California Democrat Leaders Failed, California Media Failed

Why Schwarzenegger Won :: Intervention Magazine

In both substance and message, the Democrats failed miserably. On the issue front, the Governor's raising of the car tax and allowing of drivers’ licenses to illegals -- that’s right, illegals, not "undocumented residents," not "guest workers," but illegal aliens -- became symbols of a Democratic government out of whack if not mind. As for message, the Party never hammered hard that Arnold was “scared to debate” -- the Terminator in hiding? -- and that he was confusing “Hollywood with California,” noting there are significant differences. The Democratic positions were weak and muddled so voters turned elsewhere, and that elsewhere was Arnold.

The need for Democrats to genuinely listen to and respect what average Americans say, their opinions and their suggestions, and then integrate what is heard into a progressive, populist agenda. The tripling of the car tax in California did not hurt the wealthy, but with a dismal economy it certainly annoyed the average Californian. Ignoring illegal immigration is what Big Business advocates, and certain other narrow-minded groups, but many American workers feel threatened by and even more oppose this essentially open border mentality. There are numerous populist issues Democrats should embrace, but don't.

The discontent and anger in California was not limited to White Men, as Democrats too often convince themselves. It included women, of course, who also gave a plurality of their votes to Arnold. It included Latinos, nearly half of whom voted for the recall of Democrat Gray Davis and a third voted for Arnold, against Cruz Bustamante a fellow Latino.

If the system is not functioning, “then the people will turn to a man on a white horse,” said former California governor and present Oakland mayor Jerry Brown on MSNBC.

At one time in Germany, this savior was someone called Adolf Hitler, presently in California the savior is someone called Arnold. (Interestingly, both emigrated from Austria.) Californians are angry about their sinking economy and ballooning budget deficit and high taxes, but maybe most of all, they are angry that they are fearful of the future. So they wanted change. The Democrats did not respond to their fear and anger, except with the same old politics -- give the Latinos this, the Native Americans that, etc -- so voters moved on. Not necessarily to something different, but to simply another.

In America, a movie star, especially an action-hero movie star as popular as Arnold Schwarzenegger, attracts much larger viewing audiences than a dry, uncharismatic politician, regardless if he is governor or lieutenant governor of our largest state. Arnold was better for business, for making money, so Arnold was everywhere in the media.

Immediately after the only debate, a heavily restricted debate, every television news station carried Arnold’s press conference live giving him an unfair opportunity to shape opinion. Day after day, Arnold’s face and voice was on television. The print media gave him significantly more space than the other candidates. Even radio presented an unbalanced coverage of the election.

For the television lights to shine on his candidacy, Arnold didn’t even have to give interviews, didn’t even have to lay out a plan of action, and hardly had to debate the other candidates. Humongous coverage, more than even Ronald Reagan could fantasize, came running and all Arnold had to do was smile and repeat a few memorized lines. With Arnold's media coverage dwarfing that of the other candidates, and with the Democrats stuck in the past, the fate of the election was sealed.