The big final push began yesterday with the “YES on RECALL” Victory Lap Rally. All of the pro-Recall candidates for Governor were invited and many of them came. The event was timed so the major Republican candidates could come down from the GOP Convention that will be taking place that same day in Los Angeles.
One candidate notably absent was Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In his opening remarks, Howard Kaloogian thanked the candidates that included Republicans, Democrats, American Independent and Libertarian Parties. In his opening remarks, Kaloogian queried “Where’s Arnold?” which drew laughter from a mostly McClintock crowd. Kaloogian went on to say that he had just come from the Republican Convention and that the crowd at the “YES on RECALL” rally was larger than the Convention crowd Arnold was addressing. Kaloogian noted that the Recall was a "grass roots" effort that grew from the ground up, unlike the Conventions where things are decided from the top down. His statements were confirmed by the number of hand painted signs on bed sheets, and cardboard, along with the typical manufactured signs provided by the campaigns.
State Senator Tom McClintock was the first to speak reinforcing the central themes of his campaign, but did not mention Arnold’s name.
Other non-candidate speakers included Rick Roberts, Melanie Morgan, and Bill Simon. Bill Simon noted that McClintock was his choice, but did not specifically endorse him.
All the rest of the gubernatorial candidates that supported the Recall were given time to speak before the gathering.
Music was provided by a rock band conveniently called “Right of Center”.
DD