Arnold Blogs and his volunteer machine

From Bill Bradley's New West Notes: (H/T: GOP Bloggers)

As he steams smartly toward hoped for re-election four weeks from today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a secret weapon, the largest and most technologically sophisticated voter mobilization operation California Republicans have ever seen...

For $20 million, which is what the Team Arnold-led Victory ‘06 program is costing. What that not so small fortune has bought is a state-of-the-art computerized telecommunications system, highly sophisticated “data mining” to enable “micro targeting” of potential supporters, and a cadre of some 75 staffers working for the Republican Victory ‘06 and Schwarzenegger campaign operations. Beginning last spring, working outward through concentric circles of core Republican activists and Schwarzenegger admirers to entirely new people, this group set about the task of recruiting 90,000 volunteers to work, at various stages of the campaign up through election day get out the vote operations, a universe of some 1.5 million voters.

Many Republicans were skeptical, and that is putting it mildly, hearing of the goal of 90,000 volunteers. “Arnold’s Texans are crazy,” one ranking Republican said. Despite a lot of talk, in the past, the party and its standard-bearers had had at most perhaps a tenth of that many volunteers.

They don’t have 90,000 volunteers, says campaign chief Schmidt, they have some 60,000 volunteers, with “over 70,000 by the final push.”

Last week, he says, the operation had “300,000 completed phone calls to targeted voters.”

“We’ve never had anything like this,” says state Republican chairman Duf Sundheim. “Steve Schmidt and his colleagues are a godsend to this party. With the approach of this governor and these techniques, we can put California back in play in presidential politics.”

Dear Sara, Governor’s Commitment to Community Colleges Shines Through in his Record Governor Schwarzenegger has been a strong advocate for community colleges during his tenure in office.  I have seen this firsthand as a trustee on the Kern Community College District (KCCD).  KCCD serves communities over 24,800 square miles in parts of Kern, Tulare, Inyo, Mono, and San Bernardino counties through the programs of Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso College and Porterville College.  KCCD is geographically one of the largest community college districts in the United States, serving 26,000 students. The Governor recognizes what an important stepping stone a community college education is, which is why the Governor lowered tuition fees at community colleges statewide by 23.1 percent this year.  In doing so, the Governor reversed a trend of fee increases by reducing the cost of community college by $6 per unit. It’s important to add that under former Governor Davis, tuition increased by 63 percent at California’s community colleges.  Where was State Treasurer Phil Angelides as rates skyrocketed?  He was silent.  The Governor is the clear choice for community college leaders.  He equalized funding so that regardless of the region in which students attend community college, tuition will be fair and equitable to put students on equal ground.  The Governor has also reversed several decades of funding cuts to career technical education.  Read more... Facts On Phil: College Students Deserve Answers Phil Angelides was treasurer when college tuition skyrocketed under the Davis administration, but he never said a word. Why?  Other Democrats rallied against the Davis administration's more-than-40 percent fee increases, but Angelides did not join the protests. Why?  When protesters marched past Phil Angelides' office window, calling for a reduction in community college fees, Angelides sat in his office. Why? California voters deserve answers to these questions. While Phil Angelides never so much as uttered the words 'lower college tuition' until he decided to run for governor, Governor Schwarzenegger has made it a priority, controlling increases during his first year in office and stopping them altogether this year at state universities while lowering tuition at community colleges. Typical Phil: No Explanation New Radio Ads Listen to two new radio ads, each called "This Time," focusing on the Governor's record on education, a strong economy, and job growth. www.joinarnold.com/audio THIS TIME (Amos Brown): My name is Dr. Amos Brown, and I’m pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco.  I have been a Democrat all my life. But in this election, I’m making an exception to that for an exceptional Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Governor has funded California schools at their highest level ever. He’s brought back school counselors, arts, music and physical education to our schools. He’s created after-school programs to give our children a safe place to study. He believes children from every background can succeed. He’s on the right track, which means a strong economy, more jobs, more opportunities for our families. I am judging the Governor on his record, based on the issues. Yes, I am proud to stand with our Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s earned my vote. Volunteering For The Republican Party Has Given Me A New View Of Politics. For as long as I can remember, my car rides to school have been filled with the passionate sounds of Rush Limbaugh and other conservative commentators as they discussed a variety of controversial issues. Politics have always been a part of my life, but it wasn’t until quiet recently that I actually got involved with the political process. Responding to a newspaper article looking for interns for the Contra Costa Republican Party, I immediately jumped on the opportunity of getting involved. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about the actual political process. Its not as I expected; a lot of top notch executives planning out complex strategies for the upcoming elections. Instead it’s a lot of volunteers, like me, spending several hours trying to reach out to each and every person of their community. I’ve been lucky enough to meet several of these “top notch executives” and I’ve realized that the efforts they put into the election we can all easily join. Twice a week I help out at the office for about three hours.  Read more... Paid for by Californians for Schwarzenegger 2006 Committee ID #1261585 P.O. Box 783; Sacramento, CA  95812 Privacy Policy  Contact Us