Posted on 10/06/2003 6:59:35 AM PDT by John Jorsett
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer on Sunday in San Jose called on Arnold Schwarzenegger to volunteer to be investigated over the accusations that he harassed 15 women over the last 20 years.
The attorney general, a Democrat, was accompanying a campaign bus tour by Gov. Gray Davis, who is the target of Tuesday's recall election.
Republican Mr. Schwarzenegger is the leading candidate to replace Mr. Davis if the governor is removed from office.
Mr. Lockyer made the challenge to the body builder-turned-candidate Sunday afternoon in San Jose, where Mr. Davis address more than 500 union members at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 332 headquarters on Almaden Road.
In comments toward the end of the rally, Mr. Lockyer said that Mr. Davis had volunteered to be investigated several times during his five years in office when disputes over contracts have arisen.
"Arnold Schwarzenegger should volunteer to be investigated like Gray Davis," Mr. Lockyer said.
Later, reporters asked Mr. Lockyer if his comments could be seen as politicizing the criminal justice system.
"Well you know this time of year everything is seen through the lens of what's political, and sometimes those that want to believe their candidate is virtuous choose to disregard any charges. It just seems to me that this is something that ought to be investigated," he said.
Earlier, when Mr. Davis stepped off a mostly empty chartered Greyhound bus, the governor said the charges raised by the women to the Los Angeles Times "are very disturbing and raise real doubts as to whether Mr. Schwarzenegger should govern California. Mr. Schwarzenegger should address these questions specifically and not with vague and evasive answers and partial denials. Are all 15 of these women lying, or is Mr. Schwarzenegger not telling us the truth?"
The Schwarzenegger campaign quickly shot back with an attack on Messrs. Davis and Lockyer.
Karen Hanretty, press secretary for the Schwarzenegger campaign, said in a telephone interview that Mr. Davis has engaged in questionable fund raising activities. She pointed to the controversy of a non-bid contract for $95 million with Oracle Corp. in 2002, and shortly before the company made a $25,000 contribution to the governor's re-election campaign.
"Democrats should turn an inquiring eye toward the actions of their own governor whose actions in office have directly affected voters instead of looking at Arnold Schwarzenegger," Ms. Hanretty said.
"Where was Bill Lockyer when the Oracle contract was signed?" she asked. "It looks like Bill Lockyer, who decries 'puke politics' is engaging in just that."
Mr. Davis was joined on stage at the union hall by a host of local politicians, including San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, San Jose's Congressional delegation, Zoe Lofgren and Mike Honda, state Assembly members Manny Diaz and Sally Lieber, and city council members Nora Campos, Dave Cortese, Terry Gregory and Ken Yeager.
Earlier in the day the governor had signed into law legislation that will require larger companies to offer health insurance to their employees or pay into a state fund that will provide that insurance. He touted that along with expansion of insurance to one million children, environmental legislation and workers' compensation reform, which the governor said "won't hurt one worker but will help every business, government entity and nonprofit in the state. He also noted his efforts to improve Caltrain service to San Francisco and to bring BART to San Jose.
"Now, why would they want to recall a guy like me?" he asked, and the crowd chanted "Gray Davis, Gray Davis."
We're On A Mission From God |
---|
Help us make our 4th quarter fundraising goal in record time! |
If they pay this babe the big bucks why doesn't she know that Lockyer took more from Whoracle than Davis did?
Well, it looks as though Davis had the opportunity to kill off the rest of the jobs in Cal. before he goes.
Because it did not happen.
Did fear of losing her job stop Kobe Bryant's accuser? No.
Republicans should have gotten behind a PRINCIPLED CONSERVATIVE from the beginning, stable family man with not an ounce of scandal in his past life, and not wooed/wowed by Pete Wilson and the Establishment Machine.
We never learn.
I guess we salivate for our 401(k)s, and political victory, just like the soccer moms who gave moral clarity and character a convenient back seat and a 'pass' in turn for a charismatic Arkansas candidate, who can wow them telegenically.
I still smell RATs
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.