Schwarzenegger Widely Popular; Pessimism About State Declines

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poll26feb26,1,2796115.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has built a broad foundation of support among California voters as their anger over the state's fiscal mess subsides in the recall's aftermath, a new Los Angeles Times poll has found.

The Republican governor, now California's most popular politician, score favorable job ratings from a robust 65% of the state's voters. Just 19% disapprove of his job performance.

Public satisfaction with Schwarzenegger comes amid a clear, if not overwhelming, improvement in voters' mood since Gov. Gray Davis was ousted in October. With the state still bogged down in a budget crisis, just 32% say things are generally moving in the right direction in California. But that is up from a dismal 14% in August.

Pessimism over California's economy has also waned: 56% of voters say it is doing badly, down from 71% in August. Nearly four in 10 voters say they have more confidence in the way state government is run, now that Schwarzenegger is governor. Only two in ten had less confidence.

Those findings, coupled with the growing popularity of two Schwarzenegger ballot measures — which have jumped in support since he began airing ads on their behalf — suggest that the governor's political honeymoon endures.

[slor]

1. Schwarzenegger Widely Popular; Pessimism About State Declines...

and Stupidity Study in California is overwhelmed with test subjects.

[loudnclear]

29. Pessimism down because the Rethugs have shut up now that one of their

own is the governor. Most of the vocal dissent came from Republicans in the first place. Once they get what they want (whether things actually get better) they shut up and their person in office gets credit for 'bringing people together.' It happens over and over again. Remember how the Rethugs clamored about 'divisiness' during the Clinton administration? It was all their ranchor and divisiness...not the Dems. Once they got Bush in office, eventhough things are much worse now and their is much more division in the government, they and the media don't even mention how divided and angry the country really is. Think back, you weren't feeling like you do now under Clinton administration, no matter who you are or what your politics. The only thing that kept you angry was the constant bashing of the Clintons but source of any divisiness and division and nastiness was caused by the Rethugs.

[DenverDem]

2. Californians, move away from the pipe.

If these numbers are correct, and I suspect they are not, then Cali citizens deserve what they get.

[depakid]

5. They do deserve exactly what they get

Of all of the states I've spent time in, California probably has the least engaged, most ill informed and apathetic citizenry of any of them. Their legislature (on both sides) is hopelessly corrupt and largely without principle. You gotta remember these are the people who passed what EVERY half concious person KNEW was a boondoggle energy dereguation plan almost unanimously with almost no public debate- and then wondered why they got hoodwinked. Stupid, stupid stupid.

[0rganism]

22. As do we all, my fellow Oregonian

We watched our last chance at commonwealth in our state get flushed down the toilet by reactionary anti-tax activists a few weeks ago. How can you gripe about the ill-informed nature of the Californians when our own citizens don't know what a progressive income tax looks like?

We have many a beam to remove from our own eyes, I fear.

I see Oregon giving its electors to bush in November, the way things are going now.

[utopian]

37. Not with the job situation the way it is here

I just don't see it. The economy's too awful. Even unengaged people are sensitive to that.

[depakid]

47. I'm not lauding Oregon

Far from it. We're a laughing stock and we deserve what we're about to get, too.

But there's a magnitude of difference between what goes on in Salem and what goes on in Sacramento. Down South, even most of the Democratic party is sleeping with the enemy. Even my collegues (bright, educated people) in LA often didn't know or care what was going on much of the time- and they didn't have the excuse of having no decent radio to listen to or a newspaper that constantly runs cover for the far right.

I think you're being too pessimistic about with respect to Bush in November. Take away Nader's 5%, and Bush loses handily here in 2000. As bad as things are (and after August, when the state money runs out- as bad as they're going to get) I don't see Bush standing a chance.

[tinanator]

25. thanks

did it ever occur to you this might have been a stolen election?

[frylock]

43. once again, for the thinking impaired..

WE DO NOT DESERVE THIS. DID YOU VOTE FOR BUSH? DO YOU DESERVE BUSH? ILL INFORMED AND APATHETIC? BULL-FUCKING-SHIT!! I'M SICK AND FUCKING TIRED OF HEARING THIS CRAP.

[Emboldened Chimp]

44. Hey, man, some of your fellow DUers are Californians

Myself included. I certainly didn't want this putz in office, as I'm sure many of my fellow CA DUers would agree. I voted no on the recall, and yes for Bustemante. I didn't want this asshole running my state, so please don't tell me that those of us who voted against this nonsense deserve it.

[Mountainman]

48. Wow, next time I want and objective view of my state I'll ask you.

Gee just after visiting you have a much better formed opinion of the state than someone like me who lives here. I'm sure in luck since finding you.

