The latest chapter in the fun that is known as the California gubernatorial race, Democratic candidate Jerry Brown has been tagged with another gaffe. How it will register with voters is anyone's guess, but it will serve to take the former two-time governor and current state attorney general off-message for a bit.
According to the Los Angeles Times, "In a private conversation that was inadvertently taped by a voicemail machine, an associate of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown can be heard referring to his Republican opponent Meg Whitman as a 'whore' for cutting a deal protecting law enforcement pensions as the two candidates competed for police endorsements."
The tape, released by the Los Angeles Police Union, is here.
The Times continues: "The comment came after Brown called the Los Angeles Police Protective League in early September to ask for its endorsement. He left a voicemail message for Scott Rate, a union official. Brown apparently believed he had hung up the phone, but the connection remained intact and the voice mail machine captured an ensuing conversation between Brown and his aides. With evident frustration, Brown discussed the pressure he was under to refuse to reduce public safety pensions or lose law enforcement endorsements to Whitman. Months earlier, Whitman had agreed to exempt public safety officials from key parts of her pension reform plan."
“Do we want to put an ad out? … That I have been warned if I crack down on pensions, I will be – that they’ll go to Whitman, and that’s where they’ll go because they know Whitman will give ‘em, will cut them a deal, but I won’t,” Brown said.
At that point, what appears to be a second voice interjects: “What about saying she’s a whore?”
“Well, I’m going to use that,” Brown responds. “It proves you’ve cut a secret deal to protect the pensions.”
The campaign has confirmed that is the Democratic candidate's voice on the tape, but said it is still trying to ascertain who the staff member was on the tape with Brown.
The early days...
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