CA-Gov: Angelides, Lockyer takes on Arnold
by kos
Wed Mar 16th, 2005 at 11:00:53 PST
State Treasure Phil Angelides announced his candidacy for California governor, while Attorney General said he'll be announcing as well.
State Attorney General Bill Lockyer and state Treasurer Phil Angelides became the first Democrats to say they will challenge Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should the popular Republican governor run for re-election next year.
Angelides became the first official Democratic challenger to the governor, kicking off his campaign Tuesday by charging Schwarzenegger has broken campaign promises and endorsed "Bush-Cheney policies of debt, division and diminished opportunity."
But Lockyer's comments, coming during a lunch with California reporters in Washington, D.C., caused the greater stir.
First, the attorney general said he plans to run for governor next year, adding "it's not a formal announcement, but that's what I'm working on."
Then, he criticized Schwarzenegger's leadership style, saying "I don't like to dwell on this. But it has a little bit of the sort of the odor of Austrian politics. There's a sort of arrogance of power that bothers me. You know, Arnold is still an Austrian citizen."
Asked pointedly if he were referring to Nazi-era Austria, the attorney general replied, "I'm just talking about the culture,'' he said, adding that there was a "long history from the Austria-Hungarian empire on, of sort of a more autocracy... it's a more elite system."
I'm not sure what to make of Lockyer's comments, but they strike me as somewhat odd.
Angelides has $12 million already for the race, Lockyer $11 million. Angelides is on the DLC's list (though a spokesman told me "while not a formal member of the DLC, Treasurer Angelides has in the past met with many party leaders, including the DLC"). Lockyer is not.
Lockyer voted for Arnold during the recall election. Angelides did not.
To be realistic, Arnold has a commanding lead in the polls and will have more money than god. Can either Lockyer or Angelides make a race out of it? Depends on how much Schwarzenegger's budget hurts him with California voters. The sucker is draconian.
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/3/16/14053/3276
