Governor Gray Davis sighting!

I was driving along this morning, sipping my coffee from the Java Station in beautiful downtown Esparto, when I heard Eric Hogue tease that former Governor Gray Davis would be on the air shortly. I almost drove off the road. I can't think of a analogy other than King George III wanting to tour Lexington and Concord after the revolutionary War to see the sites. KTKZ and Eric Hogue Show is where the recall of Gray Davis was born.

I have never been a fan of Governor Davis, he seems to me like the character Captain Sobel in 'Band of Brothers'. Sobel was great behind the scenes, micro-managing and keeping the upward mobility of those under him subservient to his own ambition. However, when the time came for real combat, when the lives of his men depended on his decisions, he folded under the pressure like a WalMart lawnchair.

So what happened to Governor Davis? His whole political life had been the pursuit of higher office. You can take many paths to get ahead, the best way is through strong leadership. Gray Davis chose a path to higher office by avoiding the landmines of politics, tough decisions. As long as no one can tie a mistake to you, and you alone, you can always deflect the negative press long enough for them to move on to the next scandal. I can imagine his stomach turning when he won the Governorship election night. Oh crap, what have I done?

When Democratic control of the State legislature became a juggernaut, he was scrambling to keep his power and authority in the political process. When the energy crisis hit, the dot com bubble burst and revenues declined, he was faced with real problems. These were challenges that he was simply not up to. When the bullets started flying he froze, and we suffered.

The interview he gave to Eric Hogue was honest, direct and thoughtful. I hope the Eric, Murray and the boys can get the full transcript up on the blog soon.

Thanks to Eric and to Governor Davis.