Posted on 12/02/2005 7:34:27 AM PST by ElkGroveDan
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chief of staff appointment of career leftist and former Gray Davis staffer Susan Kennedy strongly indicates he has accepted the four myths of the Nov. Special Election presently being circulated by California’s liberal pundits.
Myth 1: Voters agree with Democrats
The voters didn’t hand Democrats any roses Nov. 8. On the contrary, the Donkey Party suffered two important losses. Prop. 79 would have forced price controls and discounts on pharmaceuticals in California. The so-called “Prescription Drug” issue is practically the Holy Grail of Democrat Party these days, with calls for more government intervention and mandatory price caps. The California Democrat Party platform mentions “prescription drugs” nine times and the party gave its hearty endorsement to Prop. 79. Sixty-one percent of those who voted that day said “no thanks” to this essential Democrat cause.
Prop. 80 would have restored burdensome regulation of California’s electric power industry while mandating additional “green power.” The California Democrat Party threw its considerable weight behind this measure too. Alas, Nov. 8 voters rejected Prop. 80, also by 61 percent.
Myth 2: The special election was a loss for Republicans
Certainly Republicans would have benefited from passage of the governor’s initiatives. However their loss has merely maintained the status quo Capitol power balance — disappointing, yes, but hardly a setback. Moreover, the California Teachers Association was driven to the brink of bankruptcy to fund its opposition to Prop.s 74 and 75. The CTA monster may not have been de-fanged this time but it will be going into the next battle bruised and limping. Any new edge, however temporary, over the mighty public employee unions is a victory for Republican campaigners.
Myth 3: The Special Election results reflect the mood of all Californians.
This election, indeed any election, reflects the mood of those who decided to go to the polls that day. On Nov. 8 the initiatives sponsored by the governor and Republicans lost because 4.1 to 4.6 million voters cast no votes, per recommendations from the Democrats and big labor. That’s about 18 percent of the state’s 22.4 million registered voters — less than one in five. 18 percent is hardly a mandate for anything, let alone the historically unpopular higher taxes and bigger government the unions are now telling their Democrat legislators to enact.
The election told us only that California is neither a politically liberal nor politically conservative state. It is a politically disconnected state. Under such conditions it behooves those who wish to change the status quo to make not just a message for change, but also a serious, immediate, and urgent call to action. Arnold’s campaign team failed to do that.
Big labor made an urgent case to their members that their very jobs were at risk. Their voters showed up and cast ballots.
The voters who recalled Gray Davis and elected Arnold governor make up a loose group that I call the Normality Base: Republicans, thinking independents, and conservative Democrats. They are busy soccer moms, harried commuters, and stressed out small business owners. They tend to agree with Republicans much of the time. The Normality Base never felt the sense of urgency about the Special Election they did about the recall. They simply didn’t vote.
Myth 4: Arnold should now lean left to win reelection.
The unmotivated Normality Base are still here and still don’t care much for big government and high taxes. They will vote in greater numbers in the next scheduled election. This base is poised to re-elect the governor if he sends the right message. Conversely, the Susan Kennedy appointment indicates likely electoral disaster for Schwarzenegger if it is the beginning of a hard left shift toward supporting higher taxes and bigger government, all because 18 percent of California voters chose no on everything in the Special.
If Schwarzenegger is in fact listening to fables, he should heed Aesop’s “A Dog and His Reflection.”: A dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize. Crossing a narrow footbridge, he happened to see himself reflected in the quiet water, but thought he saw a real dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. The greedy dog dropped his bone and sprang at the dog in the river, then found himself swimming for his life toward shore. As he scrambled out and stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish dog he had been.
The people voted to recall Gray Davis and elect Schwarzenegger to rid the state of tax and spend irresponsibility. Out of so many self-serving myths, that is the one truth to be salvaged.
needs some pings
Arnold put the measures up on the ballot and then proceeded to ignore them.
