my unsolicited campaign advice to Phil Angelides

[yurbud]

Phil,

I heard that you tackled Arnold's connection to the energy scammers head on during your Air America interview today, which shows a great deal of courage since even the California press is reluctant to touch that issue.

Since you have shown that kind of courage, you should use that bluntness in your ads and more prominently on your website. Never refer to Arnold as "the governor" or "Gov. Schwarzenegger."

Instead, he should be the "corrupt corporate puppet," "Ken Lay's puppet governor," "the puppet of the energy pirates," or "the actor hired to play our governor while he destroys our state."

People of good will are demoralized by what the right is doing to our once great educational system and society. The more blunt you are about who is doing the damage, the more you will convince people that you aren't a quisling Democrat--you will actually fight for us--and that will make people want to get out and vote and even campaign for you.

The normal mealy-mouthed inoffensive democratic stuff not only doesn't energize the base, it doesn't get the attention of the apathetic voter or the media. Dare the media to refute what you say about Arnold. Make your ads provocative enough that right wing talk radio feels like they have to respond--then they will give you free publicity for whatever you rightly accuse Arnold of.

If you choose to be timid, the right will demonize you anyway if you get within spitting distance of beating Arnold just as they did with John Kerry when he attempted to take the high road and pretend that the only differences between Bush and him were legitimate differences of opinion, not profound corruption and lies.


People love a story, and a story always has a hero, a villain, and conflict, not a scholarly debate. You need to define this conflict so that even the dumbest Californian sees what's at stake.


Arnold serves the rich and powerful, and is trying to pull California down to the level of a Third World plantation economy. He puts low taxes for corporations and the rich ahead of everything, even safe schools for small kids, affordable ones for college kids, and secure retirement for the teachers who teach both.

Steve Lopez of the LA Times put it best. If people in Arnold's tax bracket paid 3% (or whatever it would take) more in income tax, it could close state deficit. How would that hurt Arnold's lifestyle? Would he have to sell his house? No. Would he have to pull his kids out of private school? No. Would he have to sell his Hummer? No. At most, it means two or three generations from now, one of his descendants will actually have to work for a living again. That's less of a hardship than Arnold's budget is imposing on most Californians. If Arnold and his rich friends can't take that, they are spoiled crybabies.


Use Arnold's celebrity against him. You are just a regular guy who doesn't dye his hair, get facelifts, or have his chest bikini waxed. But people only notice the regular guy when he is throwing rocks at the star.

Define yourself by defining Arnold and putting him on the defensive.

Dare to be our FDR.

California needs it.

If someone gives you different advice, fire their ass and put a stop on any checks you already wrote them. They are already getting paid enough by the republicans.

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[realFedUp]

1. He should just use the facts....the truth is always the best opposition

Plenty of issues to counter Arnie's
slick tongue.

[yurbud]

2. truth is stronger undiluted

say it in short declarative sentences without qualifiers or equivocation.