A week or so ago I found Sacramento Bee columnist Daniel Weintraub complaining because Arnold Schwarzenegger was treating him like a whining child:
Daniel Weintraub: I asked Schwarzenegger exactly what was missing from the workers compensation overhaul the Legislature passed this week. In other words, if he were governor, what would he have demanded that lawmakers did not produce? He declined to answer, falling back again on his general talking points and insisting that the package adopted by lawmakers was not sufficient, but refusing to say why it was not sufficient....
This is not new, of course. We know by now that Schwarzenegger is not a policy wonk. He intends to lead with broad strokes while delegating the nitty-gritty to others. And I don't expect him, or any candidate, to be able to recite chapter and verse on every issue discussed in the Legislature. But Schwarzenegger has chosen to make this issue the centerpiece of his economic plan. I would expect his staff to follow the negotiations, compare them to his proposals, and find at least one specific, major reform that he wants to see adopted and then brief him on that issue so he can respond to a question like this. And I would expect the candidate to insist on it.
And, earlier, Weintraub had written in frustration:
Daniel Weintraub: Californians, if they want Arnold to be their governor, are going to have to take a leap of faith, to buy into his leadership abilities, his charisma, his communication skills, all of which are considerable, and accept his vision that the budget can be balanced without new taxes or cuts in education even as he repeals the recent increase in the car tax. That’s not a reasonable proposition.
I, by contrast, thought that Weintraub was wrong--that there was no reason for Schwarzenegger not to keep treating Weintraub like a whining child:
Brad DeLong: Why would Weintraub expect Schwarzenegger to answer?... Whatever answer Schwarzenegger gives, he alienates somebody who is currently painting his idealized picture of a California governor on a blank page--he diminishes his chances of becoming governor, and diminishes his maneuvering room if he becomes governor. Schwarzenegger would only answer Weintraub's questions if he were interested in shooting straight and informing the people of California about what his policies will be so they can make an informed decision on October 7. And he isn't.
Guess what? Arnold was smart. Ignoring all of Weintraub's budget and workers' comp questions worked. Arnold has forced Weintraub to his knees, and Weintraub is now pretending that Schwarzenegger has given satisfactory answers. Weintraub now says that Schwarzenegger "now has an economic plan, a political reform plan and an environmental plan. Who does he think he is, the policy candidate?"
All the stuff about it not being a reasonable proposition to vote for Schwarzenegger unless he will say what he would do as governor? Out the window.
We really do need a much better press corps.
Posted by DeLong at September 22, 2003 08:47 AM | TrackBack