Rescue California

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Lieberman says Davis recall effort is 'not the way'

June 25, 2003

Democratic presidential contender Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Tuesday in a Bay Area stop that recalling Gov. Gray Davis is "not the way for government to be run," but he did not commit to fighting the recall, should it reach voters.

His position echoes that of at least one other Democratic presidential candidate. It reflects the extent to which candidates are weighing support for Davis against the risk of being too close to the unpopular governor, political observers said.

"I know people are unhappy with Gov. Davis," Lieberman, D-Conn., told reporters at San Francisco International Airport before heading to a two-day series of Bay Area fund-raisers. "But if you start to create a circumstance where elected officials ... when they become unpopular, can be taken out of office, it's not the way the system should work."

The recall drive appears to be gaining momentum, Lieberman said, but he has "not really thought about" whether he would campaign against it. Given California's importance in the presidential race, the subject may be unavoidable, especially if it appears on the March primary ballot.

"This will be decided by people here in California," Lieberman said, "but I'll be coming out here a lot and I'm sure I'll be speaking my mind on this and other things."

Other Democratic presidential candidates have called the recall a bad idea, even if they have not explicitly supported Davis.

"I understand the economy's not done well here lately and there are lots of economic problems," U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri said in Silicon Valley last week. ... For the life of me, I don't know how we improve the situation by jerking people in and out of office."

Other Democratic leaders, including U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein and top elected state officials, have urged voters to reject the recall. They call it an attempt by conservative Republicans to take an office they lost in a fair election.

Whether those people, along with national Democratic leaders such as Lieberman and Gephardt, do more to oppose the recall, say, by standing on a stage with Davis, as Feinstein has done, depends on too many unknowns, said Roger Salazar, a Davis political aide. But help will arrive, he said.

"I think the governor probably expects, and will receive, solid support" from state and national Democrats, Salazar said.

At least through the California primary, it probably serves the interests of Democratic presidential candidates to be in lockstep with the party on the recall, said Mark DiCamillo, Field Poll director.

"Right now the party is showing some surprising discipline. I would be surprised if any of the national Democratic leaders strayed from that line."

Yet at some point the candidates must consider if supporting Davis, could hurt them in November 2004, especially when considering the prospect of a successful recall and a Republican governor, said John Pitney, a Claremont McKenna College political scientist.

"No. 1, you never want to hitch your wagon to a falling star," he said. "Although Democrats are likely to carry the state in 2004 in the general election, association with somebody like Davis could become a talking point for Republicans in other states."

Oregon, not a big fan of anything Californian, narrowly went to Al Gore and Lieberman in 2000, he said. President Bush could use a Democratic nominee's support of Davis as ammunition to win in 2004.

On the other hand, short-term gains could outweigh long-term risks, Pitney said.

"Campaigning against the recall might be a good way for Democratic candidates to meet potential volunteers and contributors," Pitney said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reach Dogen Hannah at 925-945-4794 or dhannah@cctimes.com.