Jonathan Wilcox
April 7, 2001
 

Ho hum.  Another statewide television address, another political disaster for California Governor Gray Davis.

Taking to the airwaves to deliver what his staff promised would be a “huge” speech about the state’s energy crisis, Davis’ performance was big all right, but “flop” comes to mind as the appropriate next word.

California is now entering its fifth month of acute power woes, and the predicament seems to be finally taking its toll on Davis as well.  Although known for his composure, the man behind the desk looked nervous, distracted and unsure of how to lead the state forward.

Oh, what a difference three months makes.  In January, Davis delivered the annual State of the State Address.  With a swagger in his step and vanity in his voice, he threatened to do whatever was necessary to solve the state’s power woes – including the seizing of privately held power plants through eminent domain.

First, Davis urged conservation.  But it's hard to see this as an answer, since studies show that California already ranks 49th among states in per capita electricity usage.  When that proved to be a fantasy heaped upon a wing and a prayer, Davis started throwing money at the problem.  Lots of money.

Dominated as it is by Democrats, the State Legislature signed onto Davis’ idea to have the state purchase power on behalf of California’s cash-strapped utilities, while the Administration negotiated a possible purchase of the utilities' transmission system to cover the costs.

Three months later, the state has burned through more than $4 billion buying energy – already 10 times more than Davis said he would need.  Davis has also negotiated more than $40 billion worth of long-term contracts with generators, but hasn’t shared the details.  And his negotiations with the utilities are at a standstill.

So, here is what the Governor needed statewide television time to tell us:

• There's an electricity crisis that somebody else caused, but he's handling it, because “that's what you hired me to do”;

• Even though he personally opposed rate hikes, the average user will pay an increase of more than 26 percent for power (but it's not his fault);

• He has entered into a series of long-term power contracts with generators at terrific prices way below what he's still paying every day (up to $60 million);

• He’s launching an $800 million program to encourage conservation, including television commercials and radio ads (no doubt extolling the virtues of the Governor’s conservation plans) reminding you to turn off the lights and for crying out loud, please use that air conditioner sparingly this summer!

Still, despite its embarrassing lack of content, Davis’ speech was mostly a disaster because the ostensible political veteran violated the first rule every intern in his office must already know:  Never deliver a different speech than the one you tell the media you’re going to give.

In California, governors don’t get many chances at statewide television.  So, in order to convince the networks to grant him the free air time, Davis had to promise that his address would be “news.”  In doing so, he entered into an implicit bargain that he would not merely say the same things as in any other public speech or press conference, and that he would not make partisan political attacks.

This is exactly what Davis did, and the media will feel burned.  Watch for this to deal yet another blow to his already worsening relations with Sacramento’s almost universally left-of-center press corps.

Why did Davis charge onto our televisions now, with no good news and no new ideas to report?  Because his once-lofty poll ratings have finally started to crater, as the terms “rolling blackouts” and “Stage 3 energy alert” have become part of the California lexicon.  Two surveys released last week tell the grim news.

In a poll commissioned by the Assembly Democrat caucus, 45 percent would not vote to re-elect Davis.  And a survey commissioned by the Service Employees International Union (a Davis ally) found that only 29 percent would vote for Davis again.  For someone as obsessed with polls as Davis, last week must have been a seven-day Maalox Moment.

One look at the uneasy man on television demonstrates that the state’s energy struggle has gotten the best of Gray Davis.  He may have spent the past 26 years in and around state government, but we can safely conclude that this challenge is beyond him.
 
If this were a boxing match, they’d stop it.
 
 

He may be reached at jwilcox1967@earthlink.net
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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