Los Angeles Times (3/3): Governor's Agenda Losing Traction

From the Los Angeles Times
Dated Thursday March 3

Governor`s Agenda Losing Traction
As he uses harsher rhetoric in pushing his proposals to fix the state's problems, Schwarzenegger sees his approval ratings fall.
By Robert Salladay, Times Staff Writer

Sacramento — As superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, James Fleming attended Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2003 inauguration. He gave speeches supporting him at the Rotary Club and the PTA.

But Fleming recently turned against Schwarzenegger, after receiving a letter from the governor alleging that "California taxpayers have been forced to give money to a failing system." Fleming took that as a personal insult.

"Up until a few months ago, I thought the world of this man," said Fleming. Now he believes Schwarzenegger has "demonized" educators.

Nearly every governor experiences a sophomore slump. But Fleming's rejection of Schwarzenegger illustrates the governor's newest political problem: He is turning last year's friends into this year's enemies.

Read more.

he's drowning in his own koolaid..ain't so kool anymore.

deserves a little demonization. Fool.

No longer new and exciting, he's either got to perform or be out on the curb.

anymore. NO STATUE FOR ARNIE in Austria!

This mope said something the other day that just made me grind my teeth, something to the effect: He didn't come to Sacto (to please) the politicians, he came to do the "people's business"....SAY WHAT??

Who the bleeding hell does he think sent those politicians to Sacramento to work for them and curb the gropenator!?!? Maria, you should be utterly embarrassed!

it's obvious that he's fallen badly.

:nopity:

with the way the state's educators have banded together to oppose him.

Many teachers in my local area voted for him. I'm in a republican area anyway, and Gray Davis was not a favorite among educators. He supported, and extended, Pete Wilson's "standards and accountability" movement; our state version of NCLB, and the reason we have APIs to contend with as well as AYPs. While I wasn't in favor of the recall, support for Davis among the educators I know was non-existent, and general consensus was that Arnold was "a breath of fresh air." :eyes:

Not anymore. Not only are teachers a unified block opposing him, our administrators have joined forces, as well. California educators are a pretty strong political group when they are unified. Not only do we get reports from our principal about the actions administrators are taking in the face of Arnold's war on public education, our superintendent, a proud republican, publicly lambastes him on a regular basis.

Let's see; he's "kicked the nurses' butts," now he's taking on the teachers. Who will be left to vote for him at the rate he's going?

I just saw Ah-nold on the news with a quote from yesterday's fund-raiser at the Sheraton in New York. He's griping about the "special interests" again and how our state government is scrambling.

So are there a lot of us Californians out there at the NYC Sheraton? Is that the best place to connect with the California voters and citizens that his special election is going to impact? What does the average New Yorker know (or care) about California ballot initiatives? Why would anyone out there put money into California initiatives unless they had a bigger agenda?

How could anyone NOT see that Ah-nold is getting money from his special interests to influence our state laws?