Calif. AFL-CIO Endorses Bustamante as Davis Backup

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50574-2003Aug26.html

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26 -- The state's most powerful labor federation voted today to endorse Lt. Gov. Cruz M. Bustamante (D) for governor in California's unprecedented recall election -- a move that adds muscle to the Democratic Party's bid to hold on to power if Gov. Gray Davis is ousted.

snip

Schwarzenegger's move came after a Los Angeles Times poll published Sunday suggested that he is trailing well behind Bustamante, the only major Democrat on the ballot. "Bustamante is Gray Davis with a receding hairline and with a mustache," Schwarzenegger said. "It's the same person, same philosophy."

Bustamante's campaign strategist Richie Ross fired back today, saying: "Arnold's rattled. He's losing it."

snip

Anxious GOP leaders in California, worried that their best chance in years to regain power in the state may be slipping away, are urging McClintock and Ueberroth to step aside, but both men are dismissing those requests. In fact, both of them have begun running their first political ads this week.
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Could this end happily after all? I would love to see the egg on the GOP's face if Arnold loses to Cruz or to Davis.

Any CA DUers here who can give insight?

nt

nt

:)

and this is great news. Our local Iron Workers Union has been phone banking for the "No on Recall, Yes on Bustamonte, No on Prop. 53 and No on Prop 54" effort for the last 4 days.

Other efforts:

- EVERYONE here is walking precincts -- trying to cover as many as possible before October 7.

- There is a new "Bustamonte for Governor" office that just opened up locally and they are already FILLED with volunteers.

- One of our local activist set up a Dem. table at two recent Latino events here in the San Joaquin Valley. At the first she signed up 70 volunteers, at the second 30 volunteers. It took us less than 48 hours to put them ALL to work.

- The phones at our local Dem. office are ringing off the hook with VERY pissed off people wanting to volunteer for the anti-Recall effort -- AND we're putting EVERYONE to work either walking precincts, phone banking, registering people to vote and/or signing people up for permanent absentee voter status.

(Cute story here: I returned a message left on the Dem. office phone from a young lady wanting to volunteer for the "No on Recall" effot. When I called, her mother answered the phone and informed me that she thought the daugher was crazy for wanting to volunteer. In the background I kept hearing the daughter say, "Mom, give me the phone!" When mom finally gave her the phone I told her she was a TRUE Democrat as she is obviously an independent thinker. We then put her to work.) ;-)

However this race ends up we all appreciate your efforts!

I'm assuming you're female, pardon me if that isn't true. As a former Cali resident (15yrs), let me just say - Kick their ass!

Anything I can do to help from here?

The operative words in the Calif AFL-CIO endorsement of Bustamante 'to hedge their bets by endorsing Bustamante as the best backup candidate'.

A couple of things are happening all at once in this three ring circus special recall election that I am observing.

¥ Arnold has been the darling of the media but a large number of his followers will not even bother to vote. I am waiting for him to say something of substance and explode because I am of the opinion the he is his worst enemy. Heck, he declines to take a position on prop 54!

¥McClintok is gaining favor with the hard line conservative vote as they watch Arnold move toward the center.

¥Ueberroth has also garnered some favor, especially with his 'caretaker' position and his promise to not seek reelection.

¥Bustamante is right where he needs to be. Latino vote is excited!

¥Gray Davis is playing his game just right. (I think I'm the only person in the state that doesn't hate Davis)

¥Polls show the recall effort is faltering. (at least the trend indicates the gap is closing)

Predictions are difficult for me to make as the game is so fluid at the moment but here is my best effort: Gray Davis will lose the recall election by a whopping one percent. Arnold will say some bonehead thing and will split the conservative vote with McClintock. Bustamante will take the recall election with 52% of the vote. Gary Coleman will get more votes then Arianna Huffington but not as many as that stripper lady. S. Issa will get more votes than Dan Feinstein. Kennedy will get one vote (Maria Shriver's vote) and BrotherBuzz will learn how to incorporate Speilckeck into DU.

Le Taz Hot! Hot! Hot Hot! I don't have the where-with-all to attempt what you are doing but I did get a stack of voter registration cards from my library and am talking with my neighbors...The young latino people in my community are excited about this election.

Every Vote Counts!
Brother Buzz

CA can't fall into the GOP's hands.

I want Gray Davis to prevail in the recall election.

on edit: I'm having a bad speiling and a bad syntax day!

I want Davis to prevail. But if he doesn't I want Bustamente to win.

It'd be a tough job convincing AFL-CIO they'd be better off with Ahhnold.

nt

So much for the AFL-CIO's threatened retribution against any democrat that ran on the 2nd part of the ballot.