Another Murphy Campaign, Another Bus Tour…

After months of tightly scripted campaign events that have done nothing to move his flawed agenda forward, it looks like a “softer” Team Arnold is rolling out on another bus tour next weekend.

Let's see, Schwarzenegger has spent the last year campaigning on "Ree-Form" and with less than ten days before the election, we see that the only ones they've managed to convince are members of the Chamber of Commerce and local GOP activists?

Now, facing an onslaught of public polls showing his initiatives going down, a new "I'm sorry, sooo sorry” Arnold is rolling out a last gasp attempt to turn his sinking campaign ship around. The big question is - will this bus tour consist of the same freak show that we saw during the recall?

“They hope to do part of it with a bus tour featuring a giant cavalcade of six buses and at least 220 reporters from a dozen countries. Each bus will be named for one of Schwarzenegger's movies, with the candidate riding on Running Man, the campaign staff on Total Recall, and the press on buses nicknamed Predator 1 through 3 and True Lies.” (Associated Press, October 1, 2003)

Whatever the Governor’s office wants to call this latest Mike Murphy manufactured PR maneuver, just don’t let them call this the “Straight Talk Express”. We vote for the “Magical Mystery Tour,” because it’s seems to be a mystery what the Governor will say or do next. Probably depends on the latest poll…

Storm’s A Brewin’

WARNING - That isn’t Hurricane Beta blowing down L Street. That bluster is coming from the Governor’s political machine in full spin mode. With a new poll out showing his entire agenda going down in flames, the Governor’s team summoned the keeper of the polls to hold court.

In addition to the smell of B.S. emanating from the “Tower of Truth”, you can also smell a hint of desperation in the air. Since Californians have once again panned an onscreen performance by the Governor, forcing his team to replace his “trust me” ads with a new “mea culpa” spots, Team Schwarzenegger is now begging TV stations around the state to allow this “new and improved” Arnold to participate in another “town hall” style forum – but PLEASE, just don’t call these things debates.

Just like every campaign stunt the Governor’s office has unveiled this year, this attempt to reverse the downward spiral of the Gov’s initiatives comes with a list of demands:

1) He can’t lower himself to share the stage with the opposition, because as one of his many advisors states: "there's no one that has as much at stake. No one has as much to lose politically as the governor." (Sac Bee, October 26, 2005). That’s interesting. Just last week this election “wasn’t about the Governor” it was about making “sure the public understand how critical these four measures are in reforming California.”

2) No union members in the crowd. Why? Is he afraid to face questions from working Californians who are on the front lines?

3) Handpicking the journalists who can participate. They’ve been bullying media outlets over which journalists can and cannot serve as moderators…and no direct questions, please. So much for that good ol’ freedom of the press.

It only took the Governor’s team six months to realize that those stale town halls filled with cardboard cutouts of “real” people weren’t working. But we’re sure they’ll try to spin this as just part of their “Master Strategy.”

Didn’t You Get the Memo, Duh?

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In honor of President Bush’s visit to California, GOP Chairman Sundheim sent out a flowery release mentioning that “We are pleased that he (President Bush) is visiting our great state” and “his presence here will benefit all Republicans.”

Well, there is one Republican who won’t be benefiting - Governor Schwarzenegger.

It appears that the CA Republican Party forgot to give the GOP Chairman a copy of the “Bush Visit Talking Points” so we thought we would take the opportunity to send him the latest draft that we found in a fifth floor copy machine over at the Capitol:

MEMO

To: Chairman Sundheim
Fr: Karen Hanretty
Dt: October 20, 2005
Re: Bush Visit Updated Talking Points (Please pin these to your coat)

1) President Bush is not bringing any federal aid to California. Remember – NO mention of that “Collectinator” line!

2) We are not pleased about this visit, it is “ill-timed”.

3) Bush is welcome back after Thanksgiving – preferably when Arnold is in China.

4) President Bush is taking needed money from California. (Face it, Duff. Without Arnold raking in the dough for us, the entire party apparatus would be whittled down to just you and me.)

5) We need money to pay for our multitude of consultants – (Duff you saw the bill, Murphy’s tower ain’t cheap).

