As the administration of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger comes to a close, this a is a great opportunity for me to express my appreciation and admiration for two hard working Republicans in his administration with whom I have worked fairly closely the last few years — Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director Matt David and Press Secretary Aaron McClear.
I first met Matt when he was working on Governor Schwarzenegger’s re-election campaign in 2006. Brought in as a part of then campaign manager Steve Schmidt’s team, working as Deputy Communications Director, Matt really drove a lot of the messaging on Democrat Phil Angelides. In that capacity, he and I worked together a lot. Matt did some time on the McCain for President campaign and for Freedom’s Watch, before returning to take his current position as Communications Director.
Personally I can’t imagine anything more challenging than trying to coordinate messaging for a Governor who is a chaotic mix of internationally-known superstar and politician, who is known for shooting from the hip. Nevertheless, Matt’s done a great job. Many people don’t realize that a Communications Director is not just responsible for media relations, but for overall messaging for the Administration — which encompasses everything from speechwriting, press relations, correspondence, and more. At the Deputy Chief of Staff level, Matt has been able to bring his perspective and observations to the table as a key part of the Governor’s kitchen cabinet.
Aaron McLear’s job as press secretary may be one of the, if not the most demanding position in the administration. Aaron has been the messenger, gate keeper, and feeder of a press corps that spans far beyond the traditional (and shrinking) Capitol press corps. This Governor attracts media attention from all over the globe, and McLear has done an able job of handling all of the many demands of this job. Being available 24/7 to the media takes on a new meaning when the reporters are from every time zone!
There’s a rule — when the news is good, the politician gives that speech. And when the news is bad, send out the press secretary. Well, Aaron’s gotten to do a lot of speaking – and has done it well. One of Aaron’s most significant traits is that he is very dogmatic. He works hard to make sure that stories are accurate and fair. He will call those of us who write about the Governor, frequently, both to praise coverage that he feels is fair and balanced, but also to point when he thinks an error of fact or judgment has been made. Before working for the Governor, Aaron worked for the Republican National Committee in their press operations. Before that he worked the Bush-Cheney re–elect in ’04 and for Ohio Governor Bob Taft.
Both Matt and Aaron are chess players. I when I say that — it is a complement. I have no idea whether either actually takes up the game of chess, but what I mean is that both think several moves ahead as they think about what they are doing. This allows them to excel in their field, and has made it that much more pleasurable to deal with them.
I also empathize with Matt and Aaron. Both are loyal Republicans who are, I suppose, representative of many in this Governor’s administration who have likely not agreed with all of the political and policy objectives of their "post-partisan" boss. But it is the mark of professionals, especially those on the public relations side, who perhaps share concerns internally where appropriate, but who charge hard out the gate to achieve the objectives outlined by their elected boss.
I had a lot of issues with many of the decisions that Arnold Schwarzenegger has made as Governor, as FR readers know. But his decision to bring on Matt and Aaron were spot-on. I don’t know where the two of them will end up, but you can bet that they will both be very successful in their future endeavors.
In closing, I have had the chance to work with quite a number of great people in Governor Schwarzenegger’s communications team since launching the FlashReport back in 2005. So Matt and Aaron aren’t the only ones deserving of praise, but they are being specifically singled out because they are the ones "on deck" as the administration comes to a close.
(Photo credit goes respectively to David and McLear — the photos in this post were "lifted" from their Facebook pages.)