[depakid]

56. I lived in California for many years

and I'm only reporting what I observed first hand practicing law and being politically active there for 9 of them. I stand by what I say. Unfortunately, it happens to be true. Part of the reason I think has to do with the fact that the population is so large that there's not much accountability in most places- and the disconnect with Sacramento is truly astounding. Look how long it took to try to regulate privacy into the financial industry. Years. Once you finally got enough Democrats to actually show up for a vote, it was too late- BushCo. prempted the new law

[ahimsa]

7. money talks, it seems

Proposition 57, a $15-billion bond measure to cover the state's debts, trailed badly in polls last month. But now, after millions of dollars in Schwarzenegger television ads, voters favor both measures, the poll found. Nearly one in four likely voters say Schwarzenegger's support has made them more likely to vote yes.


Good grief! What a cheap date we Californians are! :crazy:

[Wells]

57. Calif Props, Long-term debt.....

They sound like a money-making proposals; a few make lotsa money off the backs of many others.

Don't give Schwartzkegger credit for in-depth understanding of the situation. He's just a figurehead, placed in power by the moneyed interests; just like DUHbya was selected President because his intellectual vacuousness allows him to disseminate. California can expect to be raped, again and again. Gov Davis didn't put California in debt; it was the money managers, staging a rip-off and a coup.

[Kagemusha]

12. Others believe Californians deserve what they're getting, too.

They're radicals on a message board known as Free Republic. Perhaps you've heard of it.

[0007]

19. Who hasn't?

[Piperay]

14. Us Californians are all enamored

by celebrities, didn't you know that? (SARCASM) Actually it is the press that is enamored, if it involves anything having to do with HollyWEIRD they are all over it, kissing ass. :puke:

[Manix]

46. LOL

[I AM SPARTACUS]

3. honeymoon period? or rebound fling?

[salin]

31. of massive grope session

sorry - just couldn't resist...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

42. PArt of it is honeymoon, the other part is that the legislature

is being viewed as the BARRIER to progress in our state's problems even though Arnold:

Promised to look at the books and get rid of waste and was forced (although this isn't mentioned) to concede that cuts were as severe as they could be.

Reflexively rolled back the car tax then was faced with futher cuts to law enforcement and fire protection and had to deal with emergent funding.

Pushed the legislature to back off the licenses to undocumented workers (even though he is silently backing off from his cater to the bigots)

And the OTHER part of it is....the die hard base remains angry and unhappy, the Republican base feels it is going the right direction because they were able to archestrate a successful coup in the most populous state in the nation, and then there are the totally fucking oblivious.

Arnold of course is benefiting because many of our legislators are covering their asses with both hands...I also suspect there will be a Texas style stab at redistricting soom.

[fearnobush]

4. His "honeymoon" may end abruptly if he aligns himself with

the Chimp to closely.

[gauguin57]

6. holy hannah.

Has an entire state woken up to find a pod by its bed?

[ferg]

8. no different from the rest of the country

The press had been pounding Davis for years, blaming him for Kenneth Lay's Enron robbery, Bush's recession killing the economy, the Californian Republican's keeping the budget hostage.

Now the press puffs up Arnold.

Shrug. There are plenty of people willing to believe whatever the press tells them. Look at how the press successfully destroyed the Dean campaign.

The same thing will happen later, when the press starts pounding on Kerry and puffing up Bush. (Although, Bush may have screwed up so badly that even the state press will have trouble campaigning for him.)

[misterbee]

9. Ease up on the provincial sniping, please

Not everyone in Cali has drunk the Kool-Aid. I swore off making Florida jokes after 2000, and am glad I did. At least take the Cali debacle as a warning to other states: if they can do it here, they can do it to you, too. I also believe that when a little more time passes, the voters will see Ahnuld for the opportunist he truly is.

[Fovea]

10. Yeah

And everyone forgets the ultimate poison pill that Der Gropinator is facing -- OPEC just turned the tap down more than a tad. Will the freeway state love a gov who lets gas hit $3.50/gal unleaded his first year in office?

[catzies]

54. Welcome to DU, misterbee !

:hi:

I concur with your perspective. And I can relate to both scenarios being a native Floridian and a 20+ year Californian!

[Sandpiper]

11. It's not that things are any better under Arnold

It's just that Arnold has been getting fellated by the media from day 1, as opposed to Gray Davis who was getting crucified.

The press shapes the perception of the uninformed.

[Columbia]

13. Gee, with all this bad mouthing of California

I'm beginning to wonder if you guys don't want our 55 electoral votes in Nov... :eyes:

[atreides1]

24. Arnold Already Said....

...that Bush will get them anyway, so it's not much of a threat is it.

