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Aug. 31, 2006 Pundits who six months ago were crowing over Arnold Schwarzenegger’s political death spiral (including yours truly), are stunned by “The Governators” sudden recovery. Not only is the Republican Governor alive, he is thriving. Democratic ineptitude has become a contagion and has spread from the national party to the California gubernatorial race, which pits incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger against State Treasurer Phil Angelides. Just before the primaries, Schwarzenegger was left for dead. Polls released earlier this week now show the Governor with a 13-point lead. But before the Republicans get too excited and suffer a bout of premature prognostication, they should look at the facts. The Governor’s surge is not due to his political acumen, but Angelides’ inability to connect with voters even in his own party. With the exception of Bill Clinton in 1992, the Democrats have presented nearly two decades of candidates lacking in vision and charisma. The end result has been to watch them gag on their own campaign strategy and lose the race weeks before the election. This roster includes the likes of Michael “Human No-Doz” Dukakis, Gen. Wesley Clark, “Screamin’” Howard Dean, Al Gore, Bill “I Make Gore Look Like Jim Carrey” Bradley and John Kerrey. (Though to Kerry’s credit, he amassed the second largest number of popular votes in U.S. election history). California Democrats became infected with “the drabs” when they handed their sputtering torch to Angelides, who during a contentious primary campaign, was savaged by his opponent, State Controller Steve Westley. Angelides was portrayed as a menace to the environment, a scofflaw, and a ruthless developer who paved over wetlands and incurred numerous EPA fines. The contest was considered one of the most vicious in recent memory. Political consultant John Kennedy saw the truth, and declared, “"When people don't know Angelides or Westley, all they have is a peripheral impression of dirt. Both will be damaged goods—and it's only going to help the Republican Party and Governor Schwarzenegger." Kennedy’s words were prophetic, as the Schwarzenegger camp reiterate the points made in Wesley’s attack ads. Moreover, Angelides is portrayed as someone who will raise taxes on working class families, to the tune of 18 billion dollars. At this juncture, the Angelides campaign has about as much life in it as Abe Vigoda, and limps along with no clear message and a list of “accomplishments” that can at best be described as “rinky-dink.” One of his promises to Californians is that he will bring diversity to his judicial appointments. To most Californians, this is a non-issue. When Schwarzenegger took on the most powerful unions in the state—the teachers, nurses and firefighters—with a handful of ballot initiatives, some saw it as the major political gaffe that would seal his doom. But over the past two years, Schwarzenegger has managed to win back the Republican faithful and has carved out a double digit lead in his re-election bid. Recently the Governor and the Democratic arm of the California State legislature compromised on a bill that would make the state minimum wage $8 an hour by 2008. Prior to that, the Governor collaborated with those same Democrats to enact a plan that would impose limits on greenhouse emissions and calls for the state to reduce carbon dioxide output by 25% by the year 2020. In short, Schwarzenegger has had more success building bridges in the Democratic party than their own candidate has! Even though he’s trailing badly in the polls, Angelides has a chance to make this a close race For starters, the Governor has a proclivity for sticking his foot in his mouth. His reference to Democrats as “girly men,” and comments on immigration left him backpedaling and having to clarify his remarks. For Angelides, the problem lies in getting a coherent message to the people and to counter the GOP attack ads.. In the end, this is Arnold’s race to lose. ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a 46-year old poet, novelist and aspiring screenwriter who resides in northern California with his three youngest children--Lawrence, Kimberly and Dante. He is a member of various writer's groups and has three novels in print, his most recent, "Like A Straight-Up Sucka," is available at www.lulu.com. website: http://stellbreadO@tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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