GRAY DAVIS INTERVIEWED by PETER JENNINGS

California Governor Gray Davis made the following statement during an interview with ABC's Peter Jennings. He was discussing why people should vote down the recall and said that things are getting better in California and,

"The lights stayed on [in California] when they went out back east."

I have been trying to figure out what that means. The lights stayed on in California when Italy recently experienced a blackout also, but I can't figure out why this would be a reason to vote against the recall. If someone could enlighten me on this, I'd appreciate it.