The California Republican Party last week dispatched a fund-raising letter to the faithful, blaming the state's worsening energy crisis on Gov. Gray Davis. And now we're seeing utility rate hikes of as much as 40-50 percent at a time. It focuses on Davis and other Democrats and ignores major roles that Republican governors and legislators played, including then-Gov. Nevertheless, the pitch captures Republicans' hopes of lifting themselves out of the political quicksand. If California does tumble into the energy abyss, with severe and prolonged blackouts and soaring power rates, Republicans believe that voters will be eager to punish the governing party next year.
Republican hopes are Democratic fears.
One reason why so many Democratic legislators are distancing themselves from Davis these days is a belief that he has been seriously and perhaps mortally wounded by his passive handling of the crisis. Private polls, some of them done for legislators, indicate that Davis' re-election support level has tumbled from about 60 percent to less than 30 percent in recent weeks. Even if Davis is potentially vulnerable, Republicans will need a gubernatorial challenger who can inspire confidence and can raise tens of millions of dollars. But neither has exactly ignited a firestorm either in the media or among fellow Republicans. Simon, meanwhile, has almost zero name identification, although he has substantial private wealth.