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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (174163)	8/20/2003 12:27:22 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1577191

California Governor Rips Recall LOS ANGELES (Aug. 20) - In a speech aimed at saving his political career, embattled California Gov. Gray Davis accused the Republican party Tuesday of staging "a right-wing power grab" with a recall election to oust him as leader of the nation's most populous state. "This recall is bigger than California. What's happening here is part of an ongoing national effort by Republicans to steal elections they cannot win," Davis said before a loyal audience of about 200 cheering, chanting supporters at the University of California at Los Angeles. Davis said the Republican power grab began in 1996 when the party tried to impeach President Clinton after they couldn't beat him at the polls. He said it continued when they tried to stop the recount in Florida during the 2000 presidential election and this year with efforts to grab more Congressional seats in Texas and Colorado. "Now they want to seize control of California just before the next presidential election," Davis warned as fired up audience members shouted "Recall this, Arnold" -- a reference to Republican challenger actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who entered the race as a political novice and has quickly garnered massive media attention without making policy pronouncements. Schwarzenegger spokesman Sean Walsh gave a thumbs down to the Davis speech. "It was like watching Gray Davis deliver his obituary on live television," he said. Referring to Democratic Lt.-Gov. Cruz Bustamante who is also in the race, he added, "How clever we were to co-opt Cruz Bustamante and bring him into the vast right wing conspiracy designed to remove him from office." A HAPPY WARRIOR The normally dour Davis smiled frequently, sometimes flashing the thumbs up sign as he defiantly declared, "I may not be the warmest TV personality. But I am warming to this fight." And an actual fight almost started in the UCLA auditorium where Davis spoke and where Republican Party chairman Duf Sundheim slipped in to give his party's side to reporters attending the event. When Sundheim was discovered, he was engulfed by hostile Democrats chanting "Save our bucks, the recall sucks." They hounded him out of the room, then down a flight of stairs and out of the building. There were tense moments when a man shoved his wallet in Sundheim's face, saying the Republican was depriving him of the ability to support his family. Sundheim denied any conspiracy. "Forty percent of Democrats support the recall, so when Davis says its a right-wing conspiracy, either he is not listening to people or he is not telling the truth," he said. Polls show Davis is headed for lopsided defeat in the Republican-led Oct. 7 recall and the governor admitted making some mistakes while in office. But mostly he blamed the Republicans and the U.S. economy for California's woes. "The Republicans say this recall is about the problems of the past. We're getting over them. California didn't go dark, we have a budget, our schools are getting better and our economy will come back. ... But this right-wing power grab is something we won't get over. It would do lasting damage to our state, our environment, and the fabric of our democracy." "The Republicans behind the recall ... want power for the future, and with so many candidates, they think they can get it with the support of a tiny fraction of California voters." One hundred and thirty-five people have filed to run in the recall to succeed Davis should voters decide in the first part of the ballot to remove him from office. Among those vying for Davis' job are Schwarzenegger, Democratic Lt.-Gov. Cruz Bustamante, and Bill Simon Jr., the Republican who lost to Davis last November. Bustamante, the leading Democrat seeking to replace Gov. Gray Davis, proposed raising taxes Tuesday to help ailing state finances. Schwarzenegger, who has not made many of his positions clear, scheduled an economic summit for Wednesday to discuss the state's future with such advisers as billionaire financier Warren Buffett and former Secretary of State George Shultz. (Additional reporting by Adam Tanner) 08/19/03 22:00 ET Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited.