A Jolt of Color for Subtle Brown

Huge pictures of the two women adorned the hotel ballroom stage. Ann Richards and Kathleen Brown, side by side. And underneath, the slogan: “Two Treasurers. Two Grandmothers . . . Two Governors? “

Good question.

The silver-haired, acid-tongued governor and former treasurer of Texas was stumping for the treasurer and would-be governor of California. Could the Richards magic rub off on Brown?

Brown certainly tried, and her first joke was promising: “Ann Richards once said, ‘Voters are looking for someone bold, someone strong, someone that won’t bend . . . just like my hair! ‘ Well, voters are looking for someone more like Ann’s hair than Pete Wilson!”

The raucously cheering crowd, almost all women who had paid $150 each for lunch, loved it. So many had reserved seats that the luncheon spilled into and completely filled a second ballroom. Waiters were frantically setting up tables right up to the last minute. About 2,300 had turned out, making the fund-raiser the largest event in the history of the Beverly Hilton Hotel and infusing another $300,000 to Brown’s already healthy war chest.

Although it remains to be seen next November whether Brown is correct about what the voters are looking for, this much is certain: Pete Wilson better hope they get a few tornadoes down there in the Lone Star State to keep that ol’ girl busy.

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Ann Richards captivates a crowd anywhere. But in California, where the closest our recent governors have come to colorful is a red tie with a blue suit, her concrete coif and lethal charm are especially appealing. A master storyteller, her earthy yarns and political exhortations seem just right for what ails the bloodless recent occupants of the head office in Sacramento.

You almost wish that Brown, sincere but without a whole lot of charisma, could bottle Ann Richards and dab the folksy essence behind her ears every now and then.

On Friday, at the Beverly Hilton luncheon, Brown tried on a Texas accent for size: “As my Cowgirl’s Guide to Life says, ‘Pete, you can warm your socks in the oven for as long as you want, but that don’t make ‘em biscuits.’ ”

It was a nice effort, but not nearly as funny as Richards’ story about the Pope getting pulled over by a cop for speeding after changing places with his slowpoke taxi driver. Punch line: “Sergeant, I’ve got a major VIP situation here . . . I don’t know who it is, but the Pope is his driver! “

Richards meant the story to flatter Brown, but her appearance was, indeed, a little like the Pope chauffeuring the cabby. Richards comes off like she just rode into town on the wildest bucking bronco in the rodeo; Brown as though she arrived sidesaddle, unmussed.

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Brown delivered some pungent remarks about California’s sorry economy, unsafe streets and faltering schools, yet she spent a good portion of her speech genuflecting to Richards. Indeed, it was sometimes hard to tell who Brown was campaigning for.

But the crowd didn’t seem to mind hearing about Richards’ Texas success. Clearly, the novelty of women in high office--even in a state with two women senators--has not worn off.

Brown’s supporters seemed buoyed by the simple fact that here they were, nearly all women, supporting a woman for governor. “The operative word today,” as Brown put it, “is Wow !”

(Next to me, a woman joked: “I can’t wait till the men are marching for their rights in 10 years.”)

Although her speech was honeyed with tall tales and jokes, Richards zinged the elegantly dressed crowd with a plea to keep writing checks to their candidate to help get her through what is sure to be an ugly campaign. Richards reminded them that she was speaking from experience, having triumphed in a race that has been characterized “as a rolling ball of butcher knives.”

“If you toted up what you have spent on what you are wearing today and compare that to what this lunch costs, it puts it into perspective,” Richards said. “Do you care about California, your children, the future of this state, as much as you care about how you look today?”

After the lunch, a pair of women were chatting in the ladies’ lounge.

“Wasn’t Ann Richards great?”

“You wish she could give lessons to Kathleen.”

“I think she was.”

We’ll see.

Robin Abcarian’s column is published Wednesdays and Sundays.