Sipple

http://www.mombu.com/politics/politics/t-does-anyone-really-believe-ah-nuld-is-a-liberal-far-right-right-wing-13169563.html

Cheering in the audience were a gaggle of Republican operatives,

including Schwarzenegger handler George Gorton.

Gorton was first hired by Schwarzenegger in 2002 to direct the star's

campaign for Proposition 49, a feel-good ballot measure providing

grants for after-school programs (and intended as a vehicle to

establish Schwarzenegger's political credibility before a run for

governor in 2006).

Gorton is a veteran consultant known for his work with Republican

moderates like former Gov. Pete Wilson.

He is highly regarded in California political circles, and for that,

his services carry a hefty price tag.

During the Prop. 49 campaign, Schwarzenegger heaped $780,000 on

Gorton's California Group.

This June, with the premature arrival of a gubernatorial campaign

thanks to the recall, the money started rolling again with a $60,000

payment to Gorton through the Prop. 49 committee.

In this new effort, Gorton has taken on Sipple, his former partner

from Wilson's campaigns, as Schwarzenegger's media director.

Sipple gained a reputation as a hard-hitting media consultant by

fashioning ads to push viewers' emotional buttons.

These negative, character-based attacks on opponents were instrumental

in securing a series of Republican victories, notably George W. Bush's

defeat of Ann Richards in the 1994 Texas gubernatorial race.

But after working on Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, which

ended in a landslide defeat, and weathering a personal scandal in

1997, which caused his resignation from his ongoing political work,

Sipple's luster was tarnished. <div>

In 2000, Sipple again found himself embroiled in scandal, exposed for

accepting $120,000 from then-California Insurance Commissioner Chuck

Quackenbush -- a client planning to run for Senate -- to craft a

veiled campaign ad in which the commissioner played a starring role.

The money Sipple received was part of $13 million intended for

earthquake victims.

The victims never saw a penny of it, and Quackenbush was forced to

resign in disgrace.

But now as Schwarzenegger's media consultant, Sipple is positioned to

return to his former influence and paycheck.

On Aug. 13, Schwarzenegger shuffled his team, demoting Gorton and

adding another consultant embroiled in the Quackenbush scandal, Martin

Wilson, who accepted $375,000 from the former insurance commissioner.

Gorton's role as Schwarzenegger's chief strategist has been assumed by

Bob White, Gov. Wilson's former chief of staff.

The move highlights Schwarzegger's close ties to Wilson, who is

persona non grata among Latino voters for his support of the

anti-immigrant initiative Prop. 187 in 1994.

After The Tonight Show, Gorton told a reporter from the San Francisco

Chronicle that he was unaware of Schwarzenegger's intentions prior to

the program.

Besides his impending demotion, there are other signs that Gorton may

have been telling the truth.

Russo recounts a series of private meetings, while Schwarzenegger was

in Mexico City promoting Terminator 3, between Gorton and former Los

Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who lost to Simon in the 2002

Republican gubernatorial primary.

As Russo explained to me, Gorton was planning to jump ship and join

Riordan's campaign if Schwarzenegger did not declare, moving from one

self-funding client to the next.

But Schwarzenegger's announcement came as the greatest shock to Issa,

who had already spent some of his car-alarm fortune to warm up a

gubernatorial campaign.

He had taken out radio ads, printed up posters and hired a new team of

consultants, including Ken Khachigian, a veteran speechwriter who

served on President Richard Nixon's 1972 campaign "attack group," and

Larry McCarthy, the media producer of the infamous Willie Horton ad

that helped elect George Bush Senior in 1988.

However, with the Republican Party suddenly lined up behind

Schwarzenegger, Issa's ambition was crushed.

He found himself at a press conference, the victim of a vast

Republican conspiracy, and he cried.

