Posted on 09/14/2003 8:23:09 PM PDT by Eric Hogue 1380 KTKZ
Edited on 09/14/2003 8:31:56 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Los Angeles -- Former President Bill Clinton, speaking at an African American church where Democrats have found comfort in the past, made his most forceful public indictment of the California recall Sunday, calling it a Republican power grab that goes beyond just the career of Gov. Gray Davis.
With his familiar raspy voice and a Southern twang made a little more prominent as he addressed parishioners, Clinton said the recall election is threatening to turn California into a laughingstock and a carnival.
Later, he told reporters the campaign to oust Davis isn't a right-wing "conspiracy" but an out-in-the-open attempt to "shred the Constitution."
"Yeah, Gray Davis and I have been friends for a long time and I don't want this to happen to him, but this is way bigger than him," Clinton said. "He's been elected governor twice. He's had a wonderful life. He's going to be just fine. It's you I'm worried about. It's California I'm worried about. I don't want you to become a laughingstock, a carnival or the beginning of a circus in America where we just throw people out as soon as they make a tough decision."
Clinton then paused and said: "Don't do this. Don't do this."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Grrrrr!
Yeah, great, Bubba. Where was all this concern for California when you were selling InterContinental Ballistic Missile guidance technology to the Chinese government in exchange for campaign contributions?
Oh, come on man. You gotta have thicker skin than that.
I'm sure you realize that when someone needlessly excerpts an article, there is a very good possibility that one day, the link to the complete text of that article will no longer be accessible because the article's host site elected to do whatever with that article.
That will result in FR no longer having a complete text of the article in it's archive for future reference.
When I see a post such as this (excerpted *more or less*), I will post the complete text within a reply to the thread to ensure that it is archived for future use.
Los Angeles -- Former President Bill Clinton, speaking at an African American church where Democrats have found comfort in the past, made his most forceful public indictment of the California recall Sunday, calling it a Republican power grab that goes beyond just the career of Gov. Gray Davis.
With his familiar raspy voice and a Southern twang made a little more prominent as he addressed parishioners, Clinton said the recall election is threatening to turn California into a laughingstock and a carnival.
Later, he told reporters the campaign to oust Davis isn't a right-wing "conspiracy" but an out-in-the-open attempt to "shred the Constitution."
"Yeah, Gray Davis and I have been friends for a long time and I don't want this to happen to him, but this is way bigger than him," Clinton said. "He's been elected governor twice. He's had a wonderful life. He's going to be just fine. It's you I'm worried about. It's California I'm worried about. I don't want you to become a laughingstock, a carnival or the beginning of a circus in America where we just throw people out as soon as they make a tough decision."
Clinton then paused and said: "Don't do this. Don't do this."
Later, Clinton and Davis emerged from the La Golondrina restaurant into a closed-off street full of vendors selling sombreros and trinkets, and the crowd pressed in under the intense sun. As Clinton sweated and answered questions from reporters, a Latino man yelled, "Thanks, Mr. Davis, for the driver's license!" (Davis only days ago signed a measure allowing illegal immigrants to obtain licenses.)
Throughout the day, from the raucous pews at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church to the mob scene on Olvera Street, the embattled Democratic governor tagged along and said little in Clinton's shadow. But Davis didn't need to say much to get across the point of Clinton's two-day visit: The two politicians are linked by Republican attempts to oust them, one unsuccessful in 1999 and one pending before the voters on Oct. 7.
Today, starting a week in which Davis will appear statewide with prominent Democrats, Clinton and the governor will appear in Compton (Los Angeles County) to dedicate the new William Jefferson Clinton Elementary School. Davis has separate events with presidential candidates U.S. Sens. John Kerry and Bob Graham. He has two rallies with Rev. Jesse Jackson and ends the week with former Vice President Al Gore in San Francisco.
The First AME church, located in a once-wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood now dotted with decrepit mansions and worn stucco apartments, is a favorite spot for politicians to come and embrace the African American community and seek their votes. Clinton and Davis have campaigned there several times. A stained-glass window in the church features images of Robert and John F. Kennedy.
