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Darrell issa withdrew cried { August 7 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3241938http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3241938
Governor Set Back as Schwarzenegger Muscles In
Thu August 7, 2003 08:39 PM ET
By Adam Tanner
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Embattled Calif. Governor Gray Davis suffered two major setbacks on Thursday as the state's top court rejected his effort to delay the recall ballot and two fellow Democrats said they would oppose him in the vote.
Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Arnold Schwarzenegger cast a long shadow on the race as he filed papers to run, forcing a major Republican opponent to tearfully drop out of the race and leading some top politicians to predict that Davis will not be able to beat the movie Terminator.
California's Supreme Court dismissed all five cases challenging various aspects of the unprecedented Oct. 7 recall, including a move by Davis seeking to delay the election until next March and allow him to be on the list of replacement candidates should a majority vote to recall.
Davis saw the court fight as a key element in his strategy to play for time and allow the recall fervor to subside.
Even Democrats admitted that Schwarzenegger's entry had seriously complicated their efforts to defeat the recall.
"We as Democrats are going to have a very difficult time defeating Arnold," San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown told CNN. "We are in trouble on the Democratic side with Gray Davis."
Ex-Republican Gov. Pete Wilson saw his party on the path back to power with Schwarzenegger. "He is a formidable candidate," he told Reuters. "I think he will win it."
TEARFUL GOODBYE
Republican congressman Darrell Issa, a wealthy conservative Republican who spent $1.7 million to fuel the petition drive leading to the recall election, tearfully dropped out after facing the prospect of running against Schwarzenegger.
After going to register his candidacy, he changed his mind as supporters surrounded him. With his voice breaking and tears in his eyes, the Lebanese-American millionaire said he thought his best bet was to remain in Congress.
"I was elected to work on issues of national importance, and it's my desire ..." he said before starting to cry. "It's my desire, it's my desire... to see that the recall continues."
His departure was in stark contrast to the entrance Schwarzenegger made when picking up registration papers needed to enter the race.
As Schwarzenegger emerged from a black sport utility vehicle at the entrance of the county election office, an exuberant crowd of several hundred people greeted the "Terminator" actor, holding makeshift signs that said "Arnold for Governor," and shouting support.
The actor, wearing a blue blazer and tie, waded through a gauntlet of well wishers, shaking hands and signing autographs. When one woman asked what he would do as governor, he replied: "Clean house! Clean house!" pumping his fist in the air.
"In everything I ever did I showed great leadership," he said. "There were times when people said it could never be done, that an Austrian farm boy could come over to America, get into the movie business and be successful in the movie business. They said, 'you can't speak English well, and your body is overdeveloped' ... and I became the highest paid entertainer in the world."
At a news conference, Gov. Davis also seemed upbeat as he fielded questions about Schwarzenegger's unexpected entry.
"The Terminator may be back, he may not be back. We'll see," he said. "This process is a wonderment to me. People are dropping in, people are dropping out. We'll see."
DEMOCRATS SPLIT
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, ostensibly Davis' deputy and the No. 2 state official, cited poor polls for Davis as a reason to run.
"I think it is important that we have a serious Democrat on the ballot," he told reporters. "I am here to tell everyone to vote no on the recall and yes to Bustamante."
The news broke the dam of Democratic unity which many saw as essential for Davis to keep the job to which he was reelected in November. Sen. Dianne Feinstein repeated on Thursday that she will not seek the job.
For days, several Democratic members of Congress from California have urged other party members to get on the Oct. 7 ballot to offer an alternative should the unpopular Davis lose. The ballot will ask voters if they want to recall Davis and then list alternative candidates for the job.
Bustamante's plans follow Schwarzenegger's decision on Wednesday evening. Widely expected to bow out and endorse former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, the actor instead said he was ready to lead.
Analysts say that although Schwarzenegger has never held public office, he has the charisma and personal funds to make a credible run. A tough campaign looms with Democratic operatives already dredging up information about his past lifestyle.
"I would advise parents in California to turn off the TV for the next 60 days," Democratic official Bob Mulholland said. "If they are firing at you, we will certainly fire back."
On Wednesday, Schwarzenegger said he entered the race expecting a battle. "I know they're going to throw everything at me, and they're going to say that I have no experience and that I'm a womanizer and I'm a terrible guy," he said on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
Bustamante's breaking of the taboo on a run now opens the way for other Democrats. The state's Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, a Democrat who has run twice before for governor, also said he would run.
Also on Thursday, election officials said a representative for former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth picked up nominating papers for the 65-year-old millionaire Republican.
(Additional reporting by Steve Gorman, Michael Kahn and Arthur Spiegelman)
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