Schwarzenegger campaign hires former Bush media consultants

[Judi Lynn]

Schwarzenegger campaign hires former Bush media consultants

ASSOCIATED PRESS

2:50 p.m. March 27, 2006

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign has hired two media consultants who helped President Bush win a second term in 2004.
Alex Castellanos, a prominent Republican ad-maker in Arlington, Va., heads National Media. Fred Davis III, of Los Angeles, heads Strategic Perception.

Both were part of the team that created the Bush campaign commercials portraying Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee, as a waffling, Washington insider.

The moves were announced by the campaign on Monday.

Castellanos and Davis are the latest in a string of former Bush aides hired by Schwarzenegger. His lead strategist is Matthew Dowd, who ran most aspects of Bush's re-election campaign. Schwarzenegger's campaign manager is Steve Schmidt, who worked on Bush's re-election campaign before joining the White House as an aide to Vice President Dick Cheney.
(snip/...)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20060327-1450-ca-schwarzenegger-campaignconsultants.html

You may remember the Cuban-American media consultant Alex Castellanos for his invaluable gift to the _{Bush campaign in spelling "Democrats" as DemocRATS." What a genius.}

[Judi Lynn]

1. Schwarzenegger starts early with TV reelection ads

Schwarzenegger starts early with TV reelection ads
Mon Mar 27, 2006 5:17 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not face reelection for eight months, but on Monday the former Hollywood superstar began television advertising to bolster his lagging public support.
(snip)

"This is part of our efforts to highlight what has happened over the last two years," Matthew Dowd, the campaign's chief strategist, told a media conference call. "This is sort of the start of that dialogue."

The Republican former Mr. Olympia has made massive spending on infrastructure the centerpiece of his reelection effort, but he failed earlier this month to get the legislature to put a massive bond proposal on the June ballot.

Schwarzenegger's two leading Democratic opponents, state Treasurer Phil Angelides and state Controller Steve Westly, have begun flooding the airwaves in recent weeks as they prepare to face off in the June primary.
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-03-27T221712Z_01_N27281018_RTRUKOC_0_US-SCHWARZENEGGER.xml&archived=False

[LibDemAlways]

9. I'm expecting to see lots of repuke friendly polls out soon

showing Ahnold within easy striking distance of either Dem. He got rid of Dem Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, who was hot on the trail of voting machine fraud. I fully expect him to pull off a bogus "upset" come November.

[pinto]

2. I smell backfire, here....

[bluestateguy]

3. Watch out for this guy. He's dangerous.

He wrote the Jesse Helms affirmative action ad in 1990 against Harvey Gannt.

It won the election for Helms.

[Judi Lynn]

5. So HE'S the one! Well, it damned well figures. He's really dirty. n/t

[VegasWolf]

4. just putting lipstick on a pig! nt

[bliss_eternal]

6. ...as if

that could help him. :eyes: What a maroon...;)

[Raine]

7. He's started his ads, I've seen them.

The Democrat's Wesley and Angelitis (sp?) have started theirs too but they are running against each other in the primary.

[Strawman]

8. How can Maria Shriver stay married to this guy?

I just saw her on Oprah investigating poverty in rural KY. How can you see something like that and go home every night to someone who aligns himself with the party of selfishness and greed? How? How are people whose teeth are rotting out from malnutrition as a result of extreme poverty a "special interest," Arnold?

[Hekate]

18. Sometimes I wonder if it's like marrying into the Mob--you can't leave

Not to be too crude with my "Mob" analogy, but the Kennedy women don't get divorced as a general rule, and neither do the Bush women.

For years we've been pointing to the Kennedy Catholicism as the reason they stay, but it's not that with the Bushes.

They marry into power and prestige and privilege, all of which are seductive, and all of which can be used against defectors. The families draw a circle that denotes who's in, who's not. The woman who "married up" can rather precipitously "divorce down."

That's as close as I can get to understanding the psychological mechanism, as I've only really known three women of high rank in my life. All three were unhappy, all three struggled terribly before two of them left their spouses. Listening to them was educational, because they really had no clue about what it was like for someone with no means at all to decide to leave the breadwinner (that would have been myself when I was younger). At midlife we were all in the same graduate degree program, but it was amazing how my classmates ended up clumping by socioeconomic class during lunch!

Still, I do not know how Maria can stay married to Arnold, but it's her decision and their marriage. Far be it from me to define how they should live.

Hekate

[baby_mouse]

10. ooooo dear.

Poor Arnold...

[OKNancy]

11. Kick

[UpInArms]

12. Governor (Groper-CA) Taps Bush Campaign Operatives For Re-Election Bid

http://www.kcbs.com/pages/20747.php

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCBS) -- Governor Schwarzenegger may not be afraid to disagree with the President Bush on some important issues, but the actor-turned-politician is surrounding himself with some of the president's toughest men as he mounts an aggressive campaign for re-election in November.

This week Schwarzengger hired Alex Castellanos, a Republican behind some of the attack campaign ads that undermined John Kerry's bid for the White House.

The move for a very conservative, partisan campaign team comes as the governor is courting moderates in both parties and building alliances with Democratic leaders in the legislature.

The presence of Castellanos and others from Bush’s ’04 campaign team in Sacramento means the tone of the campaign season this fall is likely to turn ugly very quickly, said political consultant Leo McElroy.

“He's bringing in people who are graduates of the Karl Rove school of slash and burn politics, so the kinder, softer Schwarzenegger that we've been seeing lately who tries to go across party lines might disappear in this election campaign,” McElroy told KCBS.

...more...

[Thomas_Paine1776]

13. Dems need a candidate

Are the California Dems going to ask George Clooney to run for Governor?

[WhiteTara]

15. Phil Angelides is a viable candidate

it just isn't a sexy name. The unions are starting their protests again and the dem party is gearing up. I don't think the Herr Boobengroper can make it. Every single proposition of his failed in our very expensive special election and most are fed up with him.

[UpInArms]

16. from your fingers

to the gods/goddesses ears.

:hi:

[WhiteTara]

17. so mote it be n/t

[Webster Green]

14. He's going down.....he's pissed too many people off

Hope he wastes a lot of repuke money in the process.