California's Embattled Governor Gets a New Advisor: Bill Clinton

[kskiska]

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12 — Bill Clinton feels Gray Davis's pain.

The former president of the United States has a book to finish and a presidential library to open. But the crisis that has befallen Mr. Davis, the California governor facing a recall election on Oct. 7, has commanded his attention.

Mr. Clinton, who himself survived a recall effort of sorts, has over the past week become one of Mr. Davis's main strategic advisers, associates of the two men say.

Mr. Clinton met privately with Mr. Davis and his wife, Sharon, at an A.F.L.-C.I.O. convention in Chicago last week, offering a political tutorial on how Mr. Davis should beat back the effort to remove him. (Points 1, 2, and 3: act gubernatorial, make sure the fight is about the recall initiative and not about Mr. Davis, and do not get baited by the news media into a fight with Arnold Schwarzenegger, one participant said.)

(snip)

Several people who have talked to Mr. Clinton described him as distressed with what was taking place in California, and suggested that he, like many Democrats, saw it as part of a pattern that included the impeachment and the recent efforts by Republicans in Texas to redraw Congressional district lines in a way would eliminate some Democratic-leaning districts.

"There are a lot of people in the party who are connecting the dots: What's occurring is a conscious and well-heeled effort to try to undo traditional democratic processes," one of Mr. Clinton's associates said.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2003/08/13/national/13CLIN.html?hp

[goforit]

1. Clinton better roll up his sleves and get ready to dig up some mud.

He better step forward and do some grass roots
all over again.

It is a matter of keeping a fair voting system in tact and
keeping the advancement of hybryds and zero-pollution in
progress!!!

[Rose Siding]

2. This is good considering

Arnold has just been quoted as saying he was ashamed to be a repub during the impeachment. CA still loves Bill. He can do us a lot of good standing by Davis.

Knowing the battles Davis has won against Big Energy so far and the one ahead over mileage efficiency (the car companies dropped it but I don't think the Feds have), the nation would be better off if the recall fails. This one landmark piece of legislation can effect not only the environment but nat'l security for decades to come.

[Dagaz]

3. hmmmmm

Anyone here think that Bill is telling Gray to hang on to that 16% poll approval and fight? He already told Andrew Cuomo to drop in NY and I would bet that he's thiunking about an Hispanic Governor. Bustamonte as Gov would not be a bad thing.

[BiggJawn]

4. Hell, I'm "Distressed", too.

The fucking ReTHUGlicans lost the election 9 months ago, and instead of waiting another 4 years, the impatient little bastards pull THIS shit with their recall.

ANYTHING to get California in the hands of the Bush Family before the next "election".

If the Big Dawg can't save California, nobody can.

You just watch. Bill Clinton will go down in history as one of the greatest Statesmen this country ever had.

Poppy and Dumbya will go down as the "Caligula Brothers"

[w4rma]

5. President Clinton should campaign for Gov. Davis, IMHO.

Full throttle. Clinton is just as much as celebrity as Arnold is. :hi:

He needs to get word out about the deregulation/Enron scheme that helped destroy CA's economy. Also about the stonewalling Republican minority in CA's legislature that don't seem to care about CA's credit rating.

[Katie]

6. Agree! Think any other celebrites will back davis?

I sure hope so, dont californians realize how they were screwed by enron and bush? hope every democrat pitches in and helps davis, a few famous faces couldnt hurt.

[Wednesdays]

7. The Big Dawg probably has a lot of dirt on the Enron & energy mob...

This might turn out to be fun. :)

[joeunderdog]

12. Gray's attack of Enron's scheme is WHY he's being targetted.

He's not to blame for the problem. He knows who is and that's what got him into trouble. Why is this so hard to see?

The War and Enron should get such attention.

[ewagner]

8. Risk/Reward

This is a classic risk/reward decision by Clinton.

If he campaigns for Davis and Davis looses, then the assumption is that Davis was too far gone to save AND Big dog gets a popularity kick for standing by the party in its hour of need.

If Davis wins, Big Dog is now in a position to influence all races, nation-wide because he will have pulled off a Democratic Party miracle.

Clinton is a master politician. He wouldn't do any of this unless the risk/reward calculation has been thoroughly vetted.

[CounterCoulter]

9. Where are the haters now?

I'd love to know why those people who have been hating on Bill and accusing him of helping the SilverSpoons are silent on this thread.

Bill Clinton is a realist and it isn't always pretty, but he knows who the good guys are. Go Bill!

[Snellius]

10. Will "acting gubernatorial" do it?

Clinton has a way of handling scandals by trying to pretend everything's business as usual. As much as I admire Clinton, I'm not sure this is the best advice: "I'm governor, you're not, where do I sign the next bill?". Supposedly now Davis is signing a bill to give drivers' licenses to illegal aliens, a proposal he's rejected for years. This seems only to reinforce Davis's conniving image.

Davis's instincts have always been that of an aggressive, if not dirty, fighter. Doesn't win him many friends but wins him elections. It seems more in his character to immediately challenge Muscle Brain to a mano a mano debate, David taking on Goliath, using his overbearing bruteness against him, brains against brawn, exposing the meatball for the numbskull he appears to be.

[diplomats]

11. True

I do think it is the right approach to focus on the recall itself as part of a larger pattern of antidemocratic actions by the GOP. I don't know if Davis can be saved, though.