Make way for Schwarzenegger and his team of consultants, whose credo

can be best summarized by a statement Gorton made in Mother Jones

while working on then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin's 1996

re-election campaign:

"Unless you're going to make some serious money, it's not worth it."
===

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</div><div><div class="timestamp" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.399999618530273px; white-space: nowrap; color: rgb(128, 128, 128); line-height: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">August 26, 2003</div><h1 style="margin: 0px 0px 19px; line-height: 1.083em; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For Outsider Bid, Schwarzenegger Seeks Insider Advice</h1><div class="byline" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.399999618530273px; line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(128, 128, 128); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">By CHARLIE LeDUFF</div><div class="articleBody" style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 17px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 10.399999618530273px; line-height: 15px;">LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25 — Arnold Schwarzenegger bills himself as the Sacramento outsider in the recall race who can bring a new perspective to government.Yet he has surrounded himself with accomplished Sacramento insiders, led by former Gov. Pete Wilson and the inner circle that helped him govern for two terms in the 1990's.Though Mr. Wilson, 70, has taken a quieter role in day-to-day operations as one of the campaign co-chairmen, those close to him say, he wields great influence over the man trying to make the transition from the silver screen to the governor's chair.It may have been Mr. Wilson's advice over a two-hour lunch that helped persuade Mr. Schwarzenegger, 56, to jump five days later into the race to recall Gov. Gray Davis. A friend of both men says Mr. Wilson recounted a meal he had with Richard M. Nixon in 1966, when Mr. Wilson was considering stepping into politics. Mr. Nixon gave Mr. Wilson — as Mr. Wilson gave Mr. Schwarzenegger — some simple guidance: Don't dither. Opportunity passes you by.Bill Whalen, a former speechwriter for Mr. Wilson who shares an office with him at the Hoover Institution, a research center at Stanford University, said that when the war horse talks, the novice listens."Pete is older than Arnold," Mr. Whalen said. "He is not star-struck or a toady. He is in a position to explain things to him in a frank way."Mr. Wilson has had success. When he took office in 1991, the problems mirrored those today. Jobs were disappearing, and the state budget deficit was $14 billion. When he left office in 1998, the state was running a large surplus and it had recouped the lost jobs.But the Wilson team is not without liabilities. It pushed the energy deregulation that lead to rolling blackouts in 2000 that some blame on Mr. Davis.And it was Mr. Wilson who let slip on a Sunday morning talk show that Mr. Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria, had supported Proposition 187, a successful ballot initiative that Mr. Wilson sponsored, barring illegal immigrants from state services.The influence of Mr. Wilson, still a polarizing figure in California politics, may not be apparent to voters. The job of articulating Mr. Schwarzenegger's positions is left to two other campaign co-chairmen: Representative David Dreier, a photogenic Southern Californian who once dated Bo Derek, and Abel Maldonado, a Hispanic assemblyman from Santa Maria and a rising Republican star who will be the Schwarzenegger spokesman on immigration should Mr. Davis sign a controversial bill allowing illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses.Still, Mr. Wilson is the power behind the operation, and Democrats promise to make hay of it in the run-up to the Oct. 7 recall vote."The question is: is Arnold Pete Wilson incarnate or is he the true independent?" says Sheri Annis, a former consultant to Mr. Schwarzenegger and president of Fourth Estate Strategies. "It's best in politics to steer away from those with baggage. But this is a short, short race, and it's hard to know if the public will care. One thing is true, everyone on this team knows the ropes."As Mr. Schwarzenegger presents himself as a breath of fresh air, Wilson critics wonder if his run is merely a shadow campaign for a Wilson third term. Mr. Wilson has done little to dispel such perceptions. He was asked, before Mr. Schwarzenegger's surprise plunge into the race, why anyone would want the headache of dealing with California's dysfunctional Legislature or its sinking economy."I will reveal a deep character flaw," Mr. Wilson said in