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Posted on 10/07/2003 11:42:24 AM PDT by .cnI redruM
Senior Democratic strategists knew the particulars of last Thursday’s L.A. Times exposé on Arnold Schwarzenegger well in advance of the story’s publication, the Weekly has learned from well-informed sources. This knowledge came not only in advance of publication but also before anyone outside a close circle at the Times knew of the story’s timing and particulars.
While the Times insists that its reporting uncovered the allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of Schwarzenegger, there can be no doubt that advance knowledge of the story was very helpful to Governor Gray Davis’ efforts to retain his office in the recall election.
Meanwhile, Sunday-night tracking polls seem to show the recall and Schwarzenegger running well ahead. Schwarzenegger strategists say their tracking poll shows the recall with a lead in the low double digits, and Schwarzenegger nearly 10 points ahead of Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante on the replacement portion of the ballot.
Top strategists for the governor were not available, and Davis spokesman Roger Salazar says he knows no Sunday-night polling numbers from the governor’s campaign.
Back to the blockbuster hit on Schwarzenegger in Thursday’s Times. According to a well-informed source at the paper, the story, which hit the political world with a thunderclap, never appeared on the paper’s internal or external publication schedules. Indeed, project editor Joel Sappell and the three reporters working on what the Times has described as a seven-week-long investigative project were very tight-lipped about both the scheduling of the piece and its contents. They discussed the story only with the paper’s senior editors. Although the story did not appear on the schedule, it was reportedly placed in the "write basket," in which other Times editors and reporters can look at upcoming pieces, after hours last Wednesday night, just a few hours before it appeared on the Times Web site.
Even with utmost secrecy surrounding the piece, senior Democratic strategists with long-standing ties to Davis knew not only when the story was coming but also the particulars of what was in it. These strategists felt that the story held the possibility of tipping the election away from Schwarzenegger and of defeating the governor’s recall.
Calls to Times editors on the internal scheduling and handling of the story were referred to the newspaper’s public-relations department. Times spokesman David Garcia said the story was extremely closely held and not shared "with anyone outside the building."
Whether or not the Times received all or part of the story from pro-Davis sources — and the Times continues to vociferously insist that none of the first story, at least, did — the advance knowledge of the story’s timing and particulars enabled Davis and the Democrats to design the closing burst of the anti-recall campaign, which we have seen unfold with an uncanny precision.
I had been very impressed with the alacrity with which Davis and the Democrats seized on the Times story and swiftly pivoted into all-out attack mode. A flurry of press statements and highly coordinated events and advertising involving politicians across the state and in Washington, D.C., ensued. It was remarkably efficient. But if you know what is coming in the news flow and when it is coming, it is much easier to design the close of your campaign.
Incidentally, the paper Monday backed off its previous contention that none of the women in subsequent stories came forward at the urging of Schwarzenegger’s opponents in the wake of the Weekly’s revelation that Jodie Evans, who pushed one of the women to come forward, is not merely the peace activist described by the Times but also a former close colleague of Governor Davis and longtime friend of chief Democratic hit man Bob Mulholland.
In another intriguing bit of Times reporting, Schwarzenegger’s huge rally Sunday outside the state Capitol was not referenced until the 18th paragraph of Monday’s story. The rally was twice as large as the 5,000 people reported by the Times. Of course, observers can vary in crowd estimates. But another element of the reportage was very strange.
"Protesters nearly drowned out the early part of Schwarzenegger’s nine-minute speech with a steady chorus of boos," the Times reported today.
Viewing from the press riser with most of the rest of the press corps, I didn’t hear the protesters. They certainly didn’t drown out Schwarzenegger.
That's because the Democratic operatives were inside the building.
This statement by the Times spokesman is as Clintonesque as the Times' editor's statement that none of Schwarzenegger's opponents gave the paper any info regarding these women. Of course, no one in the mainstream California media bothered to mention to the editor that, technically, Gray Davis is not an "opponent" because Davis is running against the recall, not Arnold. Otherwise, the Los Angeles Times' little ruse would have been compromised.
Dear MoveOn member,
24 hours ago, we launched an emergency ad campaign to tell California voters the recent revelations about Arnold Schwarzenegger's life and character. As of 2pm, more than 12,000 people have contributed and enabled us to reach our goal of $500,000. The ad will begin playing throughout California on Sunday. It's appearing on at least 10 national news programs today. Incredible.
