Governor: No political aim in border remarks
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By Gary Delsohn -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 30, 2005 One day after his explosive comments about illegal immigration, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's aides insisted Friday he didn't speak out to improve sagging poll ratings or whip up support for his "reform" agenda.
But they don't deny his comments could have that effect.
"Immigration is a small issue to the chattering class," Mike Murphy, Schwarzenegger's chief political adviser, said in an interview. "It is a big issue to the regular people who want Arnold Schwarzenegger to make a difference as governor."
Schwarzenegger interrupted his pitch for his proposed ballot initiatives Thursday by requesting time on a conservative radio talk show to blast television station billboards that he said encourage illegal immigration.
He then ignited a fury of criticism from Democrat and Latino activists when he said armed private citizens patrolling the Mexican borders - President Bush has called them "vigilantes" - have "done a terrific job."
And in a Los Angeles press conference Friday, he likened them to "neighborhood patrols" popular in many communities.p> Schwarzenegger raised the issue just as a new poll showed his popularity waning and as he enters the final days of signature-gathering to qualify ballot initiatives for a proposed Nov. 8 special election. His supporters fear his budget measure may miss Friday's unofficial deadline for signatures, pushing the election deeper into November.