The Times Leaks on Arnold (Now he's totally peed off!!)

The LA Weekly ^ | Oct 3 - 9 , 03 | by Bill Bradley

[.cnI redruM]

Senior Democratic strategists knew the particulars of last Thursday’s L.A. Times exposé on Arnold Schwarzenegger well in advance of the story’s publication, the Weekly has learned from well-informed sources. This knowledge came not only in advance of publication but also before anyone outside a close circle at the Times knew of the story’s timing and particulars.

While the Times insists that its reporting uncovered the allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of Schwarzenegger, there can be no doubt that advance knowledge of the story was very helpful to Governor Gray Davis’ efforts to retain his office in the recall election.

Meanwhile, Sunday-night tracking polls seem to show the recall and Schwarzenegger running well ahead. Schwarzenegger strategists say their tracking poll shows the recall with a lead in the low double digits, and Schwarzenegger nearly 10 points ahead of Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante on the replacement portion of the ballot.

Top strategists for the governor were not available, and Davis spokesman Roger Salazar says he knows no Sunday-night polling numbers from the governor’s campaign.

Back to the blockbuster hit on Schwarzenegger in Thursday’s Times. According to a well-informed source at the paper, the story, which hit the political world with a thunderclap, never appeared on the paper’s internal or external publication schedules. Indeed, project editor Joel Sappell and the three reporters working on what the Times has described as a seven-week-long investigative project were very tight-lipped about both the scheduling of the piece and its contents. They discussed the story only with the paper’s senior editors. Although the story did not appear on the schedule, it was reportedly placed in the "write basket," in which other Times editors and reporters can look at upcoming pieces, after hours last Wednesday night, just a few hours before it appeared on the Times Web site.

Even with utmost secrecy surrounding the piece, senior Democratic strategists with long-standing ties to Davis knew not only when the story was coming but also the particulars of what was in it. These strategists felt that the story held the possibility of tipping the election away from Schwarzenegger and of defeating the governor’s recall.

Calls to Times editors on the internal scheduling and handling of the story were referred to the newspaper’s public-relations department. Times spokesman David Garcia said the story was extremely closely held and not shared "with anyone outside the building."

Whether or not the Times received all or part of the story from pro-Davis sources — and the Times continues to vociferously insist that none of the first story, at least, did — the advance knowledge of the story’s timing and particulars enabled Davis and the Democrats to design the closing burst of the anti-recall campaign, which we have seen unfold with an uncanny precision.

I had been very impressed with the alacrity with which Davis and the Democrats seized on the Times story and swiftly pivoted into all-out attack mode. A flurry of press statements and highly coordinated events and advertising involving politicians across the state and in Washington, D.C., ensued. It was remarkably efficient. But if you know what is coming in the news flow and when it is coming, it is much easier to design the close of your campaign.

Incidentally, the paper Monday backed off its previous contention that none of the women in subsequent stories came forward at the urging of Schwarzenegger’s opponents in the wake of the Weekly’s revelation that Jodie Evans, who pushed one of the women to come forward, is not merely the peace activist described by the Times but also a former close colleague of Governor Davis and longtime friend of chief Democratic hit man Bob Mulholland.

In another intriguing bit of Times reporting, Schwarzenegger’s huge rally Sunday outside the state Capitol was not referenced until the 18th paragraph of Monday’s story. The rally was twice as large as the 5,000 people reported by the Times. Of course, observers can vary in crowd estimates. But another element of the reportage was very strange.

"Protesters nearly drowned out the early part of Schwarzenegger’s nine-minute speech with a steady chorus of boos," the Times reported today.

Viewing from the press riser with most of the rest of the press corps, I didn’t hear the protesters. They certainly didn’t drown out Schwarzenegger.

[.cnI redruM]

The LA Times; it'a news paper of record, they just have a record like the 2003 Detroit Tigers.

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[Peach]

Hopefully by the end of today, California will get rid of Davis AND the LA Times.

