A Governor ‘Itching to Run’ for President

It’s looking like Gov. Pete Wilson really is going to run for President. And as one longtime aide says, he should take a deep breath and savor the moment because “right now is as good as it gets in this business.”

“Everybody’s goo-gooing and gaga-ing over him. But as soon as he says he’s going for sure, then here come the tractors loaded with dirt. Big tractors, big piles of dirt. This is as good as it gets--until his inauguration or his farewell party.”

The adviser--who like other intimates does not want to be publicly revealed trying to get inside his leader’s head--points out that the governor “has been in the business long enough to know a lot of people just kiss your behind and tell you you’re the greatest. So you really need to take a close look at everything. And that’s the process he has been going through.”

But he’s “itching to run,” this aide continues. “He’s saying, ‘Show me a way to run and win and I’ll go.’ The most important thing is, does he have the fire in the belly? And this guy has a furnace.”

Other insiders or pros with a pipeline into the inner circle offer these assessments of Wilson’s attitude:

* “It’s 5 to 1 he’s going to run, but he’s still giving himself some leeway.”

* “I’d put a pretty good-sized bet on his running, but he’s still agonizing, trying to get through exactly how he does it.”

* “He’s in the process of crossing the Rubicon and wants to make sure it’s not a mistake.”

* “He knows he wants to do it, and he knows he can win.”

* “I think deep down he decided two weeks ago to run.”

*

Wilson apparently agrees with the consensus of advisers that 1996 is his year.

“If he wants it (the presidency),” says veteran consultant Stu Spencer, a longtime Wilson friend, “this is the best time to run. Timing is everything. When you’re hot, you’re hot. Take a hard look around the country. These (other candidates) aren’t turning anybody on.”

Spencer, the mastermind behind Ronald Reagan’s two winning presidential races and chief strategist for Gerald Ford in 1976, says Wilson shouldn’t wait until the year 2000. “If you try to project that far ahead you’re crazy,” he says. “There’ll be 15 people getting in front of you in the line.”

The thinking in the Wilson camp--reinforced by some GOP governors urging him to run--is that Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) will fade because of age (71) and temperament, Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Tex.) is too scary a conservative for most voters, former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander is a non-starter and President Clinton is very vulnerable.

The Republican nomination will not be won with charisma--no candidate has it--but with a message, the thinking continues. Wilson has been a message candidate throughout his career. Next year’s message:

Some things are plainly right and some things are plainly wrong. It’s right to reward people who work hard, pay their taxes and obey the law. It’s wrong to reward people who come here illegally. It’s wrong to permit reverse discrimination . It’s wrong to let convicted killers on the street . . . . It’s about fairness.

Basically, Washington is unfair.

Wilson told private meetings of major donors in San Francisco on Monday and in Los Angeles last Thursday that he’d “love to run and I believe I could do the job.” The main purpose of the meetings, however, was to solicit help in retiring a $1.5-million gubernatorial campaign debt. Three big fund-raisers will be held this month in an effort to pay off the debt before any presidential bid is launched.

Two GOP high rollers who attended say the governor received modest encouragement to run. The signs are he intends to be running within a few weeks.

*

The tractors with the dirt already are on the horizon.

He raised taxes by nearly $8 billion. He even raised taxes on kids’ snacks. He has borrowed billions to balance budgets. He favors abortion rights. (Anathema to the religious right, but a big plus among social moderates.)

Conservatives also will remember that Wilson campaigned for Ford over Reagan in the 1976 New Hampshire primary.

Wilson’s biggest problem, however, is one he still has not resolved. It’s about the issue of credibility and his “contract with California.” He promised all last year to serve a full term if reelected. He has laid out an ambitious second-term agenda. But if he leaves office, he’ll be succeeded by a Democratic lieutenant governor.

Wilson is thinking of orchestrating a 1996 ballot initiative to require a special election if the governor’s office is vacated. He’s also trying to figure out how he can simultaneously push his state agenda while running for President. Realists know he can’t.

Yes, Wilson should enjoy the moment. He seems bent on dodging dirt trucks.