Besides if the people of California believe what the media is putting out about Arnold being the "Great Savior", they'll believe
that Bush is doing such a fantastic job runing the country, that
they'll vote for Bush anyway.

So like I said it's not much of threat!!!

[Columbia]

53. Giving up already?

Geez, if the Repubs do get Cal-ee-for-nee-ya, you better get ready for 4 more years of Bush.

Quite disheartening to see these opinions, to say the least.

[atreides1]

59. Not Giving Up, Preparing For The Worst

It would be better to look at the possibility of not getting them, then to hope for them, and watch them be "black boxed" to Bush.

It's always better to prepare for the worse, then to expect the best,
that way you're not so disappointed.

I guess those of us who don't live in California are wondering why the State Democratic Party is kissing up to Arnold, and why the Democrats in the state don't appear to be fighting against them.

Perhaps you could tell us what it is that Arnold is doing that is making him so popular, I mean he's a sexist, that women seem to love,
he's cutting programs that are affecting the poor and the disabled, and he seems to be spending more time trying to get money, then he is
trying to be governor.

It's kind of like some aspects of California are members of the "Can't We All Just Get Along Club".

[Columbia]

61. Don't believe everything you see on TV

There are lots of us who are unhappy with Arnold. You'll see when the results for the bond measures he's trying to pass come in.

However, the fact is, California has been beaten down a lot over the last few years, and the people here are desperate for some optimism so that is probably what is reflected in the polls. It is probably not an accurate reflection of true sentiments.

In the end, California is still worth fighting for, and if we give up California, we might as well give up the whole race.

[xchrom]

15. this too shall pass

his budget proposals are just train wrecks waiting to happen.
so get ready -- the golden state is about to get very tarnished.

[Guaranteed]

16. Californians are dumbasses...they have no idea what's going

on right now.

There's this $15B bond that absolutely has to pass or the whole budget is up shit creek, and most Californians are against it. They're ignorant as hell.

[Piperay]

17. The problem is you pass the bond

and it solves the problem for arnie the groper. arnie comes out smelling like a rose and gets a second term in 2 and half years, plus puts the state into deep deep debt that future generations have to pay for. If you don't pass the bond all kinds of needed stuff goes by the wayside. This leaves the California voter " between a rock and a hard place" and all because arnie removed the so-called car "tax" to help his buds like Jay Leno. :argh:

[PROGRESSIVE1]

32. I hope the bond measure fails and as for Leno and....

Oprah, I say "F--- Both You SOB's"!!!

I hope a horrible financial disaster worse than this one happens
so that the gropenazi looses BIGTIME!

:puke:

:argh:
:argh:

[tinanator]

26. thats called NOT supporting Ahnold and his privatization pals

We want the money back that Enron stole.

[not systems]

40. Why should I vote for the 15 billion dollar reelect Arnold fund?

Why shouldn't they raise taxes and cut spending until
the budget is balanced?

[Sugarbleus]

18. Well, I don't know WHO "they" polled because

they didn't poll me or anyone I know. If they had, the numbers would look a wee bit different. My union, among other groups, is up in arms and storming the capital because of the cuts this "neoNazi" is wanting to make. :mad:

[twilight]

39. same here

My union CSEA has said to vote NO on 57 & 58 which is what I have done (absentee voter here).

I heard the bond measures were not going to pass - :wtf: ????



:dem: :kick:

[shanti]

51. and please please!

YES ON 56!

[Malva Zebrina]

20. Bush is going to visit/campaign in Cali again

I don't know how many times that is now but it is not the first time. He sent Laura there also.

He wants that state and it's electorals. He/they backed Scharzeneger and have been manipulating even before that.--and if these numbers are correct, he will get it I fear.

[0rganism]

21. All this article says is, "voters are moved by propaganda"

Nothing new here.

Nothing uniquely Californian about this.

Just another redundant chapter in the long, boring history of human gullibility.

Don't blame the Californians for doing what every other population has done since the beginnings of recorded history.

Instead, look carefully at all the other states, and at the state of our democracy. Pretty soon now, bush is going to be flinging a few hundred million in campaign ad dollars at the entire nation, and what are you going to do about it?

[dusty64]

23. This is interesting.

ahnold is prancing around Washington trying to get the Constitution changed so he can run for pResident and hasn't accomplished ONE positive thing since he was installed in power yet he is "wildly popular". Could it be the complete change of media tone since he took over perhaps? The whores are full bore in California. :puke:

[Tracer]

27. It says "Widely" Ñ not "Wildly".

There's a difference.

[cap]

28. same bush tactic

steal the election, control the media, democratic party rolls over for the guvner.

Remember Bush was very popular too. Until Dean came out and started telling it like it is. We need a Dean in CA to mobilize the troops or Bush can carry California.

