Brown’s Call for New Jobs Has a Familiar Ring to It

The candidate for governor, calling for the creation of 1 million jobs in California, lashes out at the incumbent’s handling of the economy and the loss of jobs during his one term in office.

A million new jobs is the slogan of state Treasurer Kathleen Brown, Democrat running for governor, who has been assailing Republican Pete Wilson over the California economy.

But the description also fits the late Richard Nixon when he was running for governor of California in 1962, challenging Democratic Gov. Edmund G. (Pat) Brown Sr. Pat Brown, now 89, is the father of Kathleen Brown.

There are striking parallels between Kathleen Brown’s stock campaign speech and the Nixon remarks, as unearthed by Associated Press political writer Doug Willis.

Nixon, 1962: “California must have 1 million new jobs in the next four years to provide employment for the people coming into our state and for the nearly 400,000 Californians now out of work. By its record, the Brown Administration has proved it is incapable of doing this.”

Kathleen Brown, 1994: “If we are going to revive California’s economy . . . California must create 1 million new jobs over the next four years. Pete Wilson is a failed governor who has presided over the loss of over 550,000 jobs.”

The Nixon speech was delivered on Kathleen Brown’s 17th birthday, Sept. 25, 1962. One major difference is that the population of California has grown from about 17 million then to 32 million now. Brown won reelection in 1962, but lost four years later to Ronald Reagan. Nixon was elected President of the United States in 1968.