[Slings and Arrows]

The Times Leaks on Arnold

Ewww!

[TommyDale]

Is this a surprise to anyone?

[Only1choice____Freedom]

What's this?

The Times did their own work?

Methinks the leak went the other direction.

Dems ===> Times

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

The Times Leaks on Arnold (Now he's totally peed off!!)

It's better than being totally peed on.

[hobbes1]

In another intriguing bit of Times reporting, Schwarzenegger’s huge rally Sunday outside the state Capitol was not referenced until the 18th paragraph of Monday’s story. The rally was twice as large as the 5,000 people reported by the Times. Of course, observers can vary in crowd estimates. But another element of the reportage was very strange.
"Protesters nearly drowned out the early part of Schwarzenegger’s nine-minute speech with a steady chorus of boos," the Times reported today.
Viewing from the press riser with most of the rest of the press corps, I didn’t hear the protesters. They certainly didn’t drown out Schwarzenegger.

Davis doesn't draw 10 k in 10 days on the stump.

The only thing left to the imagination, will be the medias accounting for the unforseen landslide. (Recall, Arnold, both +10)

[Zack Nguyen]

I remember reading a few years ago a Peggy Noonan piece in which she quoted a long-time Democrat aid anonymously. His quote was essentially that the media and Democrat Party work together much more closely than anyone realizes.

I wouldn't doubt it.

[borkrules]

I must say, the depths of left-wing depravity and low-life tactics HAS surprised me. I thought I had seen it all in the late 90's and then during Election 2000. But these creeps just don't care anymore who knows what they are doing. The mask hasn't just slipped, its fallen right off and revealed these thugs for what they are: power hungry leftists without the slightest degree of decency.

I was home for lunch today and watched a little bit of "DaySide" with Linda Vester (sp?) on FoxNews and the bozo they had on from the CA Dem Party looked like he walked straight out of central casting for a soviet era Russian bureaucrat. He was flummoxed that the studio audience wasn't going for the smear on Arnold.

[pogo101]

And what one must ever bear in mind about writer Bill Bradley is that he is NOT an ally of conservatives. He is a greeny (and Green-y) leftist.

It's just that he's not a liar or an unethical journalist.

[.cnI redruM]

This reminded me of what Susan Estrich said on tv. Estrich may be pro-groper, but at least she is consistently pro-groper. In a wierd way, she deserves credit.

[BibChr]

Have the scorched-earthers weighed in yet on why the liberal media and power structures LOATHE Schwarzenegger so much, if he's such a liberal sellout RINO whackjob enemy-of-all-we-hold-dear?

Dan

[w_over_w]

The LA Times; it'a news paper of record, they just have a record like the 2003 Detroit Tigers.

Hasn't there been enough negative publicity about Tigers? Can't we leave the big cats alone for a day? I'm going to go take a shower . . .

[.cnI redruM]

Hey, at least noone on the Tigers beat up the Brewers' sausage mascot. Can you imageine what Bob Mulholland could have done with that?

[DustyMoment]

EXCELLENT!!!! Jayson Blair has found gainful employment making up stories for the LA Times.

(I was worried about, doncha know)

[CheneyChick]

I don't know about you, but I keep looking skyward to see if the sky is falling yet.

[50sDad]

Why do they hate him? When Ahnold is 90% of the social agenda that the Dems hold dear? It's no secret...

It's the little "R" behind his name! It's like Kryptonite to them!

[Tamzee]

Have the scorched-earthers weighed in yet on why the liberal media and power structures LOATHE Schwarzenegger so much, if he's such a liberal sellout RINO whackjob enemy-of-all-we-hold-dear?

Nope. And not only are they ignoring the implications of same, they are gleefully cutting-n-pasting quotes from the rags and using them as talking points against Arnold.

I guess it's fine to watch someone get mugged and not call it in to authorities... as long as the mugger shares the loot with you from the robbed man.

[BibChr]

So, even accepting your premise, if they see that as a threat, why don't the scorched-earthers it as a plus?

Dan