- Jan 12, 2003
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The People Have Spoken
With all these so-called "popular Democrats" activated in CA to help retain the helm of the 5th largest economy, I thought this was a lock for the DNC...or so they wanted everyone to believe. Davis is clearly no Bill Clinton.
Angry Californians resoundingly voted to recall Gov. Gray Davis and replace him with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday, voicing a historic demand for change in the state's political order.
The size of Schwarzenegger's victory, after weeks of fluctuating polls, legal uncertainties and voter confusion, exceeded even his own campaign's expectations and offered the actor the unexpected opportunity for a mandate when he arrives in Sacramento next month.
On a day of record high turnout, the first recall of a governor in California history represented a sharp rebuke of the Democratic governor who first won election to the job in 1998 by one of the widest margins in state history. The Bay Area appeared to be the only region of the state that did not vote to oust Davis. While the recall appeared to be winning by about 10 percentage points statewide, San Franciscans voted against it 4 to 1.
Accusations of Schwarzenegger's crude behavior toward women, which dominated the final days of the campaign, did not appear to damage his support among female voters, who supported him nearly as much as men, according to exit polls.
Davis joins Lynn Frazier of North Dakota, who was ousted in 1921, as the only governors in American history to be recalled.
With more than three quarters of the votes counted, Schwarzenegger was easily outpacing Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the most prominent Democrat in the pack of 135 candidates vying to replace Davis. State Sen. Tom McClintock, the darling of conservatives whom many Republicans feared would siphon votes from Schwarzenegger, was a distant third and conceded defeat shortly before 9 p.m.
The 56-year-old Republican actor, a rookie in electoral politics, will assume the post of governor as soon as Secretary of State Kevin Shelley certifies the vote, a process expected to take until mid-November.
Aides said the actor, who promised to bring leadership and fiscal restraint to Sacramento, had been working for weeks to shape a transition team and would announce a group of "40 leading Americans" today to serve as his transition team.
Speaking from the same Los Angeles hotel ballroom where President Reagan claimed victory in 1980, Schwarzenegger said he would work to restore trust in government.
"For the people to win, politics as usual must lose," Schwarzenegger said. "Tonight we are celebrating, but tomorrow the work must begin."
Clasping a reporter's hand at the bottom of the stage, the Austrian-born bodybuilder exulted, "Can you believe this? Only in America."
Hollywood stars, including actor Rob Lowe and comedian Jay Leno, were among those attending the Schwarzenegger victory party.
"I'm so happy that the people saw Arnold for the leader that he is," said Lowe, a Democrat. "Now the hard work begins."
Davis, who had insisted as late as Monday that the polls were moving in his direction, was informed by an aide at about 3 p.m. that he would lose the governorship.
Standing before supporters about 90 minutes after the polls closed, Davis said: "I'm calling for everyone in this state to put the chaos and divisiveness of the recall behind them and do what's best for this great state. "
Davis shook his head as some of his supporters chanted "recall" in a not-so- mocking threat to the new governor.
Davis has called a Cabinet meeting for this afternoon, at which he plans to instruct his staff to cooperate fully with the incoming Schwarzenegger administration, a source said.
By the time all the votes are counted, it appears that nearly 10 million Californians will have cast ballots, about 30 percent more than in the 2002 governor's election. That would be the highest vote total in state history, and the highest turnout as a percentage of the state's population in a governor's race in more than two decades.
Schwarzenegger's aides say they broke out champagne Monday night after receiving the results of their final tracking polls, and immediately informed the elated actor, who had just left a fund-raiser at his Santa Monica restaurant.
Recall opponents had complained that the number of people who voted to reject the recall might exceed the number who voted for the ultimate winner, or that Schwarzenegger might receive only a fraction of the votes Davis received during the 2002 election, and still be declared the winner.
OUTPACED DAVIS IN 2002
However, the size of Schwarzenegger's victory rendered those concerns moot. The actor appeared not only to be keeping pace with the "no on recall" votes, but to be receiving more votes than Davis received during the 2002 regular election.
The numbers represent a devastating rejection of Davis, who has served in state government since he was former Gov. Jerry Brown's chief of staff in the mid-1970s. Davis went on to serve three terms in California's Assembly, two as controller, before winning the governor's seat twice.
Davis' failure to instill confidence in voters after the state's electricity and fiscal crisis had eroded his popularity to the point where only 1 in 5 voters said they approved of the job he was doing as governor.
Democrats already were pointing fingers Tuesday night, trying to limit the damage by pointing them directly at Davis.
"Our policies weren't repudiated tonight," said Art Torres, head of the state Democratic Party. "People still believe in those policies."
Davis didn't have the personal charm or the popularity to sell those Democratic policies, he added.
REBUKE FOR DEMOCRATS
But the vote also marked a rebuke for the party, which had rallied its best known leaders from around the state and the nation in an effort to build support behind Davis.
