LAT: Schwarzenegger Tone Is Humble in New Ad

[DeepModem Mom]

Schwarzenegger Tone Is Humble in New Ad
As a poll shows all of his Nov. 8 initiatives faltering, the governor appeals to voters by admitting shortcomings, asking for reform tools.

By Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writer


With a new poll showing his ballot agenda in jeopardy, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday made a sharp strategic shift just 12 days before the election, releasing a new television ad in which he concedes shortcomings on the job.

"I've had a lot to learn, and sometimes I learned the hard way," he says in the 30-second spot, which features the governor speaking directly to the camera. "But my heart is in this, and I want to do right by you."

Calling his ballot package critical to "reforming Sacramento," the Republican governor tells viewers in the Democratic-leaning state: "Give me the tools to do the job you elected me to do."

The new ad, due to begin airing today, marked a dramatic change in tone for the governor, who has long blamed his difficulties on the fusillade of ads fired at him by organized labor.

Underscoring the reason for the switch, the new poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that none of Schwarzenegger's four major initiatives was favored by a majority of voters likely to cast ballots in the Nov. 8 election. The verdict was especially bleak on Proposition 76, Schwarzenegger's hallmark ballot measure to restrict state spending: Just 30% of likely voters supported it, while twice as many opposed it....


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ads28oct28,0,3434211.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Wetzelbill]

1. what a girlie-mon

:)

[goforit]

8. LOL!!!.......It serves him right.

[skylarmae]

2. 'learning on the job' is totally inappropriate for the fifth largest

economy in the World. I thought he was elected because of the accomplishments in the business world he had made. From $2l.00 in his pocket to multi-millionaire lickity-split ..... Humility, isn't that tactic # 3.(c) part 2....?

[skylarmae]

3. dup - self delete

[yellowcanine]

4. "I've had a lot to learn, and sometimes I learned the hard way," Uh,

Arnold, some of of think you haven't learned yet and probably never will learn. Anyway, shouldn't the learning have taken place BEFORE you were governor? Admit it - you just wanted to be the guvernator. Now that you are, it is "Duh, what now?"

[pinniped]

17. Sounds like the time when the Gropenator admitted groping women...

"I know at times I behaved badly..."

[fearnobush]

5. Too Funny for words.

<http://www.arnoldsneighborhood.com/>

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2188153>

[NYC Liberal]

22. OMG, that Arnold's Neighborhood video was LOL hilarious!

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[rocktivity]

6. It's your initiatives, stupid!

...(Schwarzenegger) has long blamed his difficulties on the fusillade of ads fired at him by organized labor.

Organized labor fired BACK, Arnold--you opened fire on THEM when you tried to blame them for budget shortfalls after leaving six billion dollars in Enron restitution on the table. You didn't expect them to defend themselves? And now you expect Californians to sit back and let you enact initiatives that are not only unworkable but totally against their best interests?

:crazy:
rocknation

[tabasco]

7. I guess he's going for sympathy now.

I hope the good People of California kick this criminal while he's down. He has done nothing but support Enron and the Bush corporate cabal.

What an embarrassment to the entire Nation that he was even elected.

Not nearly as embarrassing as Bush, but still a disgrace.

edit typo

[CountAllVotes]

14. the Gropencriminal

He is a crook and he will hopefully be caught. The sympathy route is not going to work given what he has done.



:dem: :kick:

[realFedUp]

9. Groping now for empathy?

New message, old package.

[calimary]

12. He'll get NO empathy, or sympathy from this Californian.

He has NO business being "governor" of this or any other state. When you move from Hollywood, in his case, to the reality-based community, all of a sudden there are no scriptwriters ensuring you'll have your hero's happy ending and you get to vanquish all your foes and you get to massacre the aliens and predators and everybody else getting in your way and challenging your rule. You've gotta play ball like all the rest of 'em. You're not the boss anymore. THE PEOPLE are. You can lead in the suggestion department, but that's IT.

GET BENT, Arnold. As Monica Lewinsky said to her mildly-amused and doting parents at age two, "you're not the boss of me!" And I'm among the MAJORITY sending your idiot, asshole, scheming, powermongering, money-squandering ballot initiatives straight into the crapper. Hasta la vista, baby. I seriously doubt you'll "be back."

[realFedUp]

20. right on. nt.

[Tempest]

10. "and I want to do right by you."

Then RESIGN.

The Gropinator's approval rating is lower than Bush's.

He wouldn't be elected dog catcher now.

[calimary]

13. Agreed, Tempest. If he wants to do right by the people of California,

then what he needs to do is resign. Admit more than just this little temporary "failing" because he's still trying to get this on-the-job-training thing down, and RESIGN. This ain't Hollywood where you can be the golden boy du jour and throw your weight around because you used to score bigtime at the box office, Arnold. This is Sacramento. TOTALLY different kind of playing field. Where YOU have to do the PEOPLE'S bidding. And you need to recognize the message that THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA (aka YOUR EMPLOYERS) are sending. They/We DO NOT WANT your ballot measures. We see through them and we know what you're up to. It won't work. Because we can see clearly that you're up to no good - except for more power-grabbing. You're a has-been actor, not a power-mad vice president. And as we're seeing, een that power-mad vice president isn't absolutely invulnerable.

[xxqqqzme]

11. he wasn't elected!

he had a plurality in a recall w/ far fewer votes than Grey Davis received in the real election. steroid boy bragged he had the tools AND he didn't need no steenking 'special interest' money. What a wuss!

[zbdent]

15. "You done a heckuva job, Arnie,

TERMINATING THE DEFICIT!"

[pinniped]

16. Reform tools, F-Off.

I think people have had enough of his so-called reform crap. The jig is up.

He sounds just his fellow girly-men *. "Give me the tools necessary to fight the terra-dudes by passing Patriot Acts 1-99!"

He did have to learn the hard way. Pete Wilson's entire mis-administration's hands are up his a$$.

[NuttyFluffers]

18. F@cker... want penance, arnold? go kill yourself.

otherwise, get the hell out of my governor's chair and don't say another fucking word.

i'm tired of this conservative bullshit.

[Zomby Woof]

19. Fuck YOU, Ahnold!

The UNIONS will stand together and KICK YOUR ASS.

[cassiepriam]

21. Oh the public eats this up with a spoon. It'll work.

In America you can get away with anything as long as you turn
yourself into a Jerry Springer show and beg for forgiveness.

[truthisfreedom]

23. if it works, i wonder if bush will try it next?

these grand human experiments...

[beltanefauve]

24. Everyone's expecting low voter turnout

on this ever-so-special election. There are no candidates running. The ballot measures aren't so crucial that they cannot wait for the general election in 2006. I suspect this sympathy ploy isn't designed to turn around the already pissed off, but to "energize the base", and keep them from staying home, too.