When Clinton and Davis entered the church, the audience broke into wild cheers that drowned out the choir. Attorney General Bill Lockyer carried his infant baby on stage for Clinton to cradle, as a church camera focused on them. The audience included several prominent elected officials, including Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi.
Davis made brief remarks, telling the audience that "powerful forces" are behind the recall but that he carries around a phrase in his pocket that reads, "Nothing can happen to me today that the Lord and I cannot handle." Davis then pulled out a small card with a picture of Jesus on it, wrapped in plastic, and showed it to the crowd.
The governor got a wild cheer when he referred to Clinton as "president" instead of "former president" and then corrected himself. "Some days I wake up and wish he were still president," he said.
Clinton then took the podium and in a folksy and avuncular 40-minute speech told the crowd that Davis has improved the state's schools, balanced the state budget this year and managed to keep the lights on in California even though the East lost power recently in a blackout. And he warned the parishioners that the recall threatens to embarrass the state and prompt recalls of other governors.
"I listen to all these kinda funny candidates and all their funny slogans," Clinton said, laughing. "It beats watching 'Friends' or reading or watching TV. I just watch California. But after a couple of days, it's not funny anymore."
Clinton said that if California recalls Davis it will send a message across the nation that elected officials should watch their backs. "Why would anyone make a hard decision again? What if we had immediate recall of every teacher, every preacher? What if kids could recall their parents?"
"Don't you think they would have recalled me after a couple years as president?" Clinton said. "I had to raise taxes on upper-income people and cut spending to balance the budget. What if they had recalled me after I had helped Mexico when polls showed 80 percent of people didn't want me to help Mexico?"
The Davis recall movement and Clinton's loss of the Arkansas governorship in 1980, after only a single term, have striking parallels. Although Clinton came back two years later to win again, he failed to win re-election in 1980 after his Republican opponent ran on a platform linking Clinton to an influx of Cuban immigrants and deriding him for raising the state's car tax. The California car tax and immigration are dominating the recall debate.
In his speech, Clinton said that after he was ousted, then-California Gov. Jerry Brown called him up and offered him a job as chief of staff, the same job Davis had just left.
"He said, 'You ought to come out here and be my chief of staff. I can't believe they beat you over that silly little tax increase at home. I'll just let you run the governor's office. You'll have a great time, you'll love California.' I've often wondered what would have happened to me if I'd taken the governor up on his offer."
Over the past few weeks, with the help of Clinton and other advisers, Davis has focused his anti-recall campaign more intensely on bashing Republicans, in order to energize a Democratic base that so far has not responded enthusiastically. Recent polls show his strategy may be working, as negative opinion of Davis has declined somewhat and the recall itself is getting only slightly better than 50 percent support.
Clinton's visit is part of a larger picture Davis wants to paint connecting the impeachment, the Florida vote recount in 2000 and the current skirmish in Texas over congressional districts to his own problems in California.
"All of this taken together is an attempt to subvert democracy," said Julian Bond, the national chairman of the NAACP, who attended the AME event. "Governor Davis was elected, and within months wealthy interests come forward and say we don't like it, let's throw him out."
If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all.
2 posted on 09/14/2003 11:26 PM EDT by Texas Eagle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]
Nomination for quote of the day?
Clinton on recall: 'Don't do this' - Ex-president joins governor in fighting GOP 'power grab'
Cheers!
That "Off with his head!" comment was a reference to that character in Alice In Wonderland who went around shouting "Off with his head!" for no explicable reason.
And the "He's a witch!" comment was a reference to a scene in the all-time funniest movie ever made, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It would take too long to set the scene but just thinking about it gives me the giggles.
Hey! It was a Tom-bot who came to your defense, buddy.
I guess I learned my own lesson tonight. That's the last time I come to the aid of the thin-skinned.
Not to change the subject or anything, but what's your favorite brand of Zin?
First of all, what is a Satanic Clinton doing in a church? You'd think he'd burst into flames.
Second, what ever happened to the liberals U.S.S.R. constitution? It says separation of church and state! Why does this "church" still retain their tax exempt status?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.