Angelides Borrows Tactic From Truman in 1948 (only 63% support among Dems) [View All]

LAT: Schwarzenegger's Rival Borrows a Tactic From Truman in 1948
Angelides contends the governor protects big business and the rich at the expense of middle-class families.
By Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writer
August 27, 2006

In 1948, Harry S. Truman described the big-business titans backing his Republican presidential rival, Thomas Dewey, as "gluttons of privilege." They put "fabulous sums of money" behind Dewey, Truman said, to "assure privilege for big business, regardless of what may happen to the rest of the nation."

State Treasurer Phil Angelides, the Democrat running for governor, harked back to those remarks as he made a similar case last week against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Truman "talked about the gluttons of privilege," Angelides told supporters on folding chairs in the backyard of a small house in Burbank. "He talked about corporate greed. He made it clear who he was for and who he was willing to go to bat for."

In his latest attempt to gain traction against Schwarzenegger, Angelides has adopted Truman's populist approach as his own. He says the governor, along with his fellow Republican, President Bush, protects big business and the rich at the expense of middle-class families struggling to make ends meet amid soaring gasoline, healthcare and college-tuition costs.

The class-based pitch is more attuned to a Democratic primary than a general-election contest. But in the waning days of summer, nothing is more important to Angelides than boosting what has been his flimsy support among Democrats.

A Field Poll last month found that just 63% of likely Democratic voters favored Angelides over Schwarzenegger....

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-angelides27aug27,0,7174537.story?coll=la-home-local