Wilson Prods Dole to Fight for California

Gov. Pete Wilson publicly prodded Bob Dole for the first time Friday to wage an all-out battle for California in the final three weeks of the campaign and to hammer President Clinton on such volatile California issues as illegal immigration and affirmative action.

Meeting with Southern California political reporters, Wilson said he would like to see “some muscle” in the GOP campaign on the issues of illegal immigration and its costs to the state of California, and affirmative action, as represented by Proposition 209 on the Nov. 5 ballot. The measure would ban affirmative action preferences in public education, hiring and contracting by state and local governments.

He noted that Dole was an early advocate of both positions, but had declined to campaign on those issues on visits to California, in part because strategists said they were divisive issues and could backfire on Dole.

Referring to Proposition 209, Wilson said: “I think he ought to be speaking about it a lot. It’s a wedge issue, I gather for the Democratic Party. A wedge issue is an issue your opponents don’t want you to talk about.”

Wilson also said he has appealed directly to the Republican presidential nominee to mount a more competitive contest--both in time and money--for the state’s huge bloc of 54 electoral votes.

“I’m more than hoping,” said the Republican governor who is the Dole campaign’s general chairman in the state. “I’m being emphatic that they are missing a bet if they don’t come and do that.”

Up to now, Wilson and other GOP leaders in California have declined to criticize the national Dole campaign’s strategy for California--at least in public.

But with Dole and his top aides preparing to gather in Washington to map strategy for the stretch drive of the campaign, Wilson apparently decided the time had come to speak publicly.

“My advice to Sen. Dole is to come out to California and spend time and money here because, frankly, California offers you a far more fertile ground, I suspect, than almost any other place in the country.”

A newly released Field Poll shows some tightening of the race in California. Clinton led Dole 48% to 38% in the poll. Early in September, the Field Poll had Clinton ahead by 22 points, although Republican leaders--and some independent analysts, considered that poll result to indicate an artificially large Clinton lead.

Wilson argued that what was at stake was Dole winning or losing the state, not the impact on congressional and legislative races, although the competitiveness of the presidential contest could affect voter turnout.

“The down-the-ticket races probably are going to go off on their own merits,” he said.

Wilson acknowledged that he had gotten no answer to his appeals, but that “hope springs eternal.” Then he added, “I think you’re going to see more of him and I think you’re going to see resources--the most precious of which is his time.”

While critical of the campaign in part, Wilson refused Friday to join those Republicans who faulted Dole and running mate Jack Kemp for refusing to wage a more personal campaign against Clinton.

“I think it’s bad politics as well as bad manners to make personal attacks, unless they are relevant to the performance of the responsibilities of office,” Wilson said.

“But Clinton is vulnerable on his performance if you’re talking about character issues,” he added. “I think the character issue is that he repeatedly has said one thing and then done another as a public official. This is an administration that has almost no parallel for having taken credit for the achievements of other people.”