Dan Walters: Schwarzenegger made nice at first, but it ultimately backfired

Sacramento Bee ^ | December 14, 2005 | Dan Walters

[calcowgirl]

Fourth in a series of 10 columns ...

(snip)

As he took office, the state faced a huge repayment of short-term budget deficit loans in June 2004 that it didn't have the money to make. The proposed solution was stretching out repayment through a $15 billion debt refinancing bond - much like a family's taking out a new home mortgage to cover crushing credit card bills - but it would require voter approval at the March 2004 primary election, so time was short, and Republicans were demanding a tough state spending limit.

Initially, Schwarzenegger backed the strict limit, but Democrats balked and he rather quickly caved in and settled for a toothless, Democrat-drafted "balanced budget" measure, apparently fearing that the bonds would be stalled and the cash flow crisis would become a disaster. And then he overhyped it, saying, "We tore up the credit card (with) a balanced-budget amendment," and claiming that it would protect California "from ever facing such a disastrous situation again."

It was an eye-opening event for Capitol insiders, who quickly concluded that despite his tough-sounding rhetoric, Schwarzenegger could be rolled. That conclusion was buttressed in the months ahead as Schwarzenegger unilaterally increased spending in the 2004-05 budget by $3 billion to assuage Democrats' complaints about health and welfare cuts and to entice them to deliver an on-time budget. ...

He and the state would have been much better served had he portrayed the state's fiscal and political crises in the stark language they deserved, prescribed harsh medicine to cure them and confronted the Capitol's dysfunctional status quo at the onset of his governorship. The recall had primed voters for such a confrontation, but by making nice and then abruptly changing course later, Schwarzenegger undermined his own credibility.

He did it exactly backwards.

[Carry_Okie]

For once, I will agree with Mr. Walters' assessment.

Predicted it too.

[Prime Choice]

Just another "moderate" (sic) RINO beholden to his Liberal advisors. Just like many of us predicted back in 2003.

[FOG724]

Schwarzenegger undermined his own credibility.

Oooo, I love playing this game. Spot the key phrase that says it all.

[calcowgirl]

I was surprised, too. Walters usually gets it about half right. In this case,
it's the most accurate description of those events I've seen and right on target.

[One Proud Dad]

The President did the same early with letting the Swimmer write bills and such and got bit.

[NormsRevenge]

despite his tough-sounding rhetoric, Schwarzenegger could be rolled..

repeatedly..

[John Jorsett]

The President did the same early with letting the Swimmer write bills and such and got bit.

Exactly. And you'd think Schwarzenegger would have learned from that example and come out swinging from the first, but noooooo ...

Attempts at comity are taken as weakness when you deal with extremeists, whether they're way-left Democrats or Muslim nutball killers.

[Reagan Man]

Schwarzenegger had completely misunderstood the nature of the Capitol, assuming that it was a society of human beings susceptible to his charms, rather than a melange of entrenched, self-protective interests and of lawmakers shielded from voters by gerrymandered districts. The Capitol interpreted collegiality as weakness, as his erratic handling of the state budget crisis - especially a cash flow crunch - demonstrated.

Sounds like Scwarzy was acting like a political neophyte. And still is.

[kellynla]

we know the problem and what happened...
the question is, how do we turn this mess around?
IMO, RINOld needs to pack up the Hummer next year and take the southbound 5 back to L.A. and McClintock needs to pick up the ball and run for governor instead of Lt. governor next year.

[SierraWasp]

"Schwarzenegger undermined his own credibility."

Wull, waddayaknow fur shur??? Duh!!!

"Spot the key phrase that says it all."

Yes... eventually even those on here who are oblivious to the obvious (some deliberately) will have to bow down to the ultimate truth!!!

[clamper1797]

Don't blame me ... I voted for Tommy Mac

[tertiary01]

Ahnold needed to get some rough and tumble experience outside the acting profession, much as I'm sure Reagan received during his Screen Actor's Guild years.

[newzjunkey]

I'll vote for him in '06, but I'm not silly enough to believe McClintock could even get elected dog catcher statewide.

[PRND21]

...but I'm not silly enough to believe McClintock could even get elected dog catcher statewide.

But I'm told the current dog catcher is a Rino!

[goldstategop]

Exactly. Had Arnold stood up to the Left and pushed through a tough spending limit when his popularity was at its height instead of increasing spending and promoting more borrowing, no special election would have been necessary this year. But he decided to play nice with the Democrats and look where it got him. And if he continues to play nice with them in 2006, odds are good he'll go back to making movies in the next 13 months.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")