 |
 -0 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
|
State Democrats discussing 'caretaker' in case of recall They are contemplating trying to enlist a prominent Democrat who could keep fellow Democrats with gubernatorial ambitions from running by promising to serve only the rest of Davis' term and not run for a full term in 2006. Though big-name Democrats say they won't be candidates to replace Davis, lawmakers at a meeting last week with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco said she expressed concern about the recall and urged colleagues to consider which Democrat could prevent a Republican from becoming governor. "(Pelosi) talked about the reality and the seriousness of this (recall), and I think there's support in the delegation for figuring out who is the Democrat who can win and getting behind that person," said one House member who attended the meeting, a weekly luncheon held by California's congressional Democrats. But Rep. Mike Thompson, a Napa Democrat at the meeting, said Pelosi indicated that the best way to keep a Democrat in office is to keep Davis there – by beating the recall. "I think Nancy's unequivocal issue was that the day after that recall election takes place, if there is one, we need to have a Democrat in the chief executive's office in California," Thompson said. A spokeswoman for Pelosi said the congresswoman would not comment on private meetings with her colleagues. Pelosi has publicly predicted that Davis will beat the recall. But one Democratic strategist acknowledged that party leaders are talking about a "caretaker" candidate – someone such as Leon Panetta, a former congressman and White House chief of staff under President Clinton. "You hear a lot of whispering, talking in the hierarchy of the Democratic Party establishment (about): 'Is there a caretaker approach to this?' " said Democratic political consultant Bill Carrick. "And Leon is the person that is talked about. And given his resume with a lot of experience doing budgets, there's this logic that he would be a good person to be in there as a three-year caretaker." A one-time Republican, Panetta was director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration and chaired the House Budget Committee. Panetta, who now directs a public-policy institute at California State University Monterey Bay, could not be reached for comment. Some Democratic staffers said California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante also have been mentioned as caretaker candidates, though both have said they won't run. A spokesman for Taxpayers Against the Governor's Recall dismissed the idea of Democrats drafting one of their own for the recall ballot, noting that polls show voters are less inclined to recall the governor if they have no Democratic alternative. "There's no reason for any other Democrat to enter the race," spokesman Carroll Wills said. "The united front that's been put forth by all Democrats is the right way to go." He called that solidarity "a statement about how the recall process is being misused." Recall backers say they have enough signatures to force a recall election this fall. Voters would be asked if Davis should be removed from office and, if so, who should replace him. The only announced Republican seeking to replace Davis is Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista, who has spent $1.71 million of his own money on the recall drive. But other Republicans appear interested – including 2002 gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Sen. Tom McClintock of Thousand Oaks – raising the prospect that two or more candidates would split the GOP votes on a recall ballot.
Issa spokesman Jonathan Wilcox
|
|
|
