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Sobbing Issa Out Of Governor RaceDarrell Issa, who funded the recall of Gray Davis, withdraws from election
It had been widely believed that Issa, who spent close to $2 million of his own money to fund the recall, was involved in the campaign primarily because of his aspirations to succeed Gray Davis. In fact, sources close to the congressman confirmed that he had indeed filled out all of the paperwork necessary to enter the race and had obtained the necessary 65 signatures to get on the ballot. He had even instructed his family members to begin referring to him as "Governor Issa" in private. What convinced Issa to withdraw from what had become his holy grail? In a word: Arnold. Schwarzenegger, that is. Once the powerful and popular star of the "Terminator" films entered the race, Issa realized what each of his seven supporters likely suspected. The voters of California would never select him -- a car alarm salesman of Arab descent with a gun fetish -- over the actor they knew and loved. "I think Darrell feels betrayed," said one of his advisors, Jim Husseini. "He did all the work and someone else is reaping the benefits."
"He threw the papers on the ground and stomped on them," said one of his friends, "and he kept screaming: 'it's not fair! it's not fair! I wanna be governor!' He was wailing like a three year old who just lost his ice cream cone. I'd never seen him like that. It was a little scary." The wrath of Issa was not limited to the tantrum at the registrar's office. Jeff Clarbone, a clerk at a Blockbuster Video store in Carlsbad, said that Mr. Issa came into his store later in the afternoon and tried to rent all of the Arnold Schwarzenegger videos in the store. "I told him the limit was six," said Clarbone, "but then it turned out he didn't have a membership card and so I told him he had to get one and that new members were only allowed two videos the first time. That's when he got mad and threw all the videos on the ground and ran out of the store." Amy Russell, an employee at the Edwards Cinema 6 in Escondido, said that a man matching Issa's description showed up at their theater, bought a ticket to "Terminator 3," then proceeded to scream obscenities at the screen every time Mr. Schwarzenegger appeared. After ushers warned the man that police would be called if he didn't cease the obscenities, the man fled the theater yelling profanities at the theater employees as he left. "It's really tough on him right now," said Husseini. "He really, really, really, really wanted to be governor. Now, he feels like his dream is lost. It's a sad day. It really is." Issa is planning to return to Washington, where he will resume work on trying to restore peace in the Middle East. |
Darrell Issa, the U.S. congressman who funded the recall campaign
against California Governor Gray Davis, tearfully withdrew from
the race to succeed Davis last week. In an emotional outburst,
with tears streaming down his face, Issa told the seven supporters
who had shown up to support what they thought would be his filing
of papers to enter the election, that he would not add his name to
the lengthy list of candidates hoping to become the state's top
elected official.
When Issa arrived at the registrar's office to file his
papers, he was greeted by a sea of supporters holding
"Arnold for Governor" signs compared to only seven supporters
of his own, four of whom were family members. After briefly
conferring with his wife, he began bawling in earnest as he
told the handfull of supporters that he would not enter the
race after all.