The lead story on the FlashReport today is penned by Shane Goldmacher in the Capitol Weekly.  Goldmacher, in going through campaign reports, found that the Governor’s new campaign manager, Steve Schmidt, has already received three paychecks of $26,250 in six weeks.
 
I guess that would be an eye-popping number in a paycheck, except for two factors…the first being that the numbers reflect a signing bonus.  The other factor is Schmidt himself…
 
(Let me add here that while many, many FR readers know me, thousands of you do not.  I am not into gratuitous flattery or heaping praise where it is not due.  As a matter of fact, if you’ve been a reader of this page, you know that I have no trouble be brutally honest with my praise or criticism, no matter the political party or ideology of my subject.  That said…)
 
Let’s remember that Schmidt, who is fresh off of major victories in Washington, D.C., for the administration where Schmidt was most recently the point man for the successful confirmations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sam Alito to the Supreme Court.  This role came as a part of being a trust part of the inner-circle of the President and Vice President.  Schmidt played a key role in the President’s last campaign and in the current administration.  He also played a key role with the 2002 mid-term campaigns as a chief strategist for the National Republican Congressional Committee.  I think it is also important to remember that Steve was courted to move he and his family to move from the East Coast to Sacramento (that would be the family that includes a little 2-year-old and a pregnant wife!).
 
Schmidt will be playing in bringing strategic and tactical planning to the campaign, as well as some supervision for the myriad of consultants that will be working on the Governor’s campaign.  Why is this important?  Well, if you look at the campaign finance reports, the biggest scandal going on in politics today are the outrageous amounts of money that consultants have been making off of all of these multi-million dollar campaigns.  Whether buying media, taking big percentages off of the creating and sending of mail, or taking big chunks of commission off of dollars raised — many, many millions of dollars that are donated to statewide campaigns (especially Gubernatorial, and statewide ballot measures) end up in the hands of consultants, instead of going directly to voter contact. 
 
If you’ve met Steve, you’ll no that he’s a no-nonsense guy who has as his agenda – effecting a big victory for Arnold Schwarzenegger and GOP ticket this November.  He has the relationship and gravitas with the Governor, and the necessary demeanor that it will take to exercize fiscal discipline for the Governor’s campaign dollars, and among other things, bring some sense to the money paid to consultants for their work.   
 
I should add, having been by the new campaign office — that he has definetely brought discipline to that effort.  The whole staff there is running like a well-oiled machine — and I think even the campaign interns have to suit up into business attire.
 
In the Capitol Weekly piece, the Democrats are quick to criticize Schmidt’s paychecks.  That said, I challenge them to go look at how much money their consultants are all making for making media buys, or giving strategic advice.  I guarantee you they are throwing stones from some very fragile glass houses.  Their campaigns, instead of being critical of Schmidt, should get out a calculator and figure out what to do about their over-paid consultants.  I’d be especially interested in knowing how much $$ Jude Barry, Steve Westly’s campaign manager made off of a certain previous client, Al Checchi, who spent upwards of $40 million dollars to lose in the Democrat Primary to Gray Davis.

Have a great day, and keep your suggests and tips coming my way!

Jon

This entry was posted on Friday, March 24th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.