[dusty64]

30. True. I read

here the other day Davis was on tv sucking up to ahnold, I couldn't believe it. These mealy mouthed dems make me as ill and angry as the extreme right sometimes.

[shanti]

52. it makes you wonder

if they're ALL in on it...:tinfoilhat:

[CBHagman]

36. Yeah, the Washington Post cooed, "Popular wartime president"...

...for a period of about two years there. They've since retired the phrase, or at least I haven't read it lately, since it became clear that not everything in the garden was lovely.

So-called public opinion can be notoriously fickle, from "Nixon's the one" to "Jail to the chief" in a few short years.

[Frances]

33. Poor me

I grew up in Alabama and everyone bashes the South.

Now I live in California and I'm getting bashed for that.

I did NOT vote for Arnold.

And at least our state is not for Bush.

[Art_from_Ark]

34. Pumping up the Iron Pumper

This is just part of the right-wing's strategy: "Hey, this guy's such a popular governor of California, it's a shame he can't run for Presidunt because of that pesky thing about "natural born citizen" that's in the Constitution. Hey, why don't we just repeal that provision, and then the whole country can enjoy being under The Terminator's stewardship!"

:puke::puke::puke::puke::puke:

[PROGRESSIVE1]

35. I despise Governor....

Ah-nuld "Gropen-Fuhrer"!

To me, he is another Tom Delay.

:puke::puke:


:mad:

[progressivebydesign]

38. Hmmm... doubt it.

I just left the hell-hole formerly known as California. There is not ONE person I've spoken with there since that has not compained about the terrible condition of the state, and how badly they feel Arnold is doing. My friends and family there talk with sadness about the favorite teachers laid off in the schools, the cuts in local policing, the economy, and just the depressing state of affairs there. WHO did these people poll?? Was it another one of those 500 people they called are speaking for the state? I don't buy it.

[LoneStarLiberal]

41. Rationalized Ignorance

I have an idea that the state's fiscal problems are so incredibly bad that, much like the issue of illegal immigration, many Califorinians just refuse to acknowledge it. Why? Because it's so dismal that there is no way to put a silver lining on it.

This is the same mindset that allows your average politically unengaged American to still like George W. Bush. Why? Because once you start picking apart all the lies, deceit, and bullshit you have to admit to yourself sooner or later that he's probably lied about all the big-ticket issues like 9/11, Iraq, and the economy.

And that make the average American uncomfortable to have to look at himself or herself as a drooling idiot being led around by the nose by a podium-humping chimp. So what do you do? Ignore it!

[bemildred]

45. Ahnuld is widely unpopular too, so what? nt

[AngryAmish]

49. If he is that popular....

then Californians must really be stupid. Or at least 65% of them are.

[revree]

50. THIS IS BULLSHIT

The man has done NOTHING since getting into office except cutting the services to the disabled, including my son. He is a jackass and so is every idiot who voted for him. HE HAS DONE NOTHING TO HELP THIS STATE. WHERE THE FUCK IS OUR 9 BILLION DOLLAR ENRON REFUND, ARNOLD???

[ElementaryPenguin]

55. Bullshit indeed! I'm in CA - and everybody thinks he's a fucking joke

and that we are royally fucked! Even people who voted for the idiot! There's been articles out here about the fact that he spends more time fund raising than the evil evil oh so evil fund raising fiend Gray Davis EVER did!!

:argh:

[tom_paine]

58. It's that creepy orange Raygun hair of his

Everyone is as duped as a Citizen of Oceania.

I feel bad for the Imperial Province of Kallie-fornia. Of course, after your Bushevik Monster is done incubating tyhere, he will metastasize and become Emperor of Amerika, probably in 2017.

So take comfort from that, Imperial Subjects of the Province of Kallie-fornia. The rest of us are going to get your monster. And he'll be much more like his idol, Hitler, than he is now.

And the Roman Republic falls again...

Plus a change, plus a la meme chose

(the more things change, the more they stay the same)

[Democat]

60. The entire California media is right wing and proud

They bashed Davis nonstop and now they praise Arnold nonstop.

The California media is so partisan it's hard to believe.

[The_Casual_Observer]

62. Widely popular with the lame fuck who wrote this article

Tired of these "journalists" who cast their own stupid opinions as belonging to "the people" or "the majority". This kind of shit has been going on for years and years.

[shance]

63. I wonder how much this article cost Arnold to publish?

Hes not popular, hes just RICH.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

64. True.

"Guvernator Groperman" is cutting popular social services.

I question how popular he really is. I could see a
40% approval rating, but the 65%-19% in his favor is
a LITTLE TOO HIGH!