Davis re-emerges at party convention
Among friends, ex-governor sees 'better days' ahead for Democrats
John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writer Sunday, January 18, 2004
Former Gov. Gray Davis edged back into the political spotlight Saturday, telling a cheering crowd at the state Democratic convention that "the Democratic Party will have better days.''
It was one of Davis' first public appearances since he was ousted from office in the Oct. 7 recall election and replaced by Republican actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"It's good to be among friends," Davis said as he was greeted with a standing ovation from more than 1,500 party delegates at the San Jose Convention Center. "Last year, as you know, I had a few ups and downs. How was your year?''
Davis, who was joined on the podium by his wife, Sharon, came to the convention at the request of Art Torres, the state party chairman. But the former governor also said that he was eager to thank the party faithful for the years of support they gave him.
"You didn't hesitate, you stood up for us, you stayed the course," he said. "It's been an honor to work with you for the past 30 years.''
Davis spoke briefly and didn't touch on the budget problems Schwarzenegger has been forced to deal with. But in a conversation with reporters before his talk, it was hard for him to disguise the satisfaction he took from the new governor's effort to get a handle on the state's finances.
During the recall campaign, Schwarzenegger talked about how the budget could be balanced by trimming fat, eliminating fraud and making judicious cuts. But after going over the financial numbers, Schwarzenegger proposed borrowing billions of dollars to close the budget gap, just as Davis had.
"People who were expecting some magic wand to wave away the budget problems were probably disappointed," Davis said. "There are only three ways to close a budget gap: borrow more, raise more or cut more.'' He did give Schwarzenegger a boost by saying that he would probably support Proposition 57, the $15 billion budget bond measure.
"The proposition is probably the best available option," he said. "It's the best of bad choices.'' But while Davis looked relaxed and rested after his forced retirement last October, other Democratic leaders are still scrambling for position in the wake of Schwarzenegger's victory. There was sniping and posturing aplenty as California's top elected Democrats each took a turn in front of the convention crowd.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer drew a smattering of boos when he rose to speak. Lockyer, who announced after the October election that he had voted for Schwarzenegger over Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, didn't even touch on state issues during his 10-minute talk, instead focusing his attention on President George Bush and national concerns.
Bustamante wasn't so circumspect. In a biting parody of the "Top Ten'' list that Lockyer typically uses in his political speeches, the lieutenant governor listed "The Top 10 reasons Bill Lockyer voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger instead of me." He suggested, with little humor in his voice, that the attorney general backed Schwarzenegger because "he was concerned that I'd replace the California Golden Bear with the Taco Bell Chihuahua" and that "I'd open a drive-thru DMV office in Tijuana.'
"We know the difference between a Democrat and a Republican,'' Bustamante said, adding that the time has come for Democratic leaders "to put aside childish games and personal ambition.'' The fireworks brought a nervous Torres to the stage.
"That was a good payback speech," he told Bustamante. "Now I hope you can get together and work things out.''
There was plenty of other finger-pointing.
State Treasurer Phil Angelides suggested that "some star-struck Democrats seem to believe that the real lesson of Schwarzenegger's election is that Democrats should behave more like Republicans.'' Democrats have to be willing to stand up for what they believe in, he said.
"The election of an attractive, seemingly popular Hollywood star has already sent some Democrats scurrying for cover," Angelides said.
Speaking to reporters after his talk, Angelides declined to name names.
"People can make their own judgments," he said.
State Controller Steve Westly faced complaints from Democrats when he agreed to serve as co-chair with Schwarzenegger on the campaign to pass the Prop. 57 bond measure. But that didn't stop him from taking shots at the governor's financial plan.
"I saw the new budget and it turned out to be 'True Lies II,' " he said. "Arnold Schwarzenegger has turned his pumped-up back on the people of California.''
But California voters didn't get off unscathed as Democrats searched for answers to their landmark recall loss.
"The reason why Arnold Schwarzenegger is governor today is because Democrats voted for him," said former Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, D-Los Angeles. "But this is no time to be spellbound by some movie star.''
Democrats have to realize that they lost badly last October and that the party is going to have to show some deference to Schwarzenegger's popularity, added Carole Migden, a former San Francisco assemblywoman who now heads the state Board of Equalization. But that doesn't mean the fight is over.
"Without asking, our state and our party got an extreme makeover," she said. "Maybe we need to hit the tanning salon. Maybe we should be doing more pushups.
"But one thing's for sure -- we won't let anyone take away money from our kids just because they're a Hollywood movie star.'' The convention's loudest cheers were for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is running for a third term in the Senate. Her re-election is priority one for California Democrats, who hope to show that Schwarzenegger's election was an aberration and not the beginning of a trend.
"Boxer is the most underestimated senator in the nation," Torres said.
"Every six years (Republicans) think they're going to defeat her and she just comes up taller than ever.''