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Democratic unity on recall shatters Riordan also met with Democratic political strategist Clint Reilly and pollster Pat Cadell. Sources said the mayor is being advised by some to wait as long as possible to file -- especially to see if Feinstein enters first. Republican strategist Sean Walsh, who has advised Schwarzenegger, called the defections of two congressional Democrats "a manifestation of the panic and terror going on in the Democratic Party right now." "If (Democrats) fracture -- which they're going to -- this has national repercussions," Walsh said. "If the Democrats cannot stay unified, it raises the questions of whether (Democratic National Committee Chairman) Terry McAuliffe is in charge and the Democrats have the cohesiveness to take on George Bush (in 2004)." MEETING WITH S.F. MAYOR In San Francisco, top Democratic strategists -- including some close to Feinstein -- met in what was described as a three-hour "skull session" with Mayor Willie Brown to develop a game plan for the coming 70-day campaign. While Democrats said the Assembly's adoption of a state budget Tuesday would help Davis, they conceded the governor faces a formidable challenge. Richie Ross, an adviser to Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and Attorney General Bill Lockyer, said the meeting was "100 percent about getting people to vote no on the recall." Democratic strategist Bill Carrick -- who has advised Feinstein -- downplayed comments by Dooley and Sanchez, calling them "understandable" because of party unease over the recall. "But people are going to recognize this is just not good for California," he said, adding that Feinstein continues to regard "the recall as radical and abusive." In Los Angeles, Republicans -- including recall leaders, party leaders, and candidate representatives -- gathered to lay groundwork for a get-out-the-vote operation. "We're all focused on one thing: the recall," said Tucker, who attended the "Victory Committee" session. She said President Bush's scheduled Aug. 14-15 visit to California could help as a timely comparison with Davis. "You got this governor who has not shown leadership, avoided problems, placed blame, raised taxes," Tucker said. "And (Bush) comes here in the middle of the recall. I think people will say George Bush has been a great leader. . . . It's a nice contrast for Republicans to look at and say that's the kind of leadership we want." On that front, Dooley expressed concern Tuesday that national Democratic leaders who hoped to make the recall about a national theme -- the GOP attempt to "steal" an election, Florida-style -- may be off track. "This issue is much more important than . . . 'us versus them,' " he said. E-mail the writers at cmarinucci@sfchronicle.com and msimon@sfchronicle.com.
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