Ah, the wireless guys can smell a winner.
At both ends of the country, mobile-phone lobbyists are tapping into two of the hottest political tickets around: GOP California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. And the results are impressive so far.
While the White House was scrambling to contain with words inadequate the political fallout from pictures from Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison, there was Schwarzenegger meeting with Middle East leaders in the troubled region, greeting U.S. troops, comforting former U.S. hostage Thomas Hamill and looking, dare I say, presidential.
“We are ready to meet anybody, any group, at any time,” the governor was quoted as saying. He means it.
That the popular California governor can find the time to be global peacemaker in between resurrecting the state’s dysfunctional economy and terminating the telecom consumer bill of rights is truly amazing. It shows Schwarzenegger is politically agile and knows how to delegate, essential qualities for a successful politician.
In the end, the trend that sweeps the nation may not be the bill of rights at all, but rather Schwarzenegger himself. The charismatic, pro-business governor’s biggest obstacle, which would take mighty political muscle to overcome, is the U.S. Constitution. It’s that citizenship thing.
Not to be outdone, Spitzer has eclipsed former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) and Ralph Nader as the pro-consumer champion of the people. Indeed, with his quixotic campaign to clean up Wall Street on behalf of rank-and-file working stiff investors, Spitzer looks, dare I say, presidential. Maybe Spitzer will be a surprise, special guest on Al Gore’s new cable TV network!
So there he was, out of the blue, taking time from his crusades against investment banking giants and corporations owing back royalties to Gloria Estefan, Dolly Parton and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, to weigh in on the contentious 800 MHz public-safety interference matter at the Federal Communications Commission. Just where does he find the time?
“While Nextel clearly should be compensated for its net loss of spectrum, as well as for its commitment to assume the costs of public-safety’s equipment, it should not receive a windfall from the American taxpayers in exchange for its cooperation,” said Spitzer in a recent letter to FCC Chairman Michael Powell. Back to the drawing board for the FCC?
While Schwarzenegger has a clear, direct interest in the activities of the California Public Utilities Commission, Spitzer’s intervention in 800 MHz controversy is a bit more obscure. Spitzer said his sympathies lie with first responders who need reliable communications, a sentiment shared among stakeholders otherwise at war with each other.
Meantime, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry (D) say the other is a big fibber.
