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Fall ballot a national focal point
Sacramento Bee ^ | 2/22/5 | Gary Delsohn and Andy Furillo

Posted on 02/22/2005 10:28:35 AM PST by SmithL

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has alienated a lot of different interest groups with his ambitious plans to overhaul state government, but a host of experts agree with him on one big point.

By taking on teachers, unions, pensions, legislative redistricting and Democrats all at once, he's transformed what would have been an off-election year in California into a fierce political battlefield with potentially profound national implications.

"It's huge on the national radar screen," said Kevin Spillane, a Republican political consultant in Sacramento. "There's no doubt the special election will be the biggest political story this year."

Democrats and organized labor accuse Schwarzenegger of exaggerating his claim that opponents will raise $200 million to take him on. But they're already gearing up for a highly partisan campaign with the probable election date still more than eight months away.

"This is going to be, unfortunately, a national battle which he's called," said State Treasurer Phil Angelides, a Democrat who plans to run for governor next year. "I do think you're going to see people around the country join Californians to fight this."

Angelides and Schwarzenegger don't see eye to eye on much. But they agree the rest of America will be watching how Schwarzenegger fares in his "Year for Reform."

For Angelides, it's because Schwarzenegger has shifted from his earlier approach of bipartisan problem-solving "to being the leading edge of the Bush agenda here in California."

To Schwarzenegger, opponents around the country are mobilizing against him because foes of pension "reform" and legislative redistricting know if he prevails in California, other states will follow.

"What we do happens in the rest of the nation," Schwarzenegger said in a speech at the recent state Republican convention, "and that's why they're so worried, because the whole nation will go."

(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: arnie; goobernater; goobernator; governator; gubernatter; k3yw0rd4bu5e; kalifornia; krusgnet

1 posted on 02/22/2005 10:28:36 AM PST by SmithL
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