This weekend, it became clear that you will be seeing a lot less of the governor leading up to Election Day, unless you are on the invite list to his town hall meetings. That was the news this weekend, as the governor's campaign team
pulled television ads featuring the governor's personal appeal.
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Todd Harris, a spokesman for the governor's campaign, acknowledged that his staff had asked TV stations Friday to pull the direct-appeal ads. He would not comment on whether Schwarzenegger's face would appear again on the air in the two and a half weeks that remain until voting day.
"Harris said the campaign was not pulling the ads because of public opinion about Schwarzenegger. Rather, he said, the campaign spent a lot of effort and money on TV ads featuring the governor, 'and now we are putting a ton of [ads] behind educating people about the campaign.'"
Today, the governor participates in his first actual Town Hall meeting that will be made up of an audience that
has not been handpicked by the campaign. The event will be sponsored by Bay Area television station KTVU and the Contra Costa Times.
"The governor and opponents of his measures, state Senate President Pro Tem
Don Perata, D-Oakland, and California Nurses Association chief
Rose Ann DeMoro, will take audience questions in separate segments. The show airs live from 6 to 7:30 p.m. from the Lesher Center in downtown Walnut Creek. It is the first time during this campaign that Schwarzenegger will field questions he has not heard in advance or face an audience that his staff has not preselected."
Normally, if you would like to see the governor, you need to be on the
invite list to his town hall meetings, writes Robert Salladay of the Times.
"Schwarzenegger touts these 'Conversations with Californians' as a way to connect with "real people," although the general public is not invited. The governor has done 13 such events as part of his campaign to change teacher tenure rules, curb unions' political might, restrain state spending and transfer the task of drawing political districts from lawmakers to retired judges."
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But not once at such a forum has Schwarzenegger received even an impolite question. The events are designed that way — as chat shows for the governor, to garner free TV time."
"Schwarzenegger aides said the governor 'excels' in these settings. Campaign spokesman
Todd Harris said the events, which are closed to the general public because they would be disrupted by activists, are 'an interactive and entertaining way for the governor to get his reform message out.'"
"'
If the options were to do that or give hour-long policy speeches that nobody would ever cover, this is a better way to communicate,' Harris said."
The Merc's Laura Kurtzman looks at the
impact this election will have on the rest of this year's legislative session, and the 2006 elections. "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's name will not be on the Nov. 8 ballot. But the special election he called has become a
referendum on his leadership, with results that are likely to reverberate through the rest of his term and
help define next year's governor's race.
"But if Schwarzenegger emerges wounded from all the strife this fall, so will the
Democratically aligned unions, who will have depleted their political bank accounts before the 2006 governor's race has even begun."
Speaking of next year's elections, the ghost of GOP governors past,
Pete Wilson, tells the LA Business Journal that Republicans need stronger candidates to run statewide. Though you'll need a subscription to read the story, here's the summary courtesy of
LA Observed: "Former Gov. Pete Wilson told the L.A. Business Journal that Republicans need better statewide candidates: "The last two gubernatorial races were frankly
very bad campaigns. They made lots of mistakes. (Dan)
Lungren never had a clear message, and he failed to take advantage of an opportunity to go after (Gray) Davis on educational issues. He spent most of the time talking about crime, which was not really the issue in that campaign. The next time,
Bill Simon, who was a novice,
made almost every mistake in the book, including some of which were hard to conceive of.
They’re both decent, good men. But they were not good campaigners.
The Bee takes a look at the cost of this year's campaign ads, which has soared thanks to the
more than $215 million spent on this campaign. "Forget soccer moms and NASCAR dads. This election is about 'Desperate Housewives.' Campaigns have raised more than $215 million this year largely for the sake of wedging 30-second sound bites between your favorite television shows leading into the Nov. 8 statewide special election."
Nancy Vogel of the Times looks at the
challenge county elections officials will have if Proposition 77 is approved. "'It's hellacious for us,' said
Stephen L. Weir, Contra Costa County registrar. 'The rules under which we'd have to operate are pretty much impossible.'"
"Proposition 77 would require three retired judges to redraw California's political districts 'for use at the next statewide primary and general elections,' presumably June and November 2006."
The Bee looks at one of the quirks in Proposition 77, which would have voters
voting to confirm new districts on the same ballot that they are electing candidates to fill those new districts.
"The redistricting measure, to overhaul how California creates political districts, calls for any new boundaries drawn by a three-member panel of retired judges to take effect immediately, then be placed before voters for ratification."
"California would become the first state, if Proposition 77 passes, to require a public vote on district maps, said
Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures."
"'It's the final check and balance,' said
Ted Costa, who launched Proposition 77. "We think it's a deterrent. No one would try to gerrymander the system if they knew it had to go to a vote of the people.'"
Is that a dare?
Meanwhile, the Times
endorsed Proposition 77 on Sunday.
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We must slow down spending so we can spend more."
"That's the way it comes out, anyway — confusing and illogical on its face," writes George Skelton about the
message used by the governor to sell his budget reform measure.
"Political strategists for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must think there's voter appeal in telling people they can have it both ways: less and more at the same time. Or, regardless of where people come down on the side of spending — wanting more or less — they're covered by Prop. 76."
"Nonpartisan Legislative Analyst
Elizabeth G. Hill notes that Prop. 76 "would result in a lower minimum guarantee" for schools. Generally, she says, the proposal 'would likely reduce state spending over time' and, she adds, 'these reductions could shift costs to local governments.'"
"It's not clear what all this adds up to. But it's not less equals more."
And a friendly reminder that today is the
final day to register to vote for the special election.
