California faces serious problems that need to be fixed. And several months of what passes for the "political process" in America has produced this circus 24 hours before the election.
Imagine what the national poll will look like in 2004. Do we ever get to the point where a majority of people rebels against this sideshow and demand serious politics again?
One more item for my "don't hold your breath" list.
By Dan Balz and Evelyn Nieves
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, October 6, 2003; Page A01
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5 -- California's gubernatorial recall campaign turned increasingly nasty today, as Gov. Gray Davis (D) demanded that Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) address in detail accusations of sexual misconduct that have mounted daily and the film star asked supporters to reject a "sleaze campaign" that he said was politically inspired by "well-organized" opponents.
Facing possible ouster from office on Tuesday, Davis sought to rally his soft Democratic base to vote against the recall by signing a far-reaching health care bill requiring all larger employers in the state to provide health insurance for their workers, as his campaign team tried to keep the focus on questions of Schwarzenegger's treatment of women.
Schwarzenegger joined thousands of supporters for a rally outside the state Capitol in Sacramento, where he called for a broom and said, "We're going to clean house." The rally ended his four-day bus tour of the state that has been partially overshadowed by the controversy over charges of groping and misbehavior toward women. Today's rally included several hundred protesters -- some chanting, "No on recall" or "No groper for governor" -- who clashed with the actor's supporters.
It was another day of tumult, confusion and dueling campaign polls that has left the recall election in an unsettled state two days before the balloting. The only new public poll, conducted by Knight-Ridder Newspapers and NBC News, showed a majority still intending to vote to remove Davis from office on Tuesday and Schwarzenegger still leading Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D) in the ballot's second question: Who should replace Davis if he is removed?
That poll, like other private poll results that the campaigns and their partisans have been circulating, showed support for the recall slipping somewhat over the weekend. It was not clear, though, that Davis can overcome the deep hostility among voters toward his leadership in office, despite growing questions about Schwarzenegger and the charges leveled against him. Davis's advisers said the recall vote was now virtually even; Schwarzenegger's advisers disputed that assertion, but there were signs of nervousness in the actor's camp.
Before signing the health insurance bill, Davis stepped before cameras outside a health care facility in Los Angeles to insist that Schwarzenegger deal directly with the allegations against him.
Noting that 15 women have come forward, Davis said, "I believe Mr. Schwarzenegger should deal with these explanations in detail, not through partial explanations, evasive answers and partial denials. The question gets down to this: Are all 15 women and their families lying, or is Mr. Schwarzenegger not telling us the truth?"
His campaign also put on a new television ad, featuring Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D). She notes that "serious allegations have surfaced against the governor's opponent" that deserve "serious consideration" by voters.
The Los Angeles Times first published accusations against the actor on Thursday. The newspaper had another story on its front page this morning, this one recounting charges by four more women who said the actor had fondled them or touched them inappropriately. The incidents described in the Times's stories cover a span of 30 years.
Schwarzenegger's advisers have charged that some of his accusers have close ties to Davis and the Democratic Party and that some have been financial contributors to his campaigns.
In an interview with NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, aired tonight on NBC's "Dateline," Schwarzenegger at first denied he grabbed or groped any woman, saying, "This is not me." A minute later, he said he was not denying all accusations. "Not at all," he said.
Schwarzenegger said Davis is partly to blame for the charges coming out now. When Brokaw asked about Davis's call for the actor to address the charges, the film star said it was Davis who owes the people of California an apology for what he has done to the state.
Brokaw replied: "You're not going to be any more specific about these charges in terms of your denials?"
"As soon as the campaign is over, I will," Schwarzenegger replied. "I can get into all of the specifics and find out what is really going on. But right now, I'm just really occupied with the campaign."
The grand finale of Schwarzenegger's bus tour from San Diego to Sacramento did not end with the triumphal flourish his campaign had planned. There were more "Join Arnold" signs than those of dissent, but Californians with various reasons for not supporting Schwarzenegger often drowned out the cheers of the supporters.
The most vocal were more than 300 union members who were hastily organized by the Sacramento Labor Council's central committee Saturday night, according to several members interviewed.
"This is serious for us," said Thurmoen Boykin, who works for the state Department of Social Services, and who was wearing an AFL-CIO T-shirt and cap. "He's going to take unions back to the terrible situation of [former Republican governor Pete] Wilson, which we have fought so hard to overcome."
"I've heard these stories about Arnold for a long, long time," said Jon Bauman, who was known as "Bowzer" in the '50s tribute group Sha Na Na. He traveled to Sacramento from his home in Los Angeles to participate in the protests. "But that's not the only reason I'm against this. He's taken no position on any of the major issues. He has offered no solutions to any of California's problems. He's admitted he's molested women. And he's made remarks that suggest he admired Hitler."
For Schwarzenegger fans, the recent revelations about his alleged inappropriate remarks and groping of women simply were not a factor. "I don't believe a word of any of it," said Kathy Cates, 22, a student at Sacramento State University.
Cates said she believes that women "came on to him" and added, "This is just so stupid, anyway. Who cares about that stuff when the state is in the toilet?"
Union member Shannon Lewis said she disagrees with her union colleagues. "I'm a state worker, and so I see what Davis has done to this state," she said. "This is the greatest state in the whole United States, and he's bankrupted us."
On an ordinary day, the health care bill signed by Davis would have been the dominant news, but today Davis used it to try to win over Democrats, more than a quarter of whom say they will vote for the recall. When fully implemented in 2007, the measure requires all employers with more than 50 employees to provide health insurance for their workers and their families. The bill will mean health care coverage for an additional 1 million workers and their dependents, according to estimates. |
