Posted on 10/25/2005 8:00:10 AM PDT by SmithL
WALNUT CREEK - This very odd political campaign spawned a very odd political event Monday night - a kinda, sorta, more-or-less, quasi, facsimile, pseudo-facade of a faux-debate between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and two critics of the ballot measures he wants voters to approve on Nov. 8 - and Schwarzenegger delivered a strong performance to claim at least a semi-victory.
Had it been a real debate, Schwarzenegger and his rivals would have mixed it up face-to-face. Instead, Schwarzenegger and his foes, state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and California Nurses Association chief Rose Ann DeMoro, appeared in separate segments of a live, 90-minute television broadcast, firing time-delayed zingers through the ether.
Sell It Yourself Hundreds of mostly anti-Schwarzenegger demonstrators chanted and waved placards for television cameras outside Walnut Creek's civic auditorium while inside, panels of a supposed cross section of ordinary Californians posed questions to the governor and his rivals about the four measures he wants passed - questions that sounded suspiciously polished, rather than spontaneous.
The result, not surprisingly, was an exchange of pre-digested assertions about both the measures and the motives of Republican Schwarzenegger and the Democrat/union coalition that opposes the four propositions that would, at least marginally, reduce their influence in the Capitol.
"He (Schwarzenegger) wants a football field with only one team," DeMoro replied to one question about Proposition 75, which would require public employee unions to get permission from their members before taking political funds from their paychecks.
Her comment typified the line that she and Perata took during their opening segment - that Schwarzenegger is trying to grab power for himself and his party by hamstringing unions, acquiring more authority over state spending and making mid-decade changes in legislative districts. "This puts a huge amount of power in the governor's hands,"
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Better governor that unelected leftist union thugs.
If you don't give the Governor the power to change things, then you can't very easily blame him when things go bad.
No kidding. Like the things already aren't bad enough. Thought we elected the man to change things. Well he's changing them, and, he must be doing something right to get all Dem union crooks to scream so hard.
Yes, Ms. DeMoro, how dare they have THE CHOICE as to whether you get their dough or not. I guess you libs aren't as into CHOICE as you pretend.
I've seen these guys. Too bad the Bee didn't publish a photo. You'd know right away they're SEIU members but they may be hiding their logo-emblazoned T-shirts.
Ironic that with all the talk of a "kinda, sorta, more-or-less, quasi, facsimile, pseudo-facade of a faux-debate" the author failed to inform the reader that the "hundreds of mostly anti-Schwarzenegger demonstrators" was a Union made Rent-a-Mob®.
When you're exerpting, why only excerpt the Leftist views?
How about excerpting enough rational comments to make us want to read the whole article?
Governemtn would be more effective if govenrment employee unions were entirely barred from political activities. The situation in CA, and everywhere else, is that the employee unions are trying to run their employers. Bad idea since governmetns cannot declare bancruptcy like the airlines and Delphi did to get around excessive compensation instigated by the unions.
I watched the entire debate and i can tell you that Arnold explained his positions and the Proposals very clearly and very intelligently. The fact is that he is correct that the Politicians, Union Bosses and Union members always put themselves first and not the electorate.
Zis waz like ven de mah-chines sent Reese back through
time to protec Zarah from ze Governator.
Good news!
"They seemed to be in a much worse mood than they were a week or two ago when we counter-protested them in Lafayette. I think they are beginning to understand that they are losing."
Their private polls and focus groups are probably showing big losses for them across the board on all of the props..
My wife and I saw the Lion King in Sacramento this spring, and that day the Union Teacher, fireman and janitors had flooded the area around the capitol. They were cocky and forcing people off the sidewalks. When we left for the parking lot after the show was over, some were very drunk and cursing Arnold on the sidewalks.
A few months later, we took our Grandkids to see Dora the Explorer in Sac.. Something was going on that day. This time those there were not smiling and forcing people off the sidewalk. My wife said was the difference. I said the polls were probably showing defeat for them. In a couple of days the polls backed my observation.
Lets hope that they become deeply depressed each day and really depressed after their props lose.
Kudos to you for your hard work!
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