6) Arnold owns California (remember Bush lost CA big in 2004).

7) We only like good Republicans preferably Mike Murphy clients (McCain Good – Bush Bad).

8) Arnold can’t be distracted by President and his big plane – Duff please stay focused on “reform”.

9) Arnold can’t meet with Bush – Duff please throw out that “the Governor had a long standing commitment” line. That seems to work.

10) Next time the press calls, just let Rob or I handle it.

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CA GOP PARTY TO BUSH – NEXT TIME PLEASE CALL AHEAD…

You know times are tough for President Bush when both Governor Schwarzenegger and his own Republican Party don't want anything to do with him.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that President Bush will be in California this week for a ribbon-cutting event and a fundraiser.

Q: Where will Governor Schwarzenegger be?
A: As far away as possible.

At a time when the Bush Administration is mired in Karl Rove-induced CIA controversy and the Iraq quagmire, other Republicans are standing tall with their President, but not Governor Schwarzenegger. He’s ducking for cover.

According to the Chron - A White House emissary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the governor is getting bad counsel from his advisers. It will appear, "at a time when the president needs the support of a Republican governor (that Schwarzenegger) is turning his back" on Bush, the GOP leader said. (San Francisco Chronicle, October 15, 2005)

Not to be outdone, the California Republican Party spokeswoman went so far as to suggest that the President should be doing more for the state.

"I don't expect Gov. Schwarzenegger to be hanging out with George Bush in California. We're facing some very serious issues in the state -- and unless the president of the United States is coming to town to hand over federal money to the governor to help us solve our problems, I don't see why the governor would allow himself to be distracted with the president's fundraising trip," she said.

Wasn't this the Governor who was going to be the "Collectinator" for federal aid for California? Now with the President's poll numbers in the toilet, the Governor can't be "distracted" by another Presidential visit. When the President visited the Central Valley back in 2003 things sounded great:

State Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno, one of the sponsors of the Wednesday fund-raiser in Fresno, said the Bush stop also capitalizes on the momentum generated by Schwarzenegger's victory in last week's recall election. "There's mutual advantages to that relationship that benefits the new governor, and benefits the president," he said. "There's so much enthusiasm as a result it has the feeling of a trend. That's positive." (San Francisco Chronicle, October 16, 2003)

We sure don’t feel that “positive” energy from the CA GOP today…

Can’t Make Correct Change

As the recall election drew to a close, then candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger made considerable hay of the fact that he wanted to change how business was done in Sacramento. As time went on, it was clear that he was intent on changing some aspects of how things are done.

“Holding his broom aloft, Schwarzenegger proclaimed: "The people of this state do not trust this government. They feel it is corrupted by dirty money, closed doors and back-room deals ... Now, however … Schwarzenegger's administration is calling for major budgetary cuts … [to] the only institutional watchdog outside of the press, the Fair Political Practices Commission.” (Bill Bradley in the Sacramento Bee, 6/6/04)

Those changes (some may call them “major cuts in regulatory agencies”) are starting to play themselves out.

“California's political watchdog agency has closed 225 cases since May without finishing the investigations, a victim of a nagging backlog and budget crunch …”

“The agency's budget was $6.6 million in 2000-01 and reduced to $6.1 million in 2004-05. The governor had proposed a $1-million cut for this fiscal year that began July 1 …” (Los Angeles Times, 10/18/05)

Are Schwarzenegger’s “changes” – allowing more scofflaws to go free – the kind that the people of the state of California signed up for?

Schwarzenegger Hires a Right-Wing Spotter

Hey, guess what? The Schwarzenegger camp has a problem with the right-wing conservatives. So what do they do? Hire a guy whose claim to fame was lobbying for an ultra-right wing organization and convincing conservatives that George Bush wasn’t too much of a centrist!

According to the L.A. Times, the CA Republican Party has hired religious right political consultant Gary Marx to head the charge on the Schwarzenegger-backed Prop 73.

Marx most recently worked to build evangelical support for President Bush as “a top liaison to social conservatives in [Bush’s] reelection campaign” (L.A. Times, October 13, 2005).

