Time for more amusement. Former Governor Gray Davis consigliere-turned-Westly for Governor chief strategist Garry South contributes some of the take from the campaign’s focus groups last month of conservative Democrats and moderate independents, swing voters in the general election. Here, according to South, are the “first words” associated by focus group participants with the name Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Poseur, over his head, self centered, untrustworthy, naive, actor, dumb actor, bad actor, political actor, fool, clown, egotist, bozo, liar, fraud, out of tough, jerk, incompetent idiot, unrealistic, failure, puppet, lying politician.” Ouch.
Not implausible, though I would bet someone said something positive about Arnold. I wonder how many of those words were associated with the former governor.
Read 
| Comments (22) |
What Garry isn’t telling you are the ‘first words’ of same focus group upon viewing Westly TV ad, and these are just the ‘first words’ that start with W:
Wimp
Wuss
Wienie
Whiney
Money can’t buy manhood, apparently.
Sayeth Sooth
Very nice.
George, is that you?
All kidding aside, I checked in with a top Republican consultant this AM about the Westly ad. His take is that Westly looks good on the tube and that, although the ad is “cluttered” with information, with enough money behind it the ad is a good introduction and will move Westly up.
Here is a link to the first TV spot of the 2006 race for Governor of California:
http://www.westly2006.com/site/c.7nJGKPNrFqG/b.1022231/k.C32B/Videos.htm
He is a nice looking man. Is he tough enough?
We’ll see. I’m taking the little Jag up to rural Northern California next week for two days on the road with Steve Westly.
Bill, do me a favor and tell his people to have him visit the central coast (San Luis Obispo) some time soon. We can set something up at Cal Poly. I’d like to have a look at Westly in person, answering questions and all that. (Angelides has been here, and I’m sure he’s coming back because there’s dough around)
Well I had my “Screw You CTA,Vote For Steve Westly” pajama party last night…and I must say for something pulled together in less than 24 hours…it was quite successful…there were a few harried moments …but my girlfriends came thru..C, a lawyer , J and M are teachers and then me Miss State Worker/cowgirl…(Now that I am single again I have decided to bring “Miss” back into vogue…which just might happen because even my enemies admit I am a trendsetter). Well e-mails took care of invitations but J amd M tagged on bring a friend or two…well obviously, their net work was not made up of math teachers because by 2:30 yesterday the count was up to over 60! So I said hey get on your computers and tell everyone to bring something to eat (they had already told them the essential, bring a bottle of wine) I was not going to feed all these people -I have a horse to board …well, then we had sort of a fight because J and M told me not mention that I am a passionate supporter of vouchers…Now I was raised by a mother who taught me when two people agree on everything one of them is unnecessary… so I went into orbit when J and M said this…so C chimed in using her lawyerly skills that if I mention vouchers someone might start choking on her food, keel over an die and that I should keep in mind this was not a cocktail party full of Republican women but a bunch of Democrats and then she added “we love just lawsuits”… well I got her point and I certainly did not want to take a chance of that happening and having a newspaper headline “Teacher Chokes To Death At Westly For Gov party” I mean I want to help him not hinder him…so we moved on …But if I had to mind my manners so did my guests so I made a nametag for myself and added under my name “your Hostess with the Mostest Miss Decline To State”… I wanted to make clear that while I passionately support Westly …I was NOT a Democrat…well from 6-9 they came and I will tell you I think they were all participants in that focus group! Boy, they cannot stand the Gov, and these were not party activists or even very political women …all teachers …between mid 30′s to early 40′s …they like or are leaning toward Westly , they did not like the CTA endorsing “The other guy” over him…but they said in the end if Westly doesn’t win they will support “the other guy”..( they kept using that way to describe him I am clueless if they hated him so much they couldn’t say his name or maybe they don’t know his name) anyway,.they will not vote for the Guv…now normally I am not mean, even when I am mad, in fact most people would say I am very sweet , but for J and M’s sake I wanted to fit in with their friends ..so I said “you know I once called the Gov “Pussywhipped” on Tom Sullivan”…honestly, it was like I was back in high school again ..I became the most popular girl in the room…J and M were so happy it was worth sounding a little mean…so then I realized with all this bashing of the gov everyone forgot the theme of my party…which means of course you should not do a party like this without themed party favors…but there just was no time…so I tried to get everyone talking about the cTA and while they were angry that Westly is being bypassed…they are happy that the union made them such big political players ….so I said that’s my point…you should be demanding from CTA leadership that you be wooed, courted, Westly and Angelides should be made to make extravagant promises that they can’t keep then you get to have the fun of giving them hell….Come on We Are WOMEN…(later into the night C said she ran into my kitchen because she said she was a fraid I was going to end with “hear us roar” ….as if I, Miss Trendsetter would ever do something so cheesey)
Anyway by 9:30 I still had some 40 women there so I said “Film Time” I was hoping all would leave but C, J and M who were sleeping over. So I announced that I googled “Union Corruption, Film” and this film came up . I slid “On the Waterfront” into my entertainment center and everyone blops down on my rug! But this is really the amazing part of the evening..about a half hour into the film …someone said “who is this hunk! I said Marlon Brando is in this film it must be him…well we stopped the film to check the credits because no believed we were watching Marlon Brando …we a only knew him from Godfather reruns…so you see I do not know if I helped Westly and clearly I did not advance my cause to give the CTA a tummyache but I think I did alot for Marlon Brando’s place in “hunk history”…
The campaigns read this site, Adam, so they’ve probably already seen your suggestion.
