Over the next couple of weeks, the FlashReport will be profiling a few campaign MVP’s for our readers…
When looking at all of the campaign operatives on the GOP side of the isle this cycle, a small group of notables rose to the surface, the first of which we are happy to recognize as our pick for Team Arnold MVP — and the winner is… Katie Levinson, the Communications Director for Californians for Schwarzenegger! Congratulations, Katie!
You can actually probably tell the day that Katie Levinson started with her important and central position with the Governor’s re-election campaign — that would be the day that someone turned "on" the power switch, and the Schwarzenegger Public Relations Machine has been operating at full speed ever since. Levinson is rather famously an import into the California political scene as a part of "Team Schmidt" — the young and energetic group of folks that worked with Schwarzenegger Campaign Manager Steve Schmidt on President Bush’s 2004 re-election efforts, whom he brought with him when he came to California.
"Katie is one of the best in the business. She, along with Matt David and the others on our communications team have done and continue to do an amazing job," said Steve Schmidt when asked to comment on Levinson’s receiving our MVP honors.
But Levinson (pictured above to the right along with Deputy Communications Director Matt David) has not been content to hang out in the shadow of Steve Schmidt — she has quickly established her "Golden State" credentials as a top-notch communications specialist, and capable manager of a team of around twenty or so political operatives. The Communications shop at Californians for Schwarzenegger is practically a 24/7 operation — and rumor has it that you can find Katie "on deck" almost all of that time — where she is directing, spinning, schmoozing, dousing, inciting, creating and updating nearly all of the time. I’m sure that Katie would much prefer to be on the road more, seeing the beautiful sights of this amazing state, but as she likes to say, "They don’t let me out much."
**There is more – click the link**
October 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am
It took less than 10 minutes for the Join Arnold War Room Team to e-mail out this blog post to their team:
The masthead of their e-mail…
From: “Join Arnold War Room”
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 08:46:50
Subject: FLASH REPORT BLOG: Arnold’s MVP: Katie Levinson
October 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am
We at the Courage Campaign are happy to see that you agree with us that the Bush agenda is alive and well in California. This ad should actually be useful to you and your readers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-qhFBuP8-s
All the best.
Rick Jacobs
October 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Wow, that was lame. What does George W. Bush have to do with eminent domain and parental notification to get your “Courage Campaign” to use little kids as political props?
October 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am
it’s called a national right wing agenda to roll back people’s rights and decimate the environment. Oregon passed a measure very similar to Prop 90 back in 2004, with 61% voting “Yes.” According to the poll from Defenders of Wildlife, just two years later, if the election were held today, the measure would fail spectacularly with only 29% voting “Yes.” What caused such a dramatic reversal in just two years?
Since Oregon passed their Prop 90 (in Oregon it was Measure 37), the survey reports that a “mining company is now permitted to mine in a national monument
October 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Congrats, Katie! A very worthy adversary.