Two Cents: Part of the "Team"

As a registered democratic voter and self-proclaimed left-of-centrist, I find Governor Schwarzenegger’s campaigning not only amusing, but just plain silly sometimes. Case and point: the new Animation found on the Join Arnold Website. This cartoon depicts two union bosses stealing money from a helpless school teacher. As the bosses drive off, their license plate shows the amount of money union bosses are pouring into their campaigns to fight reform. Oh and do not worry, this total is updated daily.

So when I joined Arnold’s Team (and “Publicly” committed my “support” for Governor Schwarzenegger and his efforts to “Reform and Rebuild California”), I expected to be joining a mailing list for the sole purpose of learning about his campaign’s opinions of the November 8 initiatives in order to report on them more fairly. Little did I know I would be inundated by e-mails with enough brainwashing tactics to write a book. In the six days I have been on the Team, I have received four e-mails; one welcoming me to the team, one reporting news about the campaign, and two informing me of the additions of new media to the website.

Some of the information I have received actually seems helpful for the standard Schwarzenegger-ite to learn how to vote along their party lines, such as the link to the campaign’s TV ads and their handy voter guide.

What is still standing in my way of actually taking the Governor’s campaigning seriously is the plea by the Governor to “Dust off your disco ball and throw a 70’s House Party”. According to the Governor’s website, “People across California are throwing 70s House Parties to show off their support for Arnold’s reform agenda. We want you to as well”. All you have to do is send the Governor an e-mail and he’ll send you “a special DVD with a message from [himself], voter guides, bumper stickers, brochures and all the necessary materials to throw a fantastic party.” So if I sign up, do I get hors d’oeuvres and streamers, too?

In the past week I have seen some good things from the Governor’s campaign that have helped me to understand and even sympathize for his side a bit more than before. However, I don’t think I will be able to take Governor Schwarzenegger’s campaigning completely seriously until he does.