Arnold is so smart to use talk radio as much as he does. Other candidates across the country should learn from him. He will get nothing but grief if he caters to the Print Media in California.
Hugh Hewitt's Blog:
The Los Angeles Times carries a pretty good account of Governor Arnold's barnstorming of the state yesterday, and even correctly note that AS appeared on the four radio talk shows that make up the afternoon A-list throughout the state: Rodger Hedgecock, John & Ken, Sean Hannity and me. Sean and I are syndicated across the country but can spend some time focused exclusively on California because of the Governor's national appeal; Roger and John & Ken have large slices of the San Diego and Los Angeles markets, respectively.
Arnold stayed on message --which is to encourage voters to demand that their legislators act by the Friday deadline to place Arnold's ballot initiatives vefore the voters in March. When I tried to get him into the verbal arena against little Phil Angelides --the state's Democratic treasurer who is trying to put roadblocks in Arnold's way because of Phil's desire to run for Gov in '06-- or to discuss a ballot initiative changing the legislature to a part-time body, the Gov demurred. He is giving the Dems a chance to work with him, and as the Times account points out, many of the less crazy Dems understand this.
The state does need the recovery plan, and I can't imagine the Dems are stupid enough to cross swords with the Gov. If they don't act by Friday, I expect the blowback to come in the form of some sort of inititiative "reforming" the legislature, perhaps even my favorite: reducing it to a part-time body, with appropriately lowered pay and perks. That scares the more than half of the bodies in Sacramento that couldn't hold down a real job if their lives depended upon it. Arnold knows he has the upper hand, and he has played the Dems into a corner. If they choose to block him, every cut that follows will be on their heads. If they go along, Arnold rings up a third major victory in as many weeks. Very nicely done.
The Times seems bitter that Arnold is using radio to communicate, writing that the "friendly hosts have become essential communication arms of [Arnold's] government.". Slowly it is dawning on some of the state's elites that the radio world presents an alternative means of communicating with millions of Golden State voters. The newspapers are the dinosaurs; the radio shows have become fast paced and mobile. The newspapers pile up unread. The radio shows provide instant impact with large audiences.
Howard Dean and the rest of the Democratic wannabees should take note of Arnold's understanding: Radio shows combine large audiencesof potential voters with an opportunity to communicate directly with them. The Dems cower from the prospect of mixing it up with the center-right hosts, but there is only gain to be had if they know what they are doing. (Dean probably has to stay away from radio given his tendency to fly off the handle. Radio doesn't help the unstable.) Arnold uses good humor and repitition to get his points across. He put on four clinics yesterday. Let's see if other pols were listening.
hughhewitt.com |
