Schwarzenegger's Strategy: Avoiding Details

[Nambe]

LOS ANGELES (AP)

Arnold Schwarzenegger's (search) brief campaign for governor has so far relied on his star power, famous one-liners and appearances on entertainment television.

The action star has avoided having to detail his views on social issues or give a plan to fix California's enormous fiscal troubles, but some analysts say he might be best off sticking with generalities and avoiding specifics that opponents and the media could pick apart.

"He is fully formed in voters' minds already, they have an opinion of him that's been shaped over 20 years of watching his movies, they feel like they know him, so I think traditional politics are out the window in terms of demands for specificity of messages," said Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at California State University in Sacramento.

Schwarzenegger has said he wants to help children, draw business back to the state and reform Sacramento, but he has not said how. ---

[ChompySnack]

1. Sounds like Bush's strategery

for his whole "Presidency."

[revree]

2. His PLANET HOLLYWOOD filed for bankruptcy

Guess he's one hell of a businessman, eh? God, people of California, please don't be so STUPID as to elect this dildo!!!!!!!

[joeybee12]

4. Great Businessman?????????

Good point about Planet Hollywood tanking. Has he ever started any other businesses? I mean, the media filth describe him as a successful businessman, but once again, they can't back up the label with any facts.

[grytpype]

5. Yah. Die menu vas personally approved by my sekkretarie.

n/t

[PartyPooper]

8. But, didn't he jointly own Planet Hollywood with several other celebs?

And, regardless, this is a non-issue with voters. After all, look at Bush's business failures! Remember, Arbusto, Harken, etc.? These "failures" didn't even come close to resonating with the electorate in 2000.

[knight_of_the_star]

3. That could hurt him

We can then attack him for not having a plan in mind

[grytpype]

6. No one gives a shit if he has a plan.

The only thing that matters to 99% of Americans is being entertained. Watching him run will be entertaing, voting for him will be entertaining -> he will win.

Al Gore, not entertaining enough, wins by too small a margin so the Repugs were able to steal the election.

Duhbya, starts wars, struts around in flight suit like action hero, entertaining.

Kobe Bryant, entertaining on the court, entertaining in court too.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

7. If this is so then why the HELL do we have a DEMOCRACY???

If people are looking for a personality and don't care for policy then why do we have elections if they don't have knowledge of policy!

[PartyPooper]

9. We haven't had a "Democracy" since December 12, 2000

When the Supreme Court awarded the Presidency to that unelected AWOL moran from Texas!

:-(

[Gloria]

10. Isn't the point of a campaign to UNFORM voters' minds by INFORMING

them??? Shouldn't the Dems CREATE demand for "specificity of messages"??

What a total load of crap...if Dems follow this guru, they are nuts!!!!


"He is fully formed in voters' minds already, they have an opinion of him that's been shaped over 20 years of watching his movies, they feel like they know him, so I think traditional politics are out the window in terms of demands for specificity of messages," said Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at California State University in Sacramento.

[Democat]

11. The media wants to make Arnold the next governor

Unless the Democrats have some plan that is brilliant and innovative, the media is going to make Arnold the next governor.

If he was a Democrat with the exact same strategy and positions, he would be relentlessly destroyed by the exact same media that is now actively promoting him.

[MODemocrat]

12. The media has so lowered the bar since Bush was appointed

Most of the media are just plain giddy, and their expectancy is low.
Yet, it makes them look half-way intelligent when aligning themselves with people with dead brain cells.

[Julien Sorel]

13. I agree and disagree :-)

The media want him, but don't care about his party affiliation. They want him for the spectacle, for the interest he would generate. It's money in the bank for them. I think that, given the circumstances, it helps that he's a Republican in a Democratic state, though -- makes things more interesting.


I wonder what the Greeks would think of this whole recall thing, and of Bush subverting the electoral process in 2000. We really do live in strange times.

[Democat]

15. I disagree with you on the media's love for Republicans

If a socially liberal celebrity with no political experience, no positions on issues, and a Nazi father had entered the race as a Democrat, the media would have destroyed him and mocked him to the point of his candidacy being over before it ever began.

We are probably seeing a preview of the media's behavior during election 2004 right now and it is not pretty.

So far during the recall, the Democrats are being marginalized and ignored when they're not being demonized and destroyed, by the media.

At the same time, Arnold is being praised and promoted nonstop by the same media.

This is probably what's going to happen in 2004, and I can't think of an effective way to fight against it. The media is activist against Democrats and activist for Republicans in America today. How do you counter that?

[Julien Sorel]

16. Two words: Gore Vidal.

Granted, it was a while ago, but he was, if anything, less qualified than Arnold, and an out-of-the-closet homosexual as well. Yet he ran a reasonable campaign; I remember following it in 1982 and being amazed by how circumspect the coverage was. He simply wasn't as big a celebrity.

No way of proving it of course, but I don't think Arnold being Republican is a big deal. I think Arnold being cartoonish is, and think Arnold's popularity with the public is a big deal. I'm curious to see how long his honeymoon lasts. It would be whorish indeed if the fawning continues after a couple of weeks.

[Democat]

17. I hope you are right and I'm wrong

I don't mind being wrong when it's good for the party. :)

[Snellius]

14. Davis should challenge Muscle Brain to a debate

Arnold can either turn it down and look like a coward or accept it and look like a buffoon.