Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Reply to a Constituent's Letter

The Governor of California recently replied to a letter I sent regarding a piece of legislation. He responded by smoothly sidestepping my issues of concern, choosing instead to promote himself and his policy goals. Reading it showed me a glimpse of political genius in our governor. That's a scary thought; I also saw his insatiable appetite for power and attention. I believe he's what some refer to as a "political animal" -- a person whose every action is motivated by his desire to advance his political career. I'm worried about his potential to do great harm to California. To be fair, he might do a lot of good, instead. I think it just depends on what he thinks will get him the most votes in his next campaign. The text of his message is below, along with some of my observations.

From: governor@govmail.ca.gov

To: [constituent who sent a message to the Governor]

Cc:

Subject: Re:<input

Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:56:01 -0700

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about Assembly Bill 2567. I appreciate your passion, and I always love getting input from my fellow Californians.

California, however, is now the only state in the nation without a budget, and it will only become harder for the state to function as our stalemate continues. Because I know that California deserves better, I won't sign any bills until the Legislature passes a budget. We are now almost two months into the new fiscal year. The legislators have come back from vacation and have been working on multiple bills that have nothing to do with the budget. I understand that many of these bills may be good for California, and I understand that there are people like you all over who feel strongly that they should be passed. But our focus right now must be on getting a budget passed - otherwise, we will run out of money to pay for services and goods and the state will suffer.

It's time to send a message that we are tired of missed deadlines and business as usual. Let me be very clear: the next bill that I sign will be the budget, and anything else that reaches my desk will have to wait. I hope you'll contact your local legislators and tell them that it's time to pass a budget. You can find their contact information at www.leginfo.ca.gov. Your voice is important, and I'm confident that when legislators hear the concerns of their constituents, they will act and do what is right.

Thanks again for your enthusiasm. When we've passed a responsible budget with meaningful reform so that this doesn't happen again, I will remember your letter when I consider this bill.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

1. It's obviously a form letter; the subject of the bill in question wasn't mentioned once.
2. He invokes the fear of a budget impasse to redirect the reader's attention.
3. He casts himself as a defender of the people against "The Government." His signature line simply reads, "Arnold Schwarzenegger." This is quite unusual--when politicians write letters, their full title always appears beneath their signature. The fact that it's gone will go unnoticed by many while helping him avoid the stigma of being a politician. Talk about playing the "outsider" angle!

   (I'm fairly sure that, by definition, the governor of a state is a politician. Hmmm...)

4. Those who oppose him are cleverly portrayed as enemies of sound fiscal policy and given the blame for the lack of a timely budget, a problem that occurs almost every year, regardless of who is governor at the time.
5. He omits the fact that he is, as our governor, automatically one of the "big five," the five most powerful actors in the budget process; the big five conduct final budget negotiations behind closed doors.
6. He flatters the reader by saying that she is now contributing to an important cause (keeping the Legislature in its place and forcing them to give him what he wants).
7. In a masterful bit of psychological manipulation, he gets the reader to believe that he really cares about [the original topic of concern] and will carefully consider the reader's thoughts at a more appropriate time.

So, mission accomplished:

• No opinion expressed about any legislation (and thus no one complaining about his policies)
• Increased anxiety about the late budget, tightening the screws of public opinion on his competitors at the bargaining table
• Bashed the current legislature for a system that was already broken when its members assumed office. The constituent who wrote the original letter now has another plausible target for her anger
• Created an illusion of distance from the very budget crisis that he helped to create
• Placated the politically active constituent by making her feel important and giving her a vague promise to help at some unspecified time in the near future