Schwarzenology

SacBee ^ | October 9, 2003 | Daniel Weintraub

[Weimdog]

Trying to divine Gov.-elect Schwarzenegger

[LisaAnne]

Half the education money never gets to a classroom.

Amen to that!
He might not cut the education budget,but he could just get rid of some of the dead weight and leeches; and therefore allow more funds to actually get to the classrooms. Who knows, maybe there would be money left over.

[Carry_Okie]

Which is precisely the point about having knowledge about budget details. If you know that there is a court case mandating a service, there is no requirement that it be satisfied by oodles of layers of management. That takes knowing where the style and practices are inefficient because one knows the players.

Arnold won't find that in an audit.

[LisaAnne]

Is your middle name Eeyore? ;o)

[Carry_Okie]

LOL!

Nope. I get a good chuckle out of this morass and spend most of my energy thinking about solutions.

[Destructor]

"I didn't miss the point. They won't either."

Liberals are not as smart as you seem to think. Liberals are in denial about their failed ideology, and the most obvious things seem to escape their notice completely!

[Carry_Okie]

The big thing Arnold has going for him in the Crapitol is that he is a likable man, while Davis was universally despised. Still, nearly every public employee in the building is a union member. A good many are likely to report they hear. Meanwhile, Arnold has been playing "big tent," pulling even Willie Brown onto his "team." Willie is the ultimate partisan. Arnold won't be able to keep a secret.

The Slave Party legislative staffers are not stupid. They'll see anything Arnold has in the pipe and are ready to pull out the stall tactics in order to bring in the media and raise hell. There won't be any surprises.

Consider the coordination of International ANSWER. Could conservatives pull off something like that. The left is incredibly organized. and, no matter how stupid the followers are, you underestimate them at your peril.

[Destructor]

You have a good point there. Arnold's governorship may fall apart once he's takes office we'll just have to wait and see.

Arnold is a smart man. He made a career, and a fortune on manipulating people to his advantage in Hollywood. The very things that you listed will make the process of eliminating leaks easy. All you have to do is release false information to one individual, and when it is leaked you know immediately who leaked the information. I'm sure Arnold already has plans for dealing with such treachery.

[Carry_Okie]

Arnold is a smart man. He made a career, and a fortune on manipulating people to his advantage in Hollywood.

Arnold knows movies, and, although very similar to political posturing, that is a very different thing than instituting policy in an administrative branch of government, a skill that requires a knowledge of policy that is more than superficial else he will be easily misled (as he has been). His record there I find very disturbing. Here is one example.

[Destructor]

"The environment isn't any longer an issue that can be separated into some arcane back corner for weird people with long hair. Regulations are driving food production offshore. More jobs have been exported for regulatory reasons than wage differences, energy costs, and taxes can explain. It is a life and death issue for the liberty of every individual. It determines our economic and military staying power. Your freedom rests upon understanding how and why these issues are slowly taking control of your life."

There again-- any actor(or politician) plays to their audience. That is exactly what Arnold is doing. True Conservatism would not be palatable to the people of California. Arnold's watered down version is just what the people of Cali need to cure them of this phobia of Conservatism. Arnold's governorship offers true conservatives an opportunity to make in-roads into California politics. All we have to do is be patient, and not try to take too much ground too quickly!

Arnold has already started the process of surrounding himself with some good people. There's a good chance that he'll get good advice along with some bad advice. It remains to be seen.

One thing is certain. The people of California are better off now that they've given Gray Davis the boot!

[Carry_Okie]

True Conservatism would not be palatable to the people of California.

It doesn't have to palatable to all the people, in fact, better that it isn't. The question is, can applications of conservative principles attract support from traditionally swing voter constituencies. That answer to that is unquestionably, Yes.

From an article that I am in the process of writing:

Besides the obvious gerrymandering, media power, and the financial clout of public employee unions, most of the problems with GOP campaigns originate within the Party itself. Since I can't do anything about the Party leadership, this series of articles is intended to address the principal causes of conservative failures in the marketplace of ideas:

1. A consistent failure to articulate conservative principles beyond the superficial, and

2. The lack of a clear explanation of how and why those principles benefit swing voters or even traditionally Democratic constituents.

It doesn't work to drone on about lower taxes, reduced regulation, privatization, and limited government when most of the people we need to reach see that pitch as having nothing to do with them. They see Republicans as grumbling white well-to-do businessman who don't want to pay the taxes to give the dispossessed a fair shake. Unless conservatives can explain how their policies improve the lot of those we need to reach in simple terms, they won't ever listen.There again-- any actor(or politician) plays to their audience.

This is problamatic in politics. As a result of his absolutely contradictory statements, I don't trust Arnold at all. Speak out of either side of your mouth too many times and NO ONE trusts you.

Arnold has already started the process of surrounding himself with some good people. There's a good chance that he'll get good advice along with some bad advice. It remains to be seen.

I suggest you go back to that thread and check out post #136.

One thing is certain. The people of California are better off now that they've given Gray Davis the boot!

In the immediate term, yes. In the long term, I have my doubts.

[Destructor]

I understand your position here, and you may ultimately be proven right. Only time will tell. Your concerns are legitimate, well thought out, and you've done an excellent job in laying them out.

Call me a fool, but I'm going to remain optimistic, and hope that Arnold succeeds in straightening out that Dimocratic mess that we call "California." If that were the case it would put a good face on the Republican Party, and conservatism in general.