I know he was raising a LOT of money, but I didn't see it getting spent.
The failure of those initiatives reflects the lack of leadership by Arnold and nothing else.
His willingness to veer left in search of a crowd to walk in front of demonstrates that even further.
So many good points. Thanks for the ping.
Arnold asked to be on Roger Hedgecock's show yesterday to explain his Susan Kennedy appt.
He said it doesn't show him moving left, it shows her moving right.
Hedgecock wasn't buying the spin.
Sorry, I've lost whatever confidence I'd had in the man. I was shaken when the putz banned .50 caliber rifles and now that he has a lesbian-feminist Gray Davis staffer running his office I'm done with him.
There was a sound bite of Arnold saying he "should have listened to his wife more" during the special elections.
So it appears as if Maria made this appointment for him.
We won't be voting for him again.
The voters who recalled Gray Davis and elected Arnold governor make up a loose group that I call the Normality Base: Republicans, thinking independents, and conservative Democrats. They are busy soccer moms, harried commuters, and stressed out small business owners. They tend to agree with Republicans much of the time. The Normality Base never felt the sense of urgency about the Special Election they did about the recall. They simply didn’t vote.
The unmotivated Normality Base are still here and still don’t care much for big government and high taxes. They will vote in greater numbers in the next scheduled election. This base is poised to re-elect the governor if he sends the right message. Conversely, the Susan Kennedy appointment indicates likely electoral disaster for Schwarzenegger if it is the beginning of a hard left shift toward supporting higher taxes and bigger government
Not likely. The Republican Party in CA doesn't have the muscle to outdo the Democrats when they engage in all-or-nothing warfare, but Schwarzenegger is not going to abandon fiscal reform. Interesting analysis.
Elephants have long memories. Arnold is going to crash and burn in the next election. Then again one wonders if California has any Republicans anymore.
All he's done is send budgets to the legislature with record spending covered by record bond debt. If that's "fiscal reform" I don't want any more of it.
I don't think so. But there's always Phil Angelides.
I guess you didn't read the article. He points out that only 18% of voters came to the polls to hand this so-called Republican defeat. They are there. But they are busy, disconnected, and out of touch. Someone needs to light a fire under them. Ironically I think Arnold just did that this week.
Over 5 million Californians voted for Bush in 2004. If those had had been giving a sense of urgency to vote this time, it would have been a thorough trouncing.
Sorry, we don't use Democrat standards for subjective reality here. This is FreeRepublic, where blanket claims must be supported by sourced facts. So, allow me to cure your "thinking."
According to the Legislative Analyst's Office, Arnold's Budget (you know, THE BUDGET HE SUBMITS TO THE LEGISLATURE) proposed total 2004-05 general fund spending of $78,028,000,000. In the same report, ARNOLD'S BUDGET proposed total 2005-06 general fund spending of $84,471,000,000.
That's an 8.25% increase any way you slice it.
Gray Davis' average rate of growth in total spending was 6%.
Isn't this what I've been telling all of you FReepers for over a year now???
You bet it is!!!
Carry, for your information, I took a "cure" a long time ago, and I hardly need medicine from arrogant, intolerant, name-calling, snake-oil peddlers. Thank you.
Reality BumP
I see. You call the Legislative Analyst's Office "snake oil."
I've bookmarked this exchange for all to see every time you fling one of your bogus claims about Arnold as a "fiscal conservative." Your credibility here is now shot.
Actually SW I believe we had an echo chamber going here. I guess the echo is finally escaping.
Sorry, I don't buy it that the CTA is bruised and weakened. They've been boasting and arrogantly struting their political agenda even more stridently than ever before.
Their last magazine issue focused on promoting single payor health care. What's the connection to educating children, you ask?? There is none, but they are beyond caring in their joy of victory.
If anything, this may signal that a significant minority are sick of initiatives and want the legislature to work it out.
Too bad the legislature is out of touch with any actual voters.
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