Arnold only tepidly supported the legal efforts to investigate Enron and other energy brokers who initiated the crisis. And he created the package of bail-out borrowing that paid off the massive State Debt that accrued by these criminals…and only received pennies on the dollar in the resultant settlements for fraud. Instead his plan was to cut everything from fire protection and police…to hospital nurses and educational funding. That was the strategy he developed with his Economics Advisor that was pulled from Jeb Bushland. He used the Teachers pension money as a stop-gap mechanism and then refused to pay it back until courts ruled against him.

Arnold had to do a 180-degree turn after his resounding losses on a package of funding cuts that he tried to push through. He failed enormously and then, realizing he wouldn’t be re-elected…suddenly began to espouse a number of progressive measures mandating higher standards, many of which would likely be blocked at the Federal level (how convenient ~ one can sound good while knowing it’s going to be tied up in court). Actual State funding on these initiatives are minimal.

It’s no different from a poll on FDL. Most people, even most Democrats, have different views and attitudes…and not a few likely either don’t know about Edwards’ positions, don’t think he can win, or have other issues with him. Or they may simply like Obama or Clinton MORE.

Edwards supporters have to be careful on how they generate greater support against these issues. They have to be careful not to go “negative” against Clinton or Obama as that may actually backfire, since their attacks reflect on the candidate (just as much as Bob Kerrey’s comments reflect on Clinton). But even raising such issues as the latter may actually suggest that Edwards is “throwing mud”. So JE is in a difficult position…which is the result of allowing Clinton and Obama to get nationally organized and campaigning much earlier a strategic error.

In addition his decision to drop from the Senate likely backfired in this regard. While he doesn’t have a lot of politically encumbering votes on record over the last four years…he also didn’t have his name in the news with regularity. That poses a real problem for him. People can barely remember Kerrey, much less his Vice-Presidential nominee.

From the LA Times:

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Who foots Schwarzenegger’s bills?

The governor may be rich enough to refuse a salary, but he still takes money for travel expenses, without disclosing who’s paying.

December 11, 2007

Arnold Schwarzenegger was already so rich, his supporters claimed, he wouldn’t need to make political deals with campaign donors. Look, they said, he’s not even going to take his salary! What a deal for California!

What a deal indeed. Instead of taking a salary, Schwarzenegger takes overseas trips that feature private jets and luxury suites. His purpose is ostensibly to promote California, but his expenses are paid by donors who want something from him, like a signature or a veto at bill-signing time. Those donors funnel their cash to the governor, in anonymity, through something called the California State Protocol Foundation. Because it’s a nonprofit organization, campaign laws that limit how much contributors can give simply don’t apply.

In his first year in office, the governor duly disclosed how much he was being reimbursed for his promotional junkets. But then he was advised that filing the forms was unnecessary. The reason? The foundation wasn’t giving the money to the governor personally but to the governor’s office. Now his aides may be doing little more than making mental notes of how much foundation money he spends.

The governor’s aides say they’re complying with the law. What they really mean is that they’re releasing as little information as the law will permit. Schwarzenegger ought to be ashamed. He promised to set new standards of openness and independence. He has instead delivered creative new ways to circumvent disclosure.

Fortunately, the public is not powerless. The state’s Fair Political Practices Commission can update its regulations to keep pace with the latest, and sneakiest, methods of connecting special interest money with elected officials. It should move swiftly to mandate the kind of disclosure that Schwarzenegger could make now, but won’t.

The commission is up to the job. It has a vigorous new chairman in Ross Johnson, a Republican former assemblyman and state senator who is passionate about campaign finance disclosure. On Thursday, the commission will take up his proposal to require more disclosure by officials who spend more traditional campaign donations on jet-setting lifestyles. It’s a response to Times reports about the travels of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, who appears to be engaged with Schwarzenegger in some kind of champagne-and-caviar arms race.

It’s too bad that a basic sense of responsibility to the public isn’t enough to make people like Schwarzenegger and Nuñez fully disclose who is paying them, how much and for what. But it’s not. That’s why the commission must act.

http://www.latimes.com/news/pr…..3099.story

Scwarz would be the perfect SEC DOT. When the Dems take over the government and find it looted and bankrupt by BUSHCO, they will have to depend on creative financing for its funding of basic things like transportation for government officials. As SEC DOT, the Schwarz will be able to call on all his generous corporate donors to fly around the rest of the cabinet in the luxury and style they have provided him as governor of California.