Two presidents joined Gov. Gray Davis for a Democratic "get out the vote" rally Monday night at Animo Charter High School in Inglewood. Former President Bill Clinton, actor Martin Sheen and around 23 statewide democratic elected officials rallied the crowd with chants of "Si se puede!" and "Four more years!"
"It is time to open up a can of whoop-ass on the Republicans," California State assemblymember Herb Wesson Jr. said. "They are the party of the privileged, we are the party of the people."
Davis highlighted his improvements in education noting "schools are more accountable. Teachers are better trained. A college education is more accessible."
Clinton echoed the governor and highlighted California's leading role in America.
"There's not a state in the country that has done more progressive things when it comes to education, when it comes to health care, when it comes to balancing the needs of working families, when it comes to the rights of working people and women and minorities and gays than the state of California," Clinton said.
Davis used the charter school setting as a backdrop for emphasizing his opposition to vouchers. "I will not allow millions of dollars to be funneled away from the public school system," Davis said.
State Board of Equalization member John Chung said, "Republicans want to give tax breaks to Enron, we want to give tax breaks to these beautiful students behind me."
Both Davis and Clinton used the positions of Bill Simon, the Republican candidate for governor, as an example of how far the opposing party's views are from Californians.
While Simon is backed by the NRA, Davis has signed several gun control measures, including bills that limit semiautomatic weapons and limit gun purchases to one a month. Davis also is staunchly pro-choice while Simon is pro-life.
"My opponent is out of step, out of touch and out to lunch," Davis said.
About 45 protesters picketed the event. Pro-life activists were especially prominent, as were representatives of the Green Party and its gubernatorial candidate, Peter Camejo.
"They won't let us in, but we're getting our message to the people," said Camejo supporter Richard Burlingame.
All of the speakers referred to recent polls that indicate Democrats around the country are not going to vote in Tuesday's election.
"When you don't vote, you are voting-against your families, against your democratic ticket and against your community," said Assemblyman Jerome Horton.
A recent Los Angeles Times poll shows that although Davis had a 56 percent unfavorable rating, he is leading the governor's race by a 45 percent to 36 percent margin. The rally was part of an ongoing, statewide "get out the vote" effort that is "unparalleled in its scope and reach," according to Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres. Around $5 million is being spent to mobilize more than 5,000 people to reach out to more than 600,000 voters. "We're going to give them a surprise on election day," Clinton said.
