October 08, 2003

Does the LA TIMES Believe in Democracy?

That’s a reasonable question today, seeing how many times their front page repudiates the decision of the people in the election. Quotes from front page stories in today’s edition:

In a popular revolt unmatched in the 92 years that Californians have held the power to recall elected officials, voters chose a Republican film star with no government experience to replace a Democrat steeped for three decades in state politics.

That’s the second paragraph of the lead story today. The disdain for the will of the people is right there. Later in the same story:

The national implications of Schwarzenegger’s victory were quickly apparent. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a presidential candidate who hopes to tap into the same popular anger that propelled the recall, said Californians had vented “their frustration with the country’s direction.”

“Come next November, that anger might be directed at a different incumbent … in the White House,” he said in a statement.

It doesn’t say that that’s just the opinion of Dean – the TIMES says these are “the national implications”.

And then there’s this slam, also on the front page:

THE NEW GOVERNOR

So Familiar Yet So Unknown

Californians have never known more about a new governor. We’ve seen him naked on screen. We know about the Nazi father, the celebrity journalist wife, the bodybuilding titles and the crude behavior toward women. We have seen him in theaters, fallen asleep to his voice on television and imitated his accent.

Californians have never known less about a new governor. We’ve never seen him hold office. We don’t know what programs he’ll cut, how he’ll balance the budget, how he’ll negotiate with recalcitrant legislators or how he’ll manage the state’s bureaucracy.

Lawyers, business people, doctors, even actors leave behind their professions for politics. Arnold Schwarzenegger at various times the most physically developed man in the world, Hollywood’s most famous actor and soon the 38th governor of California has made the switch too, with one critical difference. He is bringing his lifetime of personas, real and fictional, with him to office.

Schwarzenegger, who built his career on changing shape, could claim during his campaign to be just about anything.

Three slams against the people’s choice, on the front page of the paper, the day after the election.

Bias before the election is one thing. These stories imply a rejection of the people’s will, and of American democracy itself.

Is the TIMES no longer a team player?

SUCCESS.

This election wasn’t even close. This was a blowout. Check out this chart of voting on the recall by county.

The vast majority of counties voted in favor of the recall.

Schwarzenegger has shown tremendous leadership in his handling of the campaign. When the Republican Party inexplicably didn’t run TV ads favoring the recall, Arnold’s campaign produced them and ran them.

He let everyone believe he was unable to speak to the issues, and then showed up at the debate and blew away all those criticisms. That was the moment that turned the whole campaign around.

Monday, when Peter Jennings was grilling Arnold, playing the usual media games, finally there was this exchange:

JENNINGS: The question I’m just trying to understand is you say some of it’s not true and some if it you don’t remember. What don’t you remember and what isn’t true?

SCHWARZENEGGER: It doesn’t make any sense to go through details here with you.

What is important is—what is important is that I cannot remember what was happening 20 years ago and 15 years ago. But some of the thing sounds like me and this is why I was the first one to come out and say, ;You know, some of the things could have happened.’’ I want to apologize to the people if I offended anyone, because that was not my intention.

“It doesn’t make any sense to go through details here with you.” Perfect. That’s what we need, is someone with the personality to blow away all the game-playing, and get the job done.