California Special Election Watch: KNBC-TV Los Angeles Apologizes to Schwarzenegger for Ventura County Lefties Selection for Voter Forum
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asks citizens to vote for his Propositions on the next Nov. 8th California’s Special Election, as he takes part in ‘Decision 2005: The Voter Forum,’ an event sponsored by KNBC and KVEA, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005, in Los Angeles.
The ASSociated Press and San Frnacisco Chronicle has LA TV station apologizes to Schwarzenegger after audience mix-up.
KNBC-TV apologized to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign Friday after the station found that the audience it organized for a voter forum this week apparently included several Democratic activists.
The Republican governor was peppered with questions with a partisan slant at the televised event Thursday, and at one point a man in the audience tried to shout him down.
The Ventura County Star reported Friday that questioners at the forum included Larry Miller, a member of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee; Chris Robson, a member of the state Democratic Party central committee; and Mary Pallant of Oak Park, a Democratic congressional candidate in the 24th District.
The newspaper identified Miller as the audience member who yelled at Schwarzenegger, “You’re wrong.”
The studio audience of about 75 people was selected by a research company, which was directed to assemble a balanced group of voters from the Los Angeles area, news director Robert Long said.
But the station was unaware that several of those picked were actively involved in local Democratic politics, and that was never made clear in the broadcast.
Previously on Flap: California Special Election Watch: Ventura County Lefties Let Schwarzenegger Have IT.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger(R) gestures as he answers questions from an audience of voters regarding Propositions 74 through 77 of next week’s Special Election from during an election forum at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California.
The Ventura County Star has County activists grill the governor
Two Camarillo Democratic activists peppered Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday with the toughest questions he’s faced during a special-election campaign in which the governor has mostly appeared before only hand-selected audiences.
During a televised town hall forum at the Skirball Cultural Center, however, Schwarzenegger faced hostile questions from a panel selected by a market research firm hired by KNBC. Among those chosen to ask questions were Larry Miller, a member of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee; Chris Robson, a member of the state Democratic Party Central Committee representing the 37th Assembly District; and Mary Pallant of Oak Park, an announced candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 24th Congressional District.
Interesting how this market research firm hired a “representive” audience of left wing idealogues, union representatives and Democrat Party activists.
By all press accounts the Governor handled himself well and probably should have mixed it up with these folks weeks ago.
Alejandro Puesan of the station’s research department said the selections were made randomly by the research firm charged with selecting questioners who represented the demographics of Southern California, by gender, age, race, ethnicity, county of residence and political affiliation.
Yeah right!
It was a set up by the LEFT, but what else do you expect?
Schwarzenegger was fine on the issues and will be fine on November 8th.
Miller, an elected trustee of the Ventura County Community College District, engaged in such a fierce exchange with Schwarzenegger that at one point, when the governor sought to complete his response, Miller blurted out, “No, I’m not going to let you finish because you’re wrong.”
Miller had challenged Schwarzenegger about Proposition 74, the initiative he’s backing that would extend the probationary period for new teachers from two years to five. Schwarzenegger calls it a reform of “teacher tenure” designed to make it more difficult for teachers to obtain “a job for life.”
“You’re absolutely wrong about tenure,” Miller said.
In an interview afterward, Miller noted that the word “tenure” does not exist in the state Education Code governing K-12 teachers. The law does say that after a two-year probationary period teachers become “permanent” employees who have full due-process rights, including that of a hearing to challenge a decision to fire them.
“The principals are the ones who aren’t doing their jobs,” Miller said during his exchange with the governor. “They’ve got the tools.”
Flap also was an elected member of the Board of Trustees of the Ventura County Community College District and knows Larry Miller very well.
Larry is a retired Moorpark College Biology professor and a long time American Federation of Teachers negotiator and union leader. He often represented the union before the VCCCD Board of Trustees. He even walked precincts for Flap when Flap first ran for office.
Miller is a fierce advocate for his left-wing views and very outspoken.
But, he is wrong on Proposition 74 and the remainder of the Governor’s reform agenda.
How he was chosen for this confrontation with the Governor is probably a story worth pursuing.
And the story has been pursued.
The company recruited the Ventura County voters from a list of “politically aware” citizens it had compiled, Long said. But survey forms submitted by prospective audience members gave no hint that some had partisan ties — because they weren’t asked.
The forum was intended to give voters a chance to learn more about Schwarzenegger’s slate of initiatives on the Nov. 8 ballot.
During the forum, the abundance of politically charged questions didn’t appear to unsettle the governor.
Schwarzenegger “did exactly what he should have done, which was politely listen to their not-so-polite questions and set the record straight,” said Todd Harris, a spokesman for the governor’s campaign.
What a crock!
This was a set-up to make Governor Schwarzenegger look bad, the Governor handled it well and the MSM has been exposed as the corrupt, biased bunch that they are.
The California State Fair Political Practices Commission and the FCC should investigate this breach of fair play.
Technorati Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Recovery Team, California Special Election, Bear Flag League, Proposition 74, Proposition 75, Proposition 76, Proposition 77, Ventura County Community College District
Cross-posted to the Bear Flag League Special Election Page