Walnut Creek, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is telling it straight -- and he's telling it with a spin. A mix of truth and truth-twisting.
We're hearing both candor and claptrap as Schwarzenegger peddles Propositions 57 and 58 on the March 2 ballot.
Prop. 57 is the $15-billion Sacramento bailout bond. Prop. 58 is the budget-balancing requirement intended to eliminate the need for any future Prop. 57s.
The bond is a tough sell because people don't naturally buy the concept of taxpayers going into hock for several years -- from nine to 14 -- to pay for current, routine government spending.
Schwarzenegger will need to use all his charm on this one. Polls show that voters are shunning Prop. 57 while embracing Prop. 58. But both must pass for either to take effect.
Truth and twisting were both in evidence last week as the governor touted his ballot props to senior citizens at the huge Rossmoor retirement community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Why seniors? Campaign strategists believe retired folks are particularly receptive to the governor's populism pitch -- his anti-politician spiel and call for citizen empowerment. They like being asked to get involved and have their voices heard.
Also, they understand the need to get finances in order. And they turn out to vote.
But a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that the 65-and-older crowd is significantly less supportive of Prop. 57 than are 35-and-under voters. And the retirees are a lot more concerned about "passing state debt to future generations" than are people under 45.
Trying to sell seniors, Schwarzenegger alternated straight talk and spin. Some examples:
Straight talk: A man asked the governor whether Prop. 57 wasn't just "bailing out politicians" and allowing them to avoid "the hard decisions."
"You're absolutely right," Schwarzenegger replied. "But the bottom line is who gets hurt when the politicians have to make the hard decisions. It is the common folk -- usually the low-income people and the medium-income people.... [They] get squeezed."
Poor people lose healthcare. The middle-class pays higher college fees. Everybody gets less police and fire protection. "We don't want to make these drastic cuts," Schwarzenegger acknowledged.
Spin: Prop. 58 is "the never-again spending limit," the governor said. "The politicians will never ever be allowed to spend more money than the state takes in. No more deficit financing."
