1115.org

I can almost hear the words of our Non-Californian readers now:

“Not another post about Arnold Schwarzenegger! What the hell is wrong with you guys?”

Listen, I can relate. I would rather not have to open the paper and read yet another report about the Governator’s hypocrisy, arrogance and subservience to big business and other special interests. But with new revelations and controversies coming with a frequency that would shame Old Faithful, trying to ignore Arnold becomes an impossibility.

A couple of days ago, a new poll came out that showed that, once again, Arnold’s popularity had dropped to levels considered unthinkable even six months ago. This in itself is hardly worth mentioning (except to let off a big Nelson Muntz “Haw haw!”), but it sets the stage for the following:

From the California Insider blog of Sacramento Bee columnist Daniel Weintraub:

Gov shifts staff to campaign mode

Finance Director Tom Campbell is taking a two-month leave of absence to campaign for Schwarzenegger’s budget reform measure, Proposition 76. The Bee reported yesterday that Pat Clarey and Rob Stutzman will also be moving to the campaign payroll. Peter Siggins will fill in for Clarey through the election.

Considering that success in the upcoming special election might be the only thing that saves his political career, it’s not surprising that Schwarzenegger wants to go into the battle with his heavy artillery. But someone like Tom Campbell isn’t just your run-of-the-mill advisor, he’s the State Director of Finance—the man hand-picked by Schwarzenegger to “serve as the Governor’s chief policy advisor, promote responsible resource allocation through the state’s annual budget and to ensure the financial integrity of California”. When he was appointed in November of 2004, voices from both sides of the aisle conceded that he was immensely qualified for the job of fixing California’s sorry finances.

Now, less than a year since he was appointed, Campbell is leaving the position for two months to become a campaign operative. Have the budget problems he was called on to fix gone away? Not even close. While a replacement for Campbell has been named, one has to ask why the citizens of California get the minor league team just so that Schwarzenegger can have an easier job of selling his propositions. When Arnold first appointed Campbell, he said the following:

“Tom is a brilliant economist with intricate, first-hand knowledge of public and fiscal policy who shares my commitment to getting California’s fiscal house in order,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “He is a tremendous addition to my team, and will be an invaluable advocate working to streamline government, balance the books and create a vibrant economic climate in the State.’

For the two months he is employed by the Schwarzenegger campaign instead of the state of California, Campbell will be doing none of these things. Which is too bad, because those tasks are too important to be passed off to underlings because of Arnold’s political marketing campaign.