TO: Reporters Attending The Governor’s Yes on 93 Presser Today
FROM: Jon Fleischman
RE: The Big Lie — A Tale Of Three Mail Pieces
Today, Governor Schwarzenegger along with a number of other politicians will hold a press conference in Los Angeles — their last effort to push Proposition 93 to severely weaken California’s legislative term limits, and allow dozens of legislators that would have to retire at the end of this year to serve years longer in office (in the case of Fabian Nunez, he would be able to serve for six more years, until the end of the first term of the Governor to follow Schwarzenegger!).
Central to the campaign is what we call "The Big Lie" — which is simply this. Instead of presenting voters with an honest campaign, Fabian Nunez (and now Arnold Schwarzenegger) are lying about this measure.
Simply put, if Prop. 93 passes, term-limits are weakened, and the average length of time that a individual serves in the legislature will significantly increase. But Nunez and company aren’t willing to say, "We think term limits should be weakened, and this is why…" — they are using double-speak and subterfuge
Please ask the Governor why he is participating in lying to the voters.
On Saturday, some friends of mine received some mail on behalf of the Yes on 93 campaign. The husband is a Republican, and he received two pieces of mail, and the wife is a Democrat and she received a different piece of mail.
We’ll call it the Arnold piece. (See the front here, and the back here.) It prominently features Governor Schwarzenegger, with a huge quote: "Elected officials who serve for decades lose a sense of urgency to make things better, and they often fall out of touch with the public."
How deceitful and dishonest could the Governor be with a quote? Under current limits, NO legislator (after this current crop of forced retirements) will have served decades in office. On the other hand, if 93 passes, a whole group of legislators who would otherwise be forced out will be able to continue to serve, many for decades.
In huge print on this piece, it says "Limit Legislators Terms!"
What a ruse.
Republican Mailer #2
This piece (see the front here, and the back here) seeks to get Republicans to focus on Democrat Attorney General (and term-limits foe) Jerry Brown’s deceptive summary of the measure, that opens by saying it "reduces" the total time a legislator can serve in office.
Again, total dishonesty with GOP voters. Prop. 93 folks know that Republicans overwhelmingly support strict term limits for politicians, and that they would lose and lose big if they were actually honest about the real effects of 93.
Democrat Mailer #1
Here comes the best part, to the Democrat goes the more "honest" piece (see the front here, and the back here). I guess polling must show that Demcrats are not big fans of term-limits.
This piece talks about "fixing term limts" and has a big quote from the Los Angeles Times, "Legislators would be able to build up the expertise that currently is so sorely lacking…"
There is a large graphic of legislators on a merry-go-round, and another quote, "As legislators run from office to office, special interest lobbyists run the legislature."
So while Republicans get mail impying that 93 strengthens term-limits, Democrats get mail stating the truth, that this measure does the opposite.
So the questions for the Governor and the others at the press conference today:
- Why do you have to lie to voters to pass your measure?
- Can’t you admit you think that current term-limits are too restrictive, and you want to weaken them?
- Do you feel it is dishonest to say one thing to Republican voters, and something completely different to Democrats?
The good news is that it would appear that voters are seeing through this treachery, and Proposition 93 is headed towards defeat. Hopefully when you write its political obituary, you will include that the voters rejected the fundamental dishonesty of the Yes on 93 campaign.
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