an interview. "I'm sufficiently masochistic in that I would willingly undertake the challenge of trying to rescue it. Former governors who are term limited are barred."A certain part of Pete Wilson misses the political game, said Kenneth L. Khachigian, a former strategist to Ronald Reagan who most recently advised Darrell Issa, the San Diego congressman who bankrolled the $2 million recall petition only to drop from the race for governor at the last moment."Pete wants to participate," Mr. Khachigian said. "He cares deeply about this state. For four and a half years, nobody asked his advice, and now his juices are flowing."Among Mr. Wilson's coterie working on the Schwarzenegger campaign is Bob White, his chief political lieutenant for more than 30 years. Mr. White is regarded as one of the best-connected men in Sacramento, an avuncular figure untainted by scandal. He has been, over the years, Mr. Wilson's fixer, facilitator and schmoozer. Mr. White runs the day-to-day operation of the campaign. George Gorton, who ran Boris Yeltsin's re-election campaign, is Mr. Schwarzenegger's chief strategist.The finance and tax advisers were plucked from the Hoover Institution, where Mr. Wilson is a fellow. Among them are George P. Shultz, the former secretary of state; Michael Boskin, former adviser to Mr. Wilson and former chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers; and John Cogan, a deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget under the first President George Bush who is in line to be Mr. Schwarzenegger's independent auditor.Patricia Clarey, a former Wilson deputy, manages the logistics. From the East and a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, Ms. Clarey is said to be the conduit to Mr. Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, who holds great influence over him. Sean Walsh, a campaign spokesman, was also employed by Mr. Wilson.News that the campaign had hired another Wilson associate, Martin Wilson, raised eyebrows. He, along with the advertising guru Don Sipple, were embroiled in an insurance scandal that drove the insurance commissioner, Chuck Quackenbush, from office.A member of Mr. Wilson's inner circle when he was governor, Martin Wilson, no relation, is co-manager of the day-to-day campaign operations. His consulting firm, Public Strategies Inc., received nearly $400,000 from a foundation set up by Mr. Quackenbush after the Northridge earthquake in 1994.Instead of paying huge fines, insurance companies accused of mishandling claims were allowed to contribute to foundations ostensibly devised to help earthquake victims. Instead, the foundations spent millions of dollars on television advertisements devoted to enhancing Mr. Quackenbush's political image.Mr. Sipple, who now produces Mr. Schwarzenegger's commercials, wrote the scripts for the Quackenbush advertisements and was paid $125,000, government records show. Mr. Quackenbush resigned in 2000 rather than face impeachment proceedings. Neither Mr. Wilson nor Mr. Sipple was charged with crimes.Nevertheless, bad perceptions linger, said Brad Sherman, the Democratic congressman who represents the Northridge area."A lot of people feel they got cheated," Mr. Sherman said. "If Schwarzenegger wants to say he is going to clean up special interests, he needs to start with his own staff."Mr. Sipple, considered one of the most effective advertising people in politics, is best known for his commercial "They Just Keep Coming," which depicted illegal immigrants sneaking into California. It was made in support of Proposition 187, and alienated a large part of the Latino community.As good as its winning percentage is, the Wilson team has had highly publicized defeats in recent years. Dan Lungren hired some of Mr. Wilson's top media and polling strategists in 1998 in a losing campaign for governor against Mr. Davis. Mr. Sipple was the chief strategist last year for Richard J. Riordan, the former Los Angeles mayor, who lost by 18 points to Bill Simon Jr. in the Republican primary.Mr. Gorton played down the controversies involving some in the Wilson camp."The public doesn't care about that stuff," he said. "It's too inside baseball."Harvey Rosenfield, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights who supports the recall, says an opportunity is being missed. "The election is shaping up as a runoff between the same political establishment that got us into this mess over the last 10 years," Mr. Rosenfield said. "The Wilson Republicans and the Davis Democrats."The paradox of the political outsider working with the consummate insiders would be a good backdrop for the next Schwarzenegger movie, Mr. Rosenfield said. "It's the script where the hero gets taken over by the robots he's trying to protect the public from."</div></div>