Yesterday, there were revelations about Arnold Schwarzenegger's physical harassment of women -- charges which he has refused to deny. Today he is struggling to explain statements he has made throughout his life regarding Adolf Hitler and another Nazi war criminal.
As the Schwarzenegger campaign reels, it's clear that the outcome of this election is up in the air. Today, we're asking you -- no matter what state you live in -- to do something this weekend to ensure that Schwarzenegger is defeated. We're asking you to participate in MoveOn phone banking to California to make sure that voters know the truth. Every Californian deserves to know the truth about this man who will be elected unless they vote No Recall on Tuesday. To sign up to help, click here:
http://moveon.org/pac/lapb/
Our online phone banking system is easy to use, and if you have free weekend minutes on your cell phone, you'll be able to make the calls for free. If thousands of MoveOn members call tens of thousands of California voters this weekend, that we could make the difference in this race.
Click here to sign up to phone bank and we'll email you back with simple instructions and phone numbers of voters to call:
http://moveon.org/pac/lapb/
With only a few days to go, it's critical we get this stunning new information into as many hands as possible. If you've read what's come out about Arnold Schwarzenegger's record and character, you'll want to get on the phone and talk to California voters about this. Please take a look at these news articles from yesterday and today:
LA Times: Women Say Schwarzenegger Groped, Humiliated Them
NY Times: Schwarzenegger Admired Hitler, Book Proposal Says
Washington Post: Effect of Allegations Is Unpredictable; Race's Focus Shifts
The recall campaign has been so short, and Schwarzenegger has received so little scrutiny from media that California is in danger of electing this man without knowing this very important and scary information about his record and character. California is the most populous state and it is the fifth biggest economy in the world. We can't let California be hijacked in this bizarre election by a man like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Together, we have the power to defeat the recall by making these calls this weekend. Please sign up right now to make calls today, Saturday or Sunday:
http://moveon.org/pac/lapb/
Sincerely,
-- Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack The MoveOn Team October 3, 20003
PS: Our TV ad has appeared or will appear on Good Morning America, CNN American Morning, CNN Headline News, CNN News Live Today, MSNBC News Live, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, Crossfire and Hardball. You can watch the ad here:
http://moveonpac.org/
I think they will try, but if this is not a close race then it won't work.
I can hard wait to go vote for Arnold later today.
Kind of ironic, but the guy who batted the Brewer's kielbasa, Randal Simon, was Detroit's 2002 "Tiger of the Year." The Kitty Cats let him go at the end of the season.
Regards, Lenny
I'd like to know how they reconcile JimRob's recent endorsment of Arnold. For weeks we've heard how we were sellout RINOs without principles. I guess they think the same thing of JR.
Code Pink alert. Evans, who helped with the sliming of Arnold, is one of the founders of Code Pink. Below is a bio (probably predates Code Pink founding) that I found here.
Jodie Evans, a highly active community, social and political organizer for the last 30 years, served in Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial administration [where she worked with Davis] (overseeing the Office of Appropriate Technology) and later ran his presidential campaign, ran the Hereditary Disease Foundation, founded the Grief Recovery Center and the Environmental Media Association and has been a leader in creating socially responsible investment vehicles. She has been an activist in and/or board member or founder of countless groups, including Citizen Action, Neighbor to Neighbor, Earth Island Institute, Interfaith Task Force on Central America, and currently Artship, Americans for a Safe Future, Circle of Life Foundation, Conscious Business Alliance, Community Self-Determination Institute, Drug Policy Alliance, the Garden Project at San Bruno prison, and many more. Jodie also serves on the board of Bioneers.
In another intriguing bit of Times reporting, Schwarzenegger’s huge rally Sunday outside the state Capitol was not referenced until the 18th paragraph of Monday’s story. The rally was twice as large as the 5,000 people reported by the Times. Of course, observers can vary in crowd estimates. But another element of the reportage was very strange.
"Protesters nearly drowned out the early part of Schwarzenegger’s nine-minute speech with a steady chorus of boos," the Times reported today.
Viewing from the press riser with most of the rest of the press corps, I didn’t hear the protesters. They certainly didn’t drown out Schwarzenegger.
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