CA: Fade to black - Is the movie-star governor leading the GOP into the wilderness again?

OC Register ^ | 7/26/05 | Doug Gamble

[NormsRevenge]

From a long- range, strategic point of view, did California Republicans make a mistake in backing the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis? The more Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger looks like he's starring in a remake of "The Incredible Shrinking Man," the more it appears that they may have.

Perhaps it would have been preferable for Republicans to let Davis twist slowly in the wind until the end of his second term, continuing on in his passive, caretaker fashion and piling up new records for incompetence and real or perceived corruption. It's inconceivable there was anything he could do in his final four years to improve his image.

--snip--

But if Schwarzenegger proves to be a disaster it could send the GOP back to the gubernatorial wilderness indefinitely. As the old saying goes, the bigger they are the harder they fall, and that seems to be the current reality facing the governor.

--snip--

Having earlier backed away from his proposal to overhaul public employee pensions, the governor has seen the four wheels originally driving his "Year of Reform" Hummer cut down to two, a measure dealing with teacher tenure and a complicated state spending limit.

--snip--

Parting company with many of my Republican friends, I believed from the moment he joined the recall election with his gimmicky announcement on Jay Leno's TV show that Schwarzenegger was less about advancing California's or the GOP's interests and more about advancing his own. With no discernible political qualifications for leading America's most populous state, had he been Arnold Schwarzenegger, certified public accountant, say, instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger, movie star, his candidacy would have been a joke.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Arnold's big problem is that he still thinks he can reach a compromise with certain people in the Legislature who in reality want him utterly destroyed because he has an (R) after his name. If he would realize this, stand for what he believes in, and use all of the powers of his office and his celebrity to ruthlessly crush his enemies (evidently, he has forgotten what he learned in Conan the Barbarian...LOL!) he could achieve great things for California.

Arnold is being too nice to people who deserve a political Armageddon. Remember how scared the Democrats were when he first got elected - they knew that with his celebrity he had the power to expose their chicanery to a broad audience, and end the way they do business in California forever. He still has that power but he's got to stop pulling his punches and use it. Reagan wouldn't have been scared of some flaky teachers' and nurses' unions.

[highball]

With no discernible political qualifications for leading America's most populous state, had he been Arnold Schwarzenegger, certified public accountant, say, instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger, movie star, his candidacy would have been a joke.

Well, setting aside the fact that I think his candidacy was a joke (and a bad one on us), this is completely correct.

Taking actors seriously as political pundits isn't something that just Democrats do. Even Reagan had some experience leading the union before becoming governor - while I respect Arnold's business acumen, that's not enough of a qualification for me to have taken his seriously.

We had a real chance after Grayout to remake the California Republican Party, starting from the top down. If we blew it on the altar of star-worship, the party will suffer for a very long time.

[Amerigomag]

From a long- range, strategic point of view, did California Republicans make a mistake in backing the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis?

Like many news hacks Mr. Gamble has a selective view of history.

The rest of us remember that the Republican Party opposed the recall and was drug to the feast by the mob.

[calcowgirl]

LA Times, July 10, 2005:

"You couldn't have had a better script," Schwarzenegger said recently on "Good Morning America." "I mean, it's absolutely perfect. It's now in the middle of the big struggle."

[NormsRevenge]

Where's the rewrite guy,, ? Timeout. ;;; lol

[GVnana]

From a long- range, strategic point of view, did California Republicans make a mistake in backing the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis

If this man had spent one day on the streets registering voters during the recall -- as I did -- he wouldn't spout this nonsense. Nothing energized the latent moderate to conservative voter in CA like the recall election. If he thinks "Republicans" did this alone, he needs a lesson in CA demographics.

[calcowgirl]

Now we know what Arnold meant by "Cut, Cut, Cut"... constant rewrites to the great script.

I guess they are rewriting now:

Governor embarks on image change

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is about to try the political version of one of those makeovers popular on afternoon TV talk shows - where the guest is transformed from unsightly to attractive.

Convinced that the public sees the former film star as someone more fixated on name-calling and political head-butting than he is on actual, day-to-day governing, Schwarzenegger and his advisers say they have decided it's time for a radical change of course.

So for at least the next six weeks, instead of shopping center rallies and clever insults hurled at Democrats and labor unions, Schwarzenegger will hold a series of public events aimed at showing he's making progress on a number of issues.

(snip)

Most of what Schwarzenegger plans to trumpet in coming weeks has to do with his relatively early signing of the state's budget - without a tax increase, with an extra $1.3 billion for transportation and with far less borrowing than he had originally proposed. Even so, estimates for the budget deficit next year range as high as $7 billion.

"California has flourished under this governor," Stutzman said. "The economy has flourished. There's $6 billion more in revenues, without a tax increase."

A great success story: The budget wasn't as late as it usually is; it doesn't borrow as much as he really wanted to; a growth in the economy has allowed us to spend at a rate faster than ever before; after putting the state $25 billion in debt, deficits still loom in the future.

[kellynla]

It is absolutely ridiculous to say "what if" now.

We have to play the cards we've been dealt and the governor needs to get it into his thick skull that the 'Rats are not going to help him and that he needs to do what he can to get this state back on track.

By taking McClintock's "13 percent solution" this whole budget mess can be solved.
Bonds are NOT the solution.
Revenue is not the problem.
Revenues are higher than ever.
It's the spending! Hello?

He needs to CUT, CUT, CUT and CUT SOME MORE!

[afnamvet]

If he thinks "Republicans" did this alone, he needs a lesson in CA demographics.

Well said and spot on.

[afnamvet]

BTTT

[TheDon]

LOL! The CA GOP has been in the wilderness for decades. At worst a GOP governor can lead us around in circles for a few more years. It's in the legislature that the GOP must gain ground.

[Democratshavenobrains]

If Davis had not been kicked out of office he would have rebounded by now. He would have continued to blame Enron or Bush or the Iraq War for his stupidity and the sheep would have bought it.