Schwarzenegger, who successfully shunned many political conventions in his campaign, announced his candidacy unexpectedly on the Jay Leno show only two months ago and ran an insurgent campaign that taunted the political establishment for leading the state into its current fiscal mess.
He must now turn his attention to governing a state of 35 million residents with an economy the size of France's.
The new transition team will focus on a variety of issues, including the economy, education and energy. Among those will be longtime GOP fund-raiser Bob Grady, a managing director of the Carlyle Group, who will aid the incoming administration in environmental policy matters, campaign sources said.
Former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who has served as Schwarzenegger's campaign co-chairman, when asked whether he would be part of the new administration, said, "Whatever I can do to help, I'll be happy to do, but I think mostly I'll be an adviser."
Some reports have suggested that Orange County businessman and former candidate Peter Ueberroth may take on a role, but campaign strategist Mike Murphy and media consultant Don Sipple refused Tuesday night to confirm those reports.
Schwarzenegger, whose fame attracted campaign coverage from around the globe, can be expected to quickly emerge as among the most prominent faces in U.S. politics.
President Bush, asked earlier in the day about California's election, said recent unflattering information about Schwarzenegger did not change his position that the Republican actor would make a good governor.
"If he's the governor, I'll work with him, absolutely," Bush told reporters following a Cabinet meeting. "He's obviously waged a spirited campaign, he's captured a lot of people's imagination."
The White House had kept its fingerprints off the California election, possibly concerned that any involvement would validate the Democratic complaint that the recall was part of a Republican strategy to steal an election they couldn't win.
However, many Republicans believe a Schwarzenegger governorship might present the White House with strong advantages in the upcoming 2004 election and a chance to capture the state's mother lode of electoral votes.
Schwarzenegger is not eligible to assume the governorship until the election results have been certified by the secretary of state, a process that under state law may take no more than 39 days, or be no later than Nov. 15.
Bustamante congratulated Schwarzenegger on his victory, and vowed to remain in his post, which will become the Democrats' highest ranking position.
"I may not be moving across the hall to the governor's office but I'm not going anywhere," Bustamante said.
Shortly after the polls closed, McClintock told a small but loyal group of supporters that he had talked to Schwarzenegger and pledged his "wholehearted support" to the new governor.
"This is a great night for California," he said. "This is the night the people of California rose up and threw out a corrupt administration."
Other recall supporters were less exuberant in their assessment.
"A lot of people have said this election is about anger, and, unhappily, it is, and, unhappily, the anger is justified," said Wilson. "But it really doesn't give joy to anybody to see the state fall on hard times."
With all these so-called "popular Democrats" activated in CA to help retain the helm of the 5th largest economy, I thought this was a lock for the DNC...or so they wanted everyone to believe. Davis is clearly no Bill Clinton.
Angry Californians resoundingly voted to recall Gov. Gray Davis and replace him with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday, voicing a historic demand for change in the state's political order.
The size of Schwarzenegger's victory, after weeks of fluctuating polls, legal uncertainties and voter confusion, exceeded even his own campaign's expectations and offered the actor the unexpected opportunity for a mandate when he arrives in Sacramento next month.
On a day of record high turnout, the first recall of a governor in California history represented a sharp rebuke of the Democratic governor who first won election to the job in 1998 by one of the widest margins in state history. The Bay Area appeared to be the only region of the state that did not vote to oust Davis. While the recall appeared to be winning by about 10 percentage points statewide, San Franciscans voted against it 4 to 1.
Accusations of Schwarzenegger's crude behavior toward women, which dominated the final days of the campaign, did not appear to damage his support among female voters, who supported him nearly as much as men, according to exit polls.
Davis joins Lynn Frazier of North Dakota, who was ousted in 1921, as the only governors in American history to be recalled.
With more than three quarters of the votes counted, Schwarzenegger was easily outpacing Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the most prominent Democrat in the pack of 135 candidates vying to replace Davis. State Sen. Tom McClintock, the darling of conservatives whom many Republicans feared would siphon votes from Schwarzenegger, was a distant third and conceded defeat shortly before 9 p.m.
The 56-year-old Republican actor, a rookie in electoral politics, will assume the post of governor as soon as Secretary of State Kevin Shelley certifies the vote, a process expected to take until mid-November.
Aides said the actor, who promised to bring leadership and fiscal restraint to Sacramento, had been working for weeks to shape a transition team and would announce a group of "40 leading Americans" today to serve as his transition team.
Speaking from the same Los Angeles hotel ballroom where President Reagan claimed victory in 1980, Schwarzenegger said he would work to restore trust in government.
"For the people to win, politics as usual must lose," Schwarzenegger said. "Tonight we are celebrating, but tomorrow the work must begin."
Clasping a reporter's hand at the bottom of the stage, the Austrian-born bodybuilder exulted, "Can you believe this? Only in America."
Hollywood stars, including actor Rob Lowe and comedian Jay Leno, were among those attending the Schwarzenegger victory party.
