campaigning and, most importantly, Gray
Davis.
There is no doubt that Davis and his team can raise enough
money to mount a serious fight against the recall. Davis
is turning to longtime allies among Democratic special
interest groups for support.
The pro-abortion group NARAL's Kate Michelman promises
to help Davis, saying the recall proponents were "anti-choice
activists" trying to "buy an election and unseat
the most pro-choice governor in the country." Michelman
seems to be ignoring the fact that the voters will have
several pro-choice candidates to choose from, including
Arnold Schwarzenegger, columnist Arianna Huffington and
former state Assemblywoman Audie Bock.
Organized labor has been one of Davis' major sources of
support from the beginning and they have rushed to help
him fight the recall. He is planning to raise about $10
million from unions. The powerful Service Employees International
Union is talking about giving Davis $2 million. A firefighters
union put together an anti-recall group, Taxpayers
against the Governor's Recall, and donated at least
$168,000 to defeat the recall. The Building & Construction
Trades Council of California has agreed to spend $100,000
against the recall.
Several unions have pledged not only direct assistance
to Davis, but are forming separate groups with separate
budgets. These groups will help Davis by producing and
distributing anti-recall flyers at job sites and sending
direct mail pieces to members' homes. Around the state,
painters, ironworkers and other laborers are attending
rallies in support of the governor who has richly rewarded
organized labor for its massive campaign contributions.
Once the recall looked to be a reality, the word from
the Democratic Party leadership at the state and national
level was that no Democratic candidate should run in the
recall. Davis and his sidekick Garry South spent much
time asking party leaders to ensure that Democrat voters
have no alternative to Davis. Democratic National Committee
Chairman Terence McAuliffe agreed to provide a national
show of support for Davis. (McAuliffe may be changing
his tune if he thinks California voters will hand the
state over to Schwarzenegger, giving President Bush a
Republican governor to help him win the state in 2004.)
Some Democrats have admitted that they were uncomfortable
with the strategy of denying the voters a mainstream Democratic
candidate to consider. Michael Miller, the chairman of
the Napa County Democratic Central Committee told the
Washington Post, "To be honest with you, I'm kind
of worried about it. I don't like the idea of not having
an option. And I don't like the idea of only sticking
with Davis and his 'I'm not worse than the other guy'
strategy."
So Davis-through arm-twisting by South and threats of
retribution from the unions-successfully kept legitimate
Democrat candidates from entering the race, until Schwarzenegger
jumped in. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante almost immediately
alerted the press that he would be running to replace
Davis. Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi followed
suit the next day. Apparently the idea of the Terminator
running for governor scared the Democrats enough to break
ranks with Davis. And they are smart to abandon the sitting
governor. Private and public polls show Davis in major
trouble. California's governors seat is too politically
important, both in the state and nationally, for the Democrats
to give up just to be nice to Gray Davis. Plus, Davis
has never earned any deep loyalty from fellow elected
officials.
Few politicians have Davis' ability to squeeze cash from
individuals, businesses, and other groups. But Davis has
never spread his wealth around. It is a common practice
for politicians in leadership positions to help lower-level
party officials to raise money. At the national level
Bill Clinton has been a major rainmaker for his party.
But Davis is not, which is why his support among Democrat
elected officials has always been rather weak. Democrat
powerbrokers are unhappy about the recall. They are unhappy
about the prospects of losing the governor's office, but
not necessarily losing Gray.
Now that Arnold Schwarzenegger is running, there is no
doubt that Davis will once again try the "experience
money can't buy" approach. He'll cry that he's up
against millionaire candidates like Schwarzenegger. But
that argument just won't fly this time. Gray Davis had
four years to prove to the state that he can lead, that
he has vision, that he is looking out for the best interest
of our state and its people. But he failed. And that's
why he's being recalled.
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Sharon Davis'
Attack Blog |
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