But he's had previous experience, having run for president years ago:
Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp
Posted on 09/25/2003 6:21:59 AM PDT by veronica
His star power got him solo media access to Oprah, Larry King, Jay Leno and others, but in Wednesday's debate broadcast across the state and nation, Arnold Schwarzenegger -- actor turned politician -- for the first time faced four rivals who sought to tear him down.
And he held his own on the give-and-take of debate as well as his grasp of a wide range of issues, analysts agreed. A political novice going against experienced politicians and debaters, Schwarzenegger might not have won the debate but beat expectations, they said.
"I think expectations were basically low and I think he surpassed them," said Arnold Steinberg, a Republican political strategist not affiliated with the recall. "I think he did adequate. I think that's all he had to do. I don't think he had to win."
He added, however, that Schwarzenegger's lesser-known GOP rival, Sen. Tom McClintock, may have gained a few points simply by sharing the intense spotlight with the actor and articulating his conservative political philosophy.
Schwarzenegger had built up the importance of the event, calling it the "Super Bowl" of debates and making it the only one he agreed to attend. Accordingly, it was carried live by television stations throughout the state, including almost every one in the Los Angeles market, as well as the major cable news channels nationally.
That alone was an indication of how the recall election Oct. 7 of Gov. Gray Davis has become the biggest political event of the year, surpassing even the wide-open Democratic presidential primary battle.
The other major candidates for governor -- Thousand Oaks Republican McClintock, Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, Green Party leader Peter Camejo and independent Arianna Huffington -- had all appeared at several debates previously, but none of those garnered the attention and live media coverage of this debate in Sacramento sponsored by the California Broadcasters Association.
And true to expectations, the debate was lively and combative, featuring plenty of one-line zingers and sharp exchanges. Most of them were aimed at -- or came from -- Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger and Huffington in particular got into several exchanges, trading one-liners and trying to talk over each other as moderator Stan Statham tried to rein them in.
When Huffington tried to tie Schwarzenegger to the policies of President George W. Bush, the actor struck back.
"If you want to campaign against Bush, go to New Hampshire," Schwarzenegger said. "It's the perfect place for you. You're in the wrong state right now."
Later, as Schwarzenegger again tried to talk over her, Huffington told him: "I'm not easily intimidated.... So let me just continue and see who can speak louder in a foreign accent."
She also drew some loud responses from the audience when she criticized him for not letting her speak, referring to the "way that you treat women."
He shot back, "I just realized I have a perfect part for you in 'Terminator 4."'
Huffington also started criticizing Schwarzenegger for promising at the beginning of the campaign not to take special-interest money and then taking money from some business interests.
Schwarzenegger retorted: "Was that the day you were waiting an hour and a half to do a photo op with me?"
He was referring to the day he filed his candidacy papers, when Huffington tried to steal the spotlight from him and was so anxious to be in the same picture that she accidentally knocked over some microphones.
McClintock and Camejo mostly stayed out of the fray, sticking instead to more serious policy discussions.
Democratic strategist James Carville said that made the two of them look like they were more serious and policy-minded. Still, he said, debates such as this tend to serve to reinforce partially formed impressions of candidates, rather than fully swing undecided voters over to a particular camp.
In that respect, candidates have to simply show they are able to discuss the issues competently, he said.
"My experience with these things, with some exceptions, is they tend to be more reinforcing then they do change people's minds about something," Carville said in a telephone interview. "I suspect if you went in a Schwarzenegger person, you probably stayed one. But if you went in not one, you probably didn't become one."
At the same time, he added, the exchanges between Schwarzenegger and Huffington probably didn't help him, in part because she was not his main rival.
"If I were Schwarzenegger's people I would be mildly concerned that the two celebrity people were sitting there trying to pump lines out," Carville said.
Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College, said Schwarzenegger only needed to reassure people who were already inclined to vote for him that he did have some substance and was able to discuss the issues.
"He came across as overly aggressive at times," Pitney said. "But he may have closed the sale with a number of voters who wanted to vote for him but also wanted to know that he knew something about the issues."
I think he made the right choice.
The winner, strictly from a delivery, charisma, passion, delivery and polite perspective, had to be Peter Camejo--yet he had the most lame brained approaches of all of them.
McClintock had his facts right; an encyclopedic mind without a trace of bullshit or insincerity. While Ariana was a dippy broad in need of a sedative, Bustamante was downright arrogant, rude, condescending and nasty...he probably was the biggest loser, IMHO.
I thought McClintock performed the best during the debate, although his solo concluding statement was weak (he looked funny staring into the camera on that, as if he were not prepared) and I agreed with him the most on the issues. Arnold had an excellent solo concluding statement, and held his own during the debate (he is clearly a novice politician, but he can still lead). I'm glad that Tom did not attack him. I think Arnold can win. I don't think Tom can win yet. He will need to try again for another office (he will need to overcome Californians' fear of conservatives over time).
But he's had previous experience, having run for president years ago:
Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp
And I have even met him during the 1976 Presidential campaign. He was in the SWP at that time; that group was even on the Attorney General's list of subversive organizations.
Believe it or not, he has mellowed. If it were 25 years ago, he would have been overturning the table and knocking the mikes down, calling his opponents 'fascists'.
I agree with the rest of your comment but not this portion because I associate "winner" with someone who wins. In judging the debate, I scored McClintock the clear winner. In assessing the political fallout, I scored Schwarzenegger the winner with McClintock well positioned to advance the cause and his career if he makes wise choices. He made a good start with the voters last night. He did not attack Arnold. He was on message. He must be part of the Republican team though and Arnold (most likely) will need a good portion of Tom's voters to win. Bustamante was likable but lost the debate with his inability to distance himself from the Davis Administration. Davis lost last night.
DEBATE SUMMARY
Agreed.
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