Posted on 09/22/2005 1:46:02 PM PDT by Crackingham
His political strength hemorrhaging from multiple wounds -- some self-inflicted, others the result of a barrage of negative advertising -- the governor, his job approval rating below 40 percent, is nevertheless ebullient. He cannot be pretending. He is not that good an actor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger -- tanned, tan suit, open-collared shirt, running shoes -- will run for reelection in 2006, but first, he says cheerfully, these next seven weeks will be "the rebuttal" to the ad assault from government employee unions. He wants voters to pass ballot measures to make teachers wait five years rather than two before achieving tenure, a lifetime job entitlement; to restrict the growth of government spending by giving governors greater latitude for cutting it; and to give a panel of retired judges power to draw legislative districts.
But he is a prisoner of the populism -- government by gusts of manufactured public opinion -- that propelled him to this city. None of his three proposals currently has the support of a majority of an electorate that is weary of elections. In just 34 months they have reelected Gray Davis governor, recalled him and replaced him with Schwarzenegger, then selected 53 members of Congress and 100 state legislators in districts so meticulously gerrymandered to prevent change that party control remained unchanged in all 153 contests.
Schwarzenegger remains confident of his ability to mesmerize an audience, but this audience -- the vast, distracted electorate -- did not buy a ticket for this November's movie. It is being thrust at them, and he is not the anti-political novelty he was when he was elected.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
That's because the the media wars have not yet begun & Joe Average doesn't even know they exist
George Will is an excellent writer. But his conservatism is the safe kind. The kind that never really upsets liberals. Instead of a force to be reckoned with, liberals see him as a quaint and amusing party guest. I'm sure he's welcome at any left wing dinner party in DC or NYC.
For a high IQ guy like Will it's amazing that he doesn't recognize that the bow tie as a fashion accessory is incredibly counter-productive when trying to change young hearts and minds. Him and Carlson. High IQ morons. (Yeah I know Will doesn't wear it all the time.)
Remember George Will was about as high profile as a non-liberal got in the days before Limbaugh and now O'Reilly. Oh yeah, there was also David Gergen. Ha.
Out of the mouth of George Will.
The CAGOP has learned their political primer well .... or have they? Schwarzenegger, an uncooperative "conservative", is now shielded from the wrath of the state's conservatives, many registered Republicans.
The CAGOP might well regret the day that they gave the Austrian a free pass in the upcoming primary. A good chance exists that because the state party is perceived to be attempting to disenfranchised the conservatives, now familiar with Schwarzenegger's core values, whom the party cajoled/coerced into voting for the Austrian during the recall, many may simply skip the top of the ticket during the next gubernatorial election. During the recall those conservatives represented 13% of the electorate, enough to tip the balance to the dark side if they revolt against the highhanded tactics of the CAGOP.
Arnold is only now starting to advertise.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
I haven't seen any of Arnold's ads yet, but hope they're well crafted to get the point(s) across.
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