Barbara, that is another priceless story! You have a great sense of humor. So no one really recognized the young Marlon (“Stella!!!!”) Brando?
No, even I didn’t know him…am I am becoming an authority on these guys..although my heart still belongs to Cagney..I look’in for a real Cagney…is Stella another one of his films? I am telling you we thought he was beautiful…no one looks like that now..and what a story…I needed to ride early this morning because rain was predicted …so I kicked everyone out but everyone wanted to talk about the film…you know I wasn’t trying to be funny …this is terrible what CTA is doing …I am not some big political expert but I think the cTA rank and file should feel like they are being forced into an “arranged marriage” …why isn’t CTA stringing this out until after the primary and getting the most that they can out of having two at candidates vying for their support? … again be wooed and courted …whats the use of being powerful if you don’t use it…I think this is terrible that Angelides is just calling in his chits and the leadership is serving him and not their members…
Oh, “Stella!” is Marlon Brando’s famous yell in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Elia Kazan’s movie version of the great Tennessee Williams play put Brando on the map and revolutionized movie acting. You may recognize another line from the movie, Blanche Dubois’s “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Thank You .I shall try to find it…I think I read the play at during my university days at Nothwestern…
It’s a classic movie, Brando is fantastic in it.
I’m already suspicious of Westly. Big on image, weak on positions? He says on his website he thinks he can solve California’s chronic budget deficits through a gov’t reorg without cutting spending or raising taxes. Pshaw, get real, that’s totally unrealistic but I’m sure it played well to the focus group. I’m beginning to sense that Westly is one of those wimpy politicians that always takes “safe” positions just to get elected. We’ll see.
Maybe he should do an “Audit.” That worked very well for Arnold …
Westly could turn out to be another phoney.
Well I am going to just put my state worker hat on. I do not know him or work at his agency. But I know state government. You have to keep in mind that he is the “Controller.” Basically the economic/fiscal bookkeeper for the state. So if you were serious about doing your job and that his is reputation, very hardworking …this office could teach you alot about how government works, the needs of gov etc…i.e., restructuring and reorganizing government for the purpose of improving services to the public etc… He also took over an agency with very low morale. Kathleen Connel and Gray Davis were brutal…Good hard working people supporting families truly suffered under their reigns…now you see innovation and accountability in the Controller’s office… maybe it’s his private sector experience..Also he and Richard Riordan were the co-chairs of the state employees campaign last year for United Way, one of my good friends commented that both of these men really took the responsiblity very seriously, made hefty contributions and took the time to be involved personally in the campaign to raise funds which is not the normusually these individuals are just figureheads… You know there are people in politics for healthy reasons and people involved for not so healthy reasons…So far I see a man there for for healthy reasons. He is certainly worth taking a good thoughtful look at…
I do hear that people are happier working for Westly. That’s a good point about people being in politics for healthy reasons and people being in politics for not so healthy reasons.
Great article. I am just sad I dont know how to reply properly, though, since I want to show my appreciation like many other.
credit bureau report…
borders:affectingly.overdose acclimated free credit report http://free-credit-report.secured-credit-report.com/ …
I’d need to check with you here. Which isn’t something I often do! I enjoy studying a submit that may make people think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to remark!