Keep posting myths, CA Guy.
The propositions were doomed from early on and Arnold may have been duped by his own team using false polling.
http://www.flashreport.org/special-reports0b.php?faID=2005110202424596
One wonders why they did not have thorough opinion research to adequately measure the futility of a campaign. Either there was no research, or they asked the wrong questions, or they ignored the data. Perhaps they were just so determined to have a special election. That’s what I think.
(snip)
The pollster keeps reporting that the consultant’s ads are working, so they buy more ads. It’s like the old brokerage churning – when brokers bought and sold a bunch of stocks. The commissions were high, and they did well even if you didn’t. So, it seems are that a survey concludes the campaign is not working. Better, when it’s over and the client loses, to blame it on voter turnout.
I can't imagine how they could have proceeded at all with a special election, or with this type of campaign, if they had serious quantitative and qualitative research. But, then again, I can imagine how they could have done the things they did last year. But maybe it's not the polling. I mean, why take this smart, wonderful communicator - -a macho guy, and make him into a milktoast, going to staged, contrived events in which he says next to nothing, and where each TV news report ridicules him and the event, and the "pres-elected" audience. I guess no one had the balls to sit him down, have him study the issues, and have him confront the electorate, Reagan-style, and show what he's made of.