Phenomenon Of Anger

Via Jack O’Toole I see that Governor Schwarzenegger’s toppling poll numbers have led him to take a new tack, finally proving that he is a real Republican. (Nice work Maria. Uncle Jack would be so proud.)

The governor unveiled the strategy Tuesday before the earnest faces of elderly homeowners seated in folding chairs in the backyard of a well-worn ranch home outside San Diego. He derided what he called an insidious Democratic effort to overhaul the landmark Proposition 13 property tax limit.

“They want to back us into a corner so eventually they can force us to raise taxes,” he added. “From now to election day, I want to talk about all the specific taxes (they) want to change.”

[…]

Clearly, Schwarzenegger is appealing to the Republican base with this talk on taxes,” said Tony Quinn, a GOP political analyst. “No one really knows much about the upcoming election, so he has to find something to get his supporters motivated.”

That strategy was outlined by the governor’s media expert, Don Sipple, in campaign calls this month to wealthy contributors. Sipple said that “based on a lot of polling,” the governor’s special election campaign will aim to create a “phenomenon of anger” among voters, particularly toward public employee unions, which the governor has charged are behind much of the Democrats’ push for more spending and higher taxes, according to a recent Los Angeles Times report.

A separate initiative, one largely financed by the Republican Party and people close to Schwarzenegger, to limit the ability of public employee unions to contribute to political campaigns also has qualified for the ballot.

Going after the public employee unions has worked awfully well for him so far. I suppose he can pull off making it impossible for them to contribute to campaigns. But he can’t force them off TV. And they are killing him. People like nurses and firefighters and teachers. They depend on them in times of crisis. They trust their children to their care. They don’t see them as members of the Soprano family. In fact, when you put them up against Schwarzenegger, you are reminded that he made his name playing an evil cyborg.

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