Now the Governor has hired Marx to build a similar support network for Prop. 73, hoping against hope that the anti-choice initiative will draw high numbers of conservative voters who will stick around at the polls long enough to support the rest of Schwarzenegger’s failed agenda.

After taking a look at Marx’s résumé, we’re not sure he will ever venture too far out of Orange County. For example, Marx was a lobbyist for the Virginia Family Foundation, a conservative group that fought stem cell research, supports school vouchers, and helped pass a law banning domestic partnerships. (http://www.familyfoundation.org/)

Perhaps the L.A. Times says it best: “The moves to align Schwarzenegger with religious conservatives are inherently awkward; he vaulted into the governor's office partly on the strength of his reputation as a social moderate who supports abortion rights.”

That was a long time ago. Now, as his campaign efforts become more desperate, Team Schwarzenegger continues to sail farther and farther to the right, blown off course by the hot air coming from Pete Wilson and his former staffers.

All this does is serve to remind California voters that Governor Schwarzenegger is just like so many of his recent movies: lots of hype and glamour, but you just don’t get what you paid for.

Sweeping it Under the Rug

Just a little over two years ago candidate Schwarzenegger held a press conference to unveil a “sweeping proposal for open government and political reform.” His proposals included a blackout period for fundraising, instant campaign disclosure and tougher penalties for certain campaign disclosure violations.

Looking at his time in office however, it appears that Governor Schwarzenegger misplaced that broom that was going to clean up Sacramento. But this week, the anemic Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) found it and used it to wrap him on the knuckles for violating the Political Reform Act – although it took them two years to get there.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that, “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has agreed to pay nearly $15,000 in fines for violations of campaign reporting requirements during the 2003 recall election.” (S.F. Chronicle, October 12, 2005)

How did the Governor’s political advisor respond to this latest embarrassment? The Chronicle quoted the Governor’s spokesman as saying, “compared to others in the recall campaign, we were like choir boys.” Huh?

What happened to that “get tough” language from Recall Candidate Schwarzenegger? This is what he said when he proposed his tougher penalties for certain campaign disclosure violations - “if someone violates campaign finance laws and corrupts our democracy with dirty money, it’s only a misdemeanor and the wrongdoer only pays a fine. Let’s get serious.” (Schwarzenegger press release, September 18, 2003)

So, when’s the Governor going to get serious? Remember just last week it was reported that the FPPC is dropping hundreds of investigations of potential campaign violations because of staffing shortages and budget deficiencies.

The Sacramento Bee reported on the woes of the FPPC:

“We're kind of saying 'uncle,' Chairwoman Liane Randolph told the audience at the FPPC's monthly meeting. We can't handle our caseload, and we have to close cases as a result of that.” (Sacramento Bee, October 13, 2005)

We’re guessing, like so many of the Governor’s empty promises, his campaign finance proposals and his tough campaign talk just got swept under the rug.

The Political Chameleon: Schwarzenegger Sees Poll Numbers and Flip-Flops

After weeks of disparaging remarks directed toward the Legislature, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger engaged in election eve political opportunism today when he signed legislation banning dietary supplements and regulating video games.

In doing so, he has proved himself to be a political chameleon, changing his stripes on two key pieces of legislation with his special election just around the corner. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Governor has done an about-face on these two bills and would become just another opportunistic politician in light of the sagging poll numbers for his initiatives.

Despite today’s signings, ethical concerns continued to surround his involvement in these bills.

Robert Fellmeth, a law professor and founder of the University of San Diego’s Center for Public Interest Law, said “If I’m in his shoes, I would ask the attorney for an opinion as to whether or not he should turn this over to the lieutenant governor.” (Sacramento Bee, 8/9/05).

The Governor also has two FPPC complaints pending against him regarding his vetoes of nearly identical legislation last year to ban dietary supplements, “including one by the family of a 24-year-old man who committed suicide after using steroids.” (Sacramento Bee, 7/20/05).

The Governor also has yet to return the nearly $8 million from a deal with American Media Inc., publisher of “Flex” and “Muscle & Fitness” magazines.

The complaints are pending before the Fair Political Practices Commission, the state’s campaign finance watchdog agency.

