Gray's Viking Funeral

California's Institutional Left is licking its chops at the prospect of Gray Davis begging unions, Latinos, environmental groups and feminists for money and support. Labor-worshipping writer Harold Meyerson has a must-read column about what we might expect in the next two months.

[Union] leaders are telling Gray that to rally their members ? and his base ? he will have to veer sharply in a populist direction. Davis? decision to sign a bill permitting illegal immigrants to obtain drivers? licenses is a step in the right direction. [?]

Some in labor are also urging Davis to agree to sign SB 2, Senate President Pro Tem John Burton?s bill to require California employers to join buyer pools to provide health insurance to their workers ? in essence, to mandate a job-based, employer-subsidized universal health-care system. Union leaders are far from certain that the passage of this or the other bills will suffice to spare Davis from the recall gods. But, they conclude, the bills certainly can?t hurt his campaign, and at least he?ll go out in a blaze of unaccustomed glory.