Reform Terminated

Assemblyman Todd Spitzer was on Bill Handel's KFI program this morning with his analysis of yesterday's debacle and Arnold's "pickle".  Listen here.

Comments

No pickle here ... Arnold was thrown out!

[MrWhipple]

It now seems clear to me that the majority of California voters elected Arnold because of his celebrity status, not because they seriously expected to have to do something to fix the mess created by Davis and the socialist legislature. When Arnold finally put forward measures that would fix things, the Democrats and labor unions labeled him an evil dictator lusting for power (physician, heal thyself) and managed to snooker more than half the voting public.

So what's left now? The voters appear to want all the good stuff — better schools, better infrastructure, more of everything — but they expect someone else to pay for it. How long can that continue? Only until California's bond rating is cut and we can't borrow any more.

All this election did was delay the pain and put it off to a time not of our own choosing.

[Blog Watcher]

When Arnold finally put forward measures that would fix things, the Democrats and labor unions labeled him an evil dictator lusting for power (physician, heal thyself) and managed to snooker more than half the voting public.

That's pretty elitist statement. But I expect nothing less from someone who has gotten their ass kicked.

Nothing stopping you from running for office and giving all the 'snookered' you enlightened perspective.

[Blog Watcher]

A friend of mine sent this to me from a publication he gets. Can any of you insightful folks know if the last part is true?

In Japan, people who fail the cause or the leader “fall” on their sword. My prediction: most of the Schwarzenegger and California Republican Party staff publicly will place the blame on Democrats, working people and unions who campaigned against Schwarzenegger (message to Republicans: that’’s what we do), but anonymously to reporters, they’ll blame Mike Murphy, Pat Clarey and Rob Stutzman, and at least two of these three will be announcing shortly they are leaving to “spend more time” with their families.

[MrWhipple]

"That's pretty elitist statement. But I expect nothing less from someone who has gotten their ass kicked."

Nothing elitist about it. The anti-reform ads didn't offer rational reasons to oppose the Governor's props, nor did they offer any alternatives, nor did they even bother telling the truth. They simply relied on demagoguery — "Arnold lied to us", "stop this power grab", etc., etc.

Arnold's going back on the $2 billion borrowing from the schools' budget had nothing — NOTHING — to do with Prop 76, yet the teachers' union rode that line all the way to victory. The anti-77 ads made it look like using a panel of judges — picked by the legislature in a thoroughly non-partisan fashion — was somehow giving away voter power. Lies, damned lies. And the majority of the voting public bought it.

"Nothing stopping you from running for office and giving all the 'snookered' you [sic] enlightened perspective."

So I can't voice an opinion unless I run for office? That's a bizarre conclusion.

[Blog Watcher]

Well Mr. Whipple. You believe people got snookered because our side lost. I would say their message was more effective than ours. If it was that easy to snooker them, then what does that say about us?

Todd is absolutely right. Handel should have asked him if Arnold is really going to run for reelection. Bottom line - Arnold got bad advise from guys like Marty Wilson. His campaign team made their money, wham bam.