Posted on 11/06/2006 12:31:25 PM PST by calcowgirl
Insisting he was "undaunted and unbowed" two days before an election he is widely expected to lose, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides dashed from one end of the state to the other on Sunday, hoping to spark the surge of momentum that has eluded him throughout his campaign.
"I want you to ignore what the polls say," Angelides told about 100 union workers at a labor hall in Burlingame Sunday afternoon. "Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks he's got this thing locked away." Afterward, he added, "I think you're going to see a big surprise."
Schwarzenegger on Sunday continued what might be called an anti-campaign, staying away from the issues and above the fray for the most part, instead stressing bipartisanship at venues typically thought of as more fertile ground for Democrats.
Sounding hoarse but upbeat, Angelides hewed to the themes he has espoused throughout his campaign: improving education, lowering college tuition fees, andcutting taxes for "people living paycheck to paycheck." He called the race a "big choice election" between someone who would fight for Democratic values and a Republican ally of President Bush who wants to "heap more upon those who have the most."
But voters haven't embraced that characterization of Schwarzenegger, who is up by 15 points or more in most of the recent polls. Angelides and his supporters say they're still hopeful that a "Democratic tsunami" across the country carries them to victory on Tuesday, however unlikely that may seem.
"I'm going to go home and say a few more prayers," Mary Spore-Alhadef, a librarian and union volunteer for Angelides, said after the rally in Burlingame. "As people were talking here today, I was thinking to myself, 'From your mouth to God's ears.'"
Angelides has been barnstorming the state in recent days, a reflection of his underdog status in the race. He made five appearances on Sunday, starting in the morning in Southern California, then coming to the Bay Area in the afternoon before heading back to Southern California again for an evening rally with Latino leaders in Montebello.
Schwarzenegger has left television ads and GOP mailers to do any campaign dirty work. They have painted an unflattering picture of Angelides as a liberal eager to raise taxes, an environment-despoiling former developer who is soft on crime and illegal immigration.
This year, the governor has taken great pains to emphasize bipartisanship, embracing many ideas pushed by legislative Democrats, steering clear of public events with the rest of the California GOP ticket and routinely rebuffing the Bush White House.
When Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver visited the sprawling Los Angeles Home for the Aging in Reseda, the governor mentioned his bipartisan family, at one point gesturing to Shriver and himself while saying "good balance — Democrat, Republican."
State issues have no party, Schwarzenegger said. "The fact of the matter is, we want to help everybody."
In Washington now, he said, they're "all fighting."
"But in Sacramento, we're all getting along now. Three years ago, we were all fighting, but now everyone is getting along and everyone is working together and making decisions of what is best for the state of California."
Schwarzenegger, who has spent years grappling with his father's membership in the Austrian Nazi Party, stressed his work with Jewish charities. "I'm a big fan of the Jewish people and also of Israel."
One resident told the governor he's a "perfect example of what a poor immigrant boy can do."
Ruth Unger, 78, said, "I applaud him for coming to talk to us." A Democrat, Unger preferred to keep her candidate preference private. The governor is "very charismatic, very warm."
Earlier, Schwarzenegger worshipped for more than an hour at Brookins Community African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles' Crenshaw district, which prides itself on being "the down home church with the uptown message."
Accompanied by Shriver and her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Schwarzenegger beamed, clapped and swayed along with the purple-robed members of the gospel choir.
Speaking from the pulpit, the Republican governor said he was "not here to talk about politics, because that's the wrong thing to do in church."
Mainly, Schwarzenegger spoke of his Democratic in-laws and their part in founding the Peace Corps and the Special Olympics. And he spoke about the importance of after-school programs and parenting to protect children from the lure of drugs, gangs and teenage pregnancy. He did manage to slip in references to California's education funding.
"I promise you," he said to applause, "I'll be back."
Today, the governor will thank and encourage his supporters at volunteer headquarters in Los Angeles and Irvine. Angelides will again tour the state, with rallies in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento.
can I have a WOOHOO? please and thx:)
This can't be....Nancy Pelosi is backing Phil...
And Nancy has polls showing the dems way ahead in all categories...
Sounds like a lawsuit to me. (/sarc)
I love it! Thx alot:)
Check your FR mail. I sent the recipes to you. Just copy and paste!
I saw that and answered you back...THX!
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