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Politics : IMPEACH GRAY DAVIS! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Zoltan! who wrote (963)	8/27/2003 9:11:28 PM
From: Raymond Duray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1641

Calif. Gov. Slams Schwarzenegger's Inexperience reuters.com By Adam Tanner SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's Democratic Governor Gray Davis on Wednesday criticized Arnold Schwarzenegger, the leading Republican seeking his job, as lacking in experience to lead the richest U.S. state. "He meets the minimal qualifications. He exceeds the voting age and he is a resident of California," Davis told a news conference on the crowded, dimly lit floor of the Pacific Stock Exchange in San Francisco. "Sometimes people want a little more, like a little experience." The remark was the latest in a feistier effort by the veteran politician as he fights an unprecedented recall vote on Oct. 7 in which Schwarzenegger and 132 others are vying for the state's top job. Davis said he will also appear at more town hall meetings in the coming weeks to win over voters. The governor is not directly competing against Schwarzenegger as voters will only decide whether to remove Davis from office. But if voters are enthusiastic about Schwarzenegger or another candidate on the second question of the ballot, Davis could see his support fall. The muscleman turned actor has made only a few public appearances since becoming a political candidate. He has recently accelerated his fund-raising efforts even though he initially suggested he would not take money. "As you know, I don't need to take money from anybody," the multimillionaire Schwarzenegger said when he first announced his candidacy. "I have plenty of money myself." Schwarzenegger has raised more than $1.2 million in addition to $2 million of his own funds. He expanded on that theme in a radio interview. "The fact of the matter is of course I take donations from individuals," he said. "What I don't do is I don't want to take money from special interests that I have to negotiate with. The employees union and all those kinds of things." Schwarzenegger's donations so far include $100,000 from William Lyons Homes Inc., a builder, $21,200 from actor Rob Lowe, and $21,200 from winery Thomas Jordan. He has scheduled a series of high-priced fund-raisers in coming weeks. Some candidates have attacked Schwarzenegger for casting himself in the image of a political outsider while acting very much like a traditional, hat-in-hand politician. ROLE FOR EXPERIENCE Davis, famed for his fund-raising abilities, has seen groups opposing his removal gather more than $5 million, according to Recall Watch, which tallies daily contributions. Unions have been particularly generous. The importance of the money is likely to intensify in the coming weeks. Money is important in any American political race, but especially vital in the recall vote because of the large size of California and the short campaign period. Republican Schwarzenegger has already purchased large blocks of television time to air ads and hired a large campaign staff of veteran Republicans. A Survey USA poll of a relatively small sample of 591 "certain" voters released on Wednesday showed Schwarzenegger's support at 45 percent and Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's at 29 percent. The poll had a margin of error of 4 percent. Recent polls have suggested either of the two men may be the favorite among voters should Davis be replaced. Bustamante has gathered more than half a million dollars, a substantial amount of which came from Indian tribes with gambling interests.