The Mercury News shocks with Davis' fervor to raise funds irks many backers:
SACRAMENTO - They commiserate about Gov. Gray Davis and his zealous fundraising the way veterans share war stories.No excrement, Sherlock. Copious dirty details are in the article.
Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Kirsch tells of being pressed for more money when he called Davis to push a bill to combat global warming.
California Teachers Association President Wayne Johnson remembers being squeezed for $1 million during a meeting on education in the governor's office.
Energy company executives recall being told that they would need to raise $100,000 to get an audience with Davis -- and then having to make up the difference when they failed to hit the target.
Each case was an instance when it became clear how important money is to Davis -- and how far the Democratic governor would go to get it.
Politicians often pressure supporters for contributions, and Davis officials say they have done nothing wrong. But the governor has taken it to a new level by sending a clear signal that donations are essential to getting in the door, many of his backers say. In the process, he has alienated a growing number of Democrats who are beginning to question whether he has sacrificed core values in an almost-compulsive pursuit of cash.
``It's hard to tell if the guy's a Democrat or a Republican because he's anything you want him to be if you're writing the biggest check,'' said one disgruntled Democratic supporter.
In more than three dozen interviews with the Mercury News, many Democrats, donors and former Davis fundraisers said they were shocked when discussions with the governor and his staff were clouded by questions about how much money they had given to Davis.
Robert M. Stern, executive director of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles, said Davis has created the impression that ``he has put government up for sale.''
Of course, the one stop Grayout shopping solution is www.e-gray.com.
