What Does Arnold Believe In?
AP reports: “After a year in which he lurched right, then left, many in California are wondering this: What does Arnold Schwarzenegger believe in?”
Last fall, the Republican governor alienated independents and Democrats with a slate of losing ballot measures that would have given him more control over spending and undercut public employee unions. Then he promptly angered conservatives in his own party by naming a Democratic activist as his chief of staff and promoting a series of left-leaning initiatives.
On Friday, the Hollywood star-turned-politician arrives at an early juncture in his re-election campaign a keynote speech at the state Republican Party winter convention in San Jose with conservatives openly questioning why they should support him.
. . .“When you look at the gyrations in his policies, it appears he’s plagued by an absence of core values,” said longtime Republican strategist Arnold Steinberg. “He comes across as a caricature, where energy and enthusiasm are confused with core values.”
Schwarzenegger has disputed suggestions of a new direction in 2006. “Anyone who says I am changing my positions is totally wrong,” he said last month.
We count ourselves among the most ardent supporters of Gov. Schwarzenegger leading up to the special election. However, what follows remains undecided. We have questions. So do others.
[C]onservatives at the convention have proposed resolutions that challenge Schwarzenegger’s positions on the minimum wage (he wants it increased $1 over two years, to $7.75 an hour), judicial appointments (he has named nearly as many Democrats as Republicans to the Superior Court), and spending and borrowing.
As he begins his pursuit of a second term, the man who drove Democratic Gov. Gray Davis from office in a recall election with his centrist, I’m-above-politics appeal will have to find a way to reassure the right wing without giving the Democrats and independents he needs to win in November new reasons to distrust him.
Perhaps it’s the nature of politics, but conciliation — at least today — doesn’t work in practice. Whether it’s on the national stage (can you imagine DNC Chairman Howard Dean toning down his anti-Republican rhetoric? No more than Nancy Pelosi) or down to local “leadership,” partisan politics has never been more extreme. It’s about demonizing the opponent and, quite frankly, the Dems use personal attacks as a substitute to offering solutions.
With all that said, Gov. Schwarzenegger came out of the special election in a bad position. He felt humbled by defeat and betrayed by voters who didn’t support the “reforms” the was risking his career on. Thereafter, any attempts to reach out to Democrats are just an exercise in futility. While the rhetoric is about “working together,” the fact remains: If Arnold doesn’t do what Democrats want, they’ll slap him down. And that’s just the way it is.
“I see real problems for the governor,” said independent pollster Mark DiCamillo, noting that the gulf between the state’s Democratic-leaning coastal areas and Republic-rich inland counties.
“His recent statements and policy positions make it look like he’s trying to cut into the Democrats’ advantage among coastal voters. However, others are trying to get him to backtrack to shore up support among his Republican base,” DiCamillo said. “How he ends up resolving this will probably be the major strategic decision facing his re-election campaign.”
Schwarzenegger faces the same dilemma faced by California Republicans in all statewide races: About 35 percent of registered voters are Republicans, meaning he has to look elsewhere for votes. Independents account for 18 percent.
In practice, he tends to be too conservative on fiscal issues for some Democrats, and too liberal on social issues for some Republicans.
We prefered him when he had the gusto to call ‘em “girlie men,” smoke his cigars, and talk about terminating. Now, he’s just playing the role of Kindergarten cop and we all know how that goes — it’s just a silly comedy.