Arizona Recovery Team

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Today, Team Arnold announced they were bringing in the U.S. Senator from Arizona, John McCain, to campaign for Arnold’s so-called “reform” agenda. It’s ironic that McCain would offer to “pump up” Arnold’s campaign considering he is a well-known activist against the kind of “obscene” and “vulgar” fundraising practiced by Team Schwarzenegger*.

In a COMPLETELY UNRELATED development, (yeah right) today the Phoenix Business Journal reports Schwarzenegger will be traveling to that city to raise money for his campaign and pump up the campaign for the other U.S. Senator from Arizona, John Kyl.

Schwarzenegger will once again flee the state and neglect his official duties as he attends a $10,000 per couple fundraiser Oct. 12 in Phoenix at the home of Robson Communities chief executive Edward Robson.

Maybe the folks over at the Senator Hotel should change the name of their operation to the Arizona Recovery Team.

*(For the newest example of Arnold’s shady campaign financing, keep an eye out on tomorrow's LA Times and see “Redistricting Committee Returns $1.7 Million”, Associated Press, 10/6/05 and Capitol Weekly 10/6/05)

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Pants On Fire...

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Today's Los Angeles Times column by Steve Lopez pulls back the curtain on another of Team Arnold's fake photo ops, this time from Arnie's visit with firefighters in Thousand Oaks last week.

Lopez says, "The whole thing also raises a question that goes beyond politics and straight to the heart of voters' concerns about Schwarzenegger. Does he ever get out of makeup, or is everything show business?":

"So how did Schwarzenegger find 20 firefighters eager to pose with him?

"He didn't, says Pat McOsker, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles, who went to the command center to check on the condition of colleagues who had been on the job for three days with little sleep. He says the men and women flanking the governor were acting under duress...

"McOsker said he began telling reporters at the news conference that the firefighters were ordered to stand up there with Schwarzenegger, and one scribe asked the governor about it.

"Rather than dispute the contention, Schwarzenegger said everybody is ordered to do things at one point or another. Someone was ordered to put up the podium, he said. Someone was ordered to bring in the microphone...

"'We were all in agreement amongst ourselves: Nobody wanted to do it,' said Capt. Wayne Ferber of the Ventura County Fire Department. 'We were directed by one of our chief officers that this was something we were to do. If you were watching
on the TV screen, I was to the right side of the governor, but I was sort of ducking so nobody would see me. I was doing my best to stay out of the picture.'" (Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2005)

So it seems that somebody on the governor's staff pulled firefighters away from their jobs, against their will, in order to pose as a backdrop for the Guvenator.

Hmmm, the governor wasting important resources for something that Californians don't want, against their will? Sounds familiar...

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Team Arnold Touts Polling Company Banned from News Agencies

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As fewer and fewer voters support Arnold Schwarzenegger’s special election, his political consultant Mike Murphy sent out a supportive poll from SurveyUSA.

The trouble is, SurveyUSA uses what highly respected University of Michigan survey expert Michael Traugott calls a computerized audience response poll – or as Roll Call called it “C.R.A.P.” (Roll Call, 8/1/02)

In San Francisco’s Mayor’s race in 2003, “the reliability of … [SurveyUSA’s] … poll of voter preferences in the San Francisco mayor and district attorney races … [was] questioned because respondents were queried by a computer rather than a person.” (San Francisco Chronicle, 11/18/03)

Also, the sample used for this current poll is not representative of current voter registration and trends – instead it has a virtual 50/50 Democrat/Republican split. The likely turnout for the special election would hardly resemble a similar split considering California currently has 43 percent Democratic registration and 35 percent Republican registration. (Secretary of State’s Office, 9/9/05)

Moreover, the SurveyUSA poll results indicate a turnout of 21 percent of 18 – 34 year old voters. That is about two times what the actual results would be for a special election.

It is important to note that the Associated Press, Roll Call and other reputable news outlets WILL NOT USE SurveyUSA poll results.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee executive director Jim Jordan summed it up best when he said “[SurveyUSA] offer[s] the ring of authenticity while in reality being cheap, uninformed, unreliable and meaningless.” (Roll Call, 8/1/02)


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