"I'm so happy that the people saw Arnold for the leader that he is," said Lowe, a Democrat. "Now the hard work begins."
Davis, who had insisted as late as Monday that the polls were moving in his direction, was informed by an aide at about 3 p.m. that he would lose the governorship.
Standing before supporters about 90 minutes after the polls closed, Davis said: "I'm calling for everyone in this state to put the chaos and divisiveness of the recall behind them and do what's best for this great state. "
Davis shook his head as some of his supporters chanted "recall" in a not-so- mocking threat to the new governor.
Davis has called a Cabinet meeting for this afternoon, at which he plans to instruct his staff to cooperate fully with the incoming Schwarzenegger administration, a source said.
By the time all the votes are counted, it appears that nearly 10 million Californians will have cast ballots, about 30 percent more than in the 2002 governor's election. That would be the highest vote total in state history, and the highest turnout as a percentage of the state's population in a governor's race in more than two decades.
Schwarzenegger's aides say they broke out champagne Monday night after receiving the results of their final tracking polls, and immediately informed the elated actor, who had just left a fund-raiser at his Santa Monica restaurant.
Recall opponents had complained that the number of people who voted to reject the recall might exceed the number who voted for the ultimate winner, or that Schwarzenegger might receive only a fraction of the votes Davis received during the 2002 election, and still be declared the winner.
OUTPACED DAVIS IN 2002
However, the size of Schwarzenegger's victory rendered those concerns moot. The actor appeared not only to be keeping pace with the "no on recall" votes, but to be receiving more votes than Davis received during the 2002 regular election.
The numbers represent a devastating rejection of Davis, who has served in state government since he was former Gov. Jerry Brown's chief of staff in the mid-1970s. Davis went on to serve three terms in California's Assembly, two as controller, before winning the governor's seat twice.
Davis' failure to instill confidence in voters after the state's electricity and fiscal crisis had eroded his popularity to the point where only 1 in 5 voters said they approved of the job he was doing as governor.
Democrats already were pointing fingers Tuesday night, trying to limit the damage by pointing them directly at Davis.
"Our policies weren't repudiated tonight," said Art Torres, head of the state Democratic Party. "People still believe in those policies."
Davis didn't have the personal charm or the popularity to sell those Democratic policies, he added.
REBUKE FOR DEMOCRATS
But the vote also marked a rebuke for the party, which had rallied its best known leaders from around the state and the nation in an effort to build support behind Davis.
Schwarzenegger, who successfully shunned many political conventions in his campaign, announced his candidacy unexpectedly on the Jay Leno show only two months ago and ran an insurgent campaign that taunted the political establishment for leading the state into its current fiscal mess.
He must now turn his attention to governing a state of 35 million residents with an economy the size of France's.
The new transition team will focus on a variety of issues, including the economy, education and energy. Among those will be longtime GOP fund-raiser Bob Grady, a managing director of the Carlyle Group, who will aid the incoming administration in environmental policy matters, campaign sources said.
Former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who has served as Schwarzenegger's campaign co-chairman, when asked whether he would be part of the new administration, said, "Whatever I can do to help, I'll be happy to do, but I think mostly I'll be an adviser."
Some reports have suggested that Orange County businessman and former candidate Peter Ueberroth may take on a role, but campaign strategist Mike Murphy and media consultant Don Sipple refused Tuesday night to confirm those reports.
Schwarzenegger, whose fame attracted campaign coverage from around the globe, can be expected to quickly emerge as among the most prominent faces in U.S. politics.
President Bush, asked earlier in the day about California's election, said recent unflattering information about Schwarzenegger did not change his position that the Republican actor would make a good governor.
"If he's the governor, I'll work with him, absolutely," Bush told reporters following a Cabinet meeting. "He's obviously waged a spirited campaign, he's captured a lot of people's imagination."
The White House had kept its fingerprints off the California election, possibly concerned that any involvement would validate the Democratic complaint that the recall was part of a Republican strategy to steal an election they couldn't win.
However, many Republicans believe a Schwarzenegger governorship might present the White House with strong advantages in the upcoming 2004 election and a chance to capture the state's mother lode of electoral votes.
Schwarzenegger is not eligible to assume the governorship until the election results have been certified by the secretary of state, a process that under state law may take no more than 39 days, or be no later than Nov. 15.
Bustamante congratulated Schwarzenegger on his victory, and vowed to remain in his post, which will become the Democrats' highest ranking position.
"I may not be moving across the hall to the governor's office but I'm not going anywhere," Bustamante said.
Shortly after the polls closed, McClintock told a small but loyal group of supporters that he had talked to Schwarzenegger and pledged his "wholehearted support" to the new governor.
"This is a great night for California," he said. "This is the night the people of California rose up and threw out a corrupt administration."
Other recall supporters were less exuberant in their assessment.
"A lot of people have said this election is about anger, and, unhappily, it is, and, unhappily, the anger is justified," said Wilson. "But it really doesn't give joy to anybody to see the state fall on hard times."