LOS ANGELES – You could tell it was a California political rally because the crowd at the docks was so small, perhaps 40 or 50 people.
Traditionally, California political rallies involve tiny crowds and are just set-ups to create TV footage; the thousands who turn up to Arnold Schwarzenegger events represent something truly new here.
Another giveaway was that Gov. Gray Davis’ security detail was headed by a tall, tanned, long-haired blonde who could have stepped off the set of “Baywatch.”
Yesterday, the crowd awaiting the governor at a carefully chosen spot in front of the cranes and container stacks of the nation’s busiest port was mostly composed of middle-aged and older men in union T-shirts, with a few African-Americans and heavy-set women scattered among them. They were all but outnumbered by journalists and camera operators.
The crowd milled around waiting for the perennially late governor and his guest supporters: Sen. Dick Gephardt (Mo.) and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.
Eventually, Davis and his cohorts arrived. All were jacketless, as if some consultant had told them that wearing suits made them look like Midwestern bank presidents rather than champions of the working man. Davis turned out to be even thinner in real life than on television. His perfectly shellacked white hair almost matched the brilliance of his white shirt.
Even more significantly, he made the first mention of a counter-recall against Arnold. “There will be a recall in retaliation,” he predicted, “and it will cost another $70 million.”
He hastened to add that of course he wasn’t preparing one or suggesting one.