Arnold wants you mad at his enemies

"I kick their butt."


The LA Times somehow listened in on a conference call on which big donors to Gov. Arnold got the lowdown on his campaign strategy. Okay, such events are mostly just intended to massage well-heeled contributors, but there were some revealing moments, according to the paper:

Schwarzenegger's media expert, Don Sipple, outlined a strategy "based on a lot of polling" to create a "phenomenon of anger" among voters toward public employee unions.

…"The process is like peeling an onion," Sipple said, describing a multi-step plan for persuading voters that public-worker unions are "motivated by economic self-interest" instead of "doing the best job for the state."

… "When you get to the point of … 'These people are on your payroll and they are out to roll you every day,' that creates a kind of phenomenon of anger. But it takes a long time to get there…. As the campaign goes on, we have to articulate that."

So I guess we know what the fall campaign will look like: the people who do the work to keep the state going, firefighters, teachers, nurses, will be demonized as parasitical crooks. Ever heard of a psychological phenomenon called "projection"?

The fat cats on the line were reminded about what really matters: "I'm sure you are aware the [Assembly] speaker and Democrats proposed a $3-billion tax increase. I think it will affect anybody who is on this call," explained Sipple, referring to a plan to raise taxes on individuals making more than $143,000 a year. They were exhorted to give yet more money: "the governor is very hopeful we can come together and have a big splash before July 30 to pay for all this media," Renee Croce (fundraiser for Schwarzenegger's PAC) urged.

To keep up with Arnold and his donors, visit here.