Schwarzenegger and Reagan share similarities

Mercury News ^ | 8/8/03 | Mike Antonucci

[RGSpincich]

SUCCESSES BEYOND HOLLYWOOD HELPED POLITICS By Mike Antonucci Mercury News

If Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to be the second coming of Ronald Reagan -- on his way from movie actor to governor -- it's not just because of their Hollywood roots. Other similarities may be crucial between now and the Oct. 7 recall election.

Schwarzenegger's campaign, unlike Reagan's, was instantly defined by the Hollywood factor when he announced his candidacy Wednesday amid a frenzy of media attention on ``The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.'' He joins a small group of actors turned politicians on both the regional and national stage, including George Murphy, who represented California in the U.S. Senate, and Shirley Temple Black, who lost a congressional bid in the 1960s.

Lyn Nofziger, press secretary for Reagan's 1966 gubernatorial campaign, recalled Thursday that Reagan spent ``six months in 1965 going up and down the state seeing if anybody really wanted him.''

When Reagan announced he was entering the race, said Nofziger, ``The reaction was, `Ho hum, what's this dumb actor doing running for governor?' There was no hullabaloo.''

And that points up a major parallel between Reagan and Schwarzenegger, says veteran political writer Lou Cannon.

``I think the thing that's similar is that people may be underestimating him,'' says Cannon, whose book, ``Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power,'' is scheduled for publication next month. ``This guy's a work in progress. I have no idea how he's going to turn out. Reagan was, too.''

Fred Thompson, a fellow Republican who went from actor to U.S. senator from Tennessee, says there are other comparisons to Reagan that favor Schwarzenegger.

``It seems to me that there are some striking similarities, even to the point of having other successes than film success,'' Thompson said.

[Lunatic Fringe]

Yes there are similarities... they both live in California.... ummmm, that's it!