The Politics Behind the Special Election

Re the November special election: Do Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his puppeteers really think that we don’t know what the real motivation is behind his $62-million special election? It’s another attempt by Republicans to weaken the Democratic Party.

Schwarzenegger says he’s going after special interests, but he’s only targeting unions, well known for their donations and commitment to the Democratic Party.

If he were truly committed to abolishing special interests, he’d pounce on the Republican activists and business leaders who keep his party afloat.

Rearranging districts is yet another way to reduce Democratic power in California and to turn us into a red state to ensure another good ol’ boy to the next presidency. And abortion? That’s just there to drive Republicans to the polls.

Do they think we can’t see through their game plan? It’s practically the same one they devised to make sure President Bush was reelected. This Democrat isn’t falling for it anymore.

Sue Doyle

La Verne

*

As a proud member of the California Teachers Assn. for 33 years, I would like to publicly thank our governor for his valuable help in strengthening the CTA. His declaration of war on teachers (it’s always the teachers’ fault) will provide the common enemy to pull our union together. The hypocrisy of this multimillionaire telling us all to “live within our means” after four years of disastrous budget cuts will help to mobilize our membership to do what we do best -- educate the public.

Armed with the truth about the weak financing of our most important investment, the voters will send King Arnold a much needed message -- being better than Mississippi in funding simply isn’t good enough!

John L. Uelmen

Newbury Park

*

I take issue with state Treasurer Phil Angelides, who is accusing Schwarzenegger of “misleading the people of California into this special election.” Angelides is predicting that “before this is over, this special election will be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Iraq.”

I think Angelides is getting carried away. Although I think that Schwarzenegger’s willingness to ask the voters to take on the issues that Democrats are unwilling to consider is worthy of praise, one cannot compare it with President Bush’s efforts to remove an Iraq leader who many believe committed crimes against humanity.

David Keller

Quincy, Calif.

*

During the recall election, Schwarzenegger promised to work with the Legislature to solve California’s problems. His inability to do so clearly proves that he was not only naive but woefully inexperienced in the art of politics. And so, once again, we have government by initiative, a costly and unnecessary process. If the founding fathers wanted legislation via referendum, they wouldn’t have established legislatures. Next time, we should have one last initiative -- an initiative to end initiatives.

John Blumenthal

Westlake Village