There is an Associated Press article from yesterday that highlights the unprecedented investment that is being put together to mobilize Republican volunteers to turn out voters for the GOP ticket this November, headed up by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This operation represents a significant financial commitment by Team Schwarzenegger to a ground game. He has hired top notch operatives to head up the effort, and has assembled a field staff many-dozens strong that is deployed throughout the Golden State. The Governor should be applauded for his financial commitment to turning out Republican voters. This level of resource-commitment is truly unprecidented!
However, to use the proverbial saying — "You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink" — the key component to the success of the large scale effort is going to be the volunteers (the target goal is to mobilize 90,000 volunteers). Therein lies the single biggest challenge for the State GOP’s Victory Program. Governor Schwarzenegger must do more than invest dollars and professional staff into a statewide mobilization effort — he must campaign on themes and on issues that are going to excite Republican volunteers. In this case, good Republican policies lead to good Republican volunteerism.
First and foremost, I should make it abundantly clear (which I do quite often on this page) that I support Arnold Schwarzenegger for re-election. So my observations here are well-intentioned, with the idea that they will hopefully spur some thought or contemplation by those in a position to give him input.
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June 11th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Great ideas all, Jon. I would also suggest that the governor combine the illegal immigration issue and the budget discipline issue by proposing to eliminate state spending on services for illegal immigrants, similar to Arizona’s Prop 200 or whatever it was a couple of years ago. Of course, Dems will kill it, thus giving the GOP ticket a unifying platform on which to run. This “son of Prop 187” — which should also be put into initiative form for the November ballot — would give the voters a clear choice between the parties on the hottest issue of the year. What’s more, it would be good policy.
June 11th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Jon, excellent. In the recall, the issue that drove voters WAS the recall, it was about change. For a governor that was subsequently perceived to have been defeated on the change issues, he has now abandoned the very thing he originally won on. He needs something else to drive both base and independent sentiments. He needs to read your column.