Democrats call for a Davis backup as filing day nears

Associated Press

Democratic attempts to unite behind Gov. Davis in his Oct. 7 recall election unraveled further Saturday, as a congresswoman suggested that he step down if Sen. Dianne Feinstein becomes a candidate to replace him.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., told the San Jose Mercury News that having one Democratic candidate in the Oct. 7 recall election is crucial, but "we don't know" if it should be Davis.

"We have to be careful not to get divided and allow them to take California through this fluke recall election," Waters said of Republicans. "If Dianne Feinstein is talked into getting onto the ballot, I hope Gray Davis would step down." ---

"The attitude I'm hearing from voters is overwhelmingly that the recall needs to be defeated because it is an attempted Republican coup," Democratic strategist Darry Sragow said. "But they say just in case, in spite of everybody's best efforts, the recall wins, I sure as heck want to keep the governor's office in Democratic hands and I, as a voter, need a Democrat to vote for on question two." ---

I'm still trying to understand the insistence of Feinstein.

Do Dems have this state so locked up that they would float such a centrist?

Feinstein blows away the field of replacement candidates. She is a replacement candidate behind whom the anit-recall forces can unite.

I am opposed to the recall. Unless the proponents of the recall can convince me that Davis is guilty of malfeasance between now and Ocotber 7, that won't change.

In any case, the Democrats should get real about this: the opposition to Davis is personal, not political. Ideologically, he's the kind of bland centrist who usually wins elections easily. People just don't like Davis.

Feinstein could effectively deliver the seemilnfly paradoxical message that, on the one hand, she deserves the voters support as the best qualified replacement candidate and that, on the other, the recall should be rejected as bad government.

polls reveal Davis will surely lose. He resigns. The lieutenant governor would become the governor. He's a Dem and I believe Hispanic. The State of California would remain in Democratic hands, and we would have a new Hispanic Dem with a high profile. The recall vote would be off, and the Republicans would be a laughing stock, having expended all that time and money for nothing. Possible?

But Davis is unlikely to quit voluntarily-- he'd rather hand California to the likes of Darrel Issa than swallow his pride. Davis is toast. Now it's up to him, and to a lesser extent other potential dem candidates, to decide whether the whole state goes down with him.

The real question is whether there should be an election at all. California law is apparently contradictory on whether there should be an election or whether the Lt. Governor is supposed to take over after a recall.

The California Supreme Court is expected to rule on that next week.

I think Diane would be a fine Governor, and maybe we
could get a real lefty to replace her in the Senate.

I think it is boneheaded not to have a Dem candidate on the ballot.

Tha LA Times indicates that if Davis resigns before 10/7, Bustamante will be Acting Governor, however, the election for a successor would still be held.

Stay tuned.