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Posted on 10/09/2003 3:56:17 AM PDT by johnny7
WASHINGTON — Angry voters — the people who brought the nation Ross Perot, Newt Gingrich and Jesse Ventura — are back. At least in California, as Arnold Schwarzenegger's resounding recall victory demonstrated Tuesday night. The big question is whether they are resurging enough to throw out other governors or shape the coming presidential election. Californians' passion against a litany of local woes and a distinctly unlovable governor fueled their historic decision to fire Gray Davis and replace him with a Hollywood hero untested in politics.
That could herald a national movement in the presidential election and perhaps among others of the 18 states that permit governors to be recalled; after all, no one starts U.S. trends more than Californians. Voters nationwide are upset, especially about the stagnant economy and continuing trouble in Iraq. So the potential is clearly present for voters to turn against incumbents from President Bush on down and replace them with outsiders. That's precisely what two outsiders — former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and retired Gen. Wesley Clark — are banking on as they seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
"Nationally, I see this (recall-election result) as anti-incumbent, anti-establishment," said Thomas Mann, a political scientist at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington. "The success of this effort is going to nationally reinforce the bitter partisan warfare that has characterized our politics. While Republicans have reason to be happy in California, I think President Bush has less reason to take encouragement from this." However, it's equally possible that the tremors from California's political earthquake could stay within its borders, for Californians had more to be upset about than most Americans. They suffered through a long energy crisis. They watched their high-flying dot-com economy crash. And their mammoth $38 billion state-budget deficit dwarfed other states' entire budgets, requiring more painful remedies, such as higher taxes and deeper spending cuts.
And while 17 other states permit gubernatorial-recall elections, none has procedures as easy to invoke as California's. Still, the anger in California is visible elsewhere, if less intense.
"Clearly the angry voter is back," said John Zogby, a New York pollster. "Nationwide, there is a percolating anxiety and anger." Much of it is rooted in the weak economy, which faltered in late 2000 and has failed to rebound with vigor. There are almost 3 million fewer jobs in the United States than when George W. Bush became president, stock indices remain below where they were then, too, and health-care costs are soaring again. In a recent survey, Zogby found that 22 percent of likely voters nationwide said they or someone in their household feared losing their jobs, up sharply from 11 percent in 1999. If the weak economy makes people edgy, government budgets can make them seethe. California Gov. Gray Davis outraged many constituents by denying the scope of the state's fiscal mess until after he won re-election last November. He compounded their anger by tripling the state's car tax to help cut the state deficit.
More than 40 other states faced budget deficits as well, and many raised taxes and cut services to cope, stoking voter anger. The federal government is racking up big debt as well, with the annual deficit approaching $500 billion. But Bush and members of Congress have not had to anger voters by cutting services or raising taxes — yet — because the federal government does not have to balance its budget, unlike the states, whose constitutions mandate balance. Even so, widespread voter discontent raises danger signs for everyone in office, as history reminds.
Anger helped propel California's historic anti-tax rebellion in 1978, foreshadowing Ronald Reagan's election as president two years later. It fed Perot's surprisingly strong third-party presidential campaign in 1992, the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994, and the election of Ventura, a former pro wrestler, as a third-party governor of Minnesota in 1998. But does that mean Bush is in danger of being ousted by someone like Dean or Clark? Not necessarily. For one thing, Bush is nowhere near as unpopular as Davis. For another, the national economy is showing signs of strength: payroll jobs increased in September for the first time in eight months. Many economists think the economy could be humming long before Bush faces voters in November '04.
And none of Bush's Democratic opponents so far is showing Schwarzenegger-style appeal. The latest "outsider" candidate, Clark, is unproven as a campaigner, and his early stumble on how he would have voted on war with Iraq may be revealing an uncertain footing. His campaign manager quit Tuesday night, indicating organizational disarray.
As for Dean, he is an outsider to Washington, but he is also a former five-term governor of Vermont and thus hardly a Schwarzenegger-esque political rookie. Also, Dean so far is tapping into anger solely among the most partisan Democrats; most voters don't know who he is.
Analysts agree Schwarzenegger's usefulness to Bush in 2004 will depend a great deal on how he fares as governor. The former action hero is likely to become an instant star in the Republican Party and a key figure on the national fund-raising circuit. Indeed, Bush may begin reaping the benefits of Schwarzenegger's star power as early as next week, when he heads to the Golden State for two fund-raisers. As the most famous Republican in the nation, aside from Bush, Schwarzenegger might play a role in shaping his party's image, pushing it to the center. The governor-elect, who cast himself during the campaign as a fiscal conservative but a social moderate, supporting abortion rights and gay rights, may draw new voters and more moderates into the GOP's tent. In the run-up to the recall, the California GOP registered a sizable number of new voters, a trend some credit to Schwarzenegger's broader appeal.
At the same time, the accusations of boorish behavior toward women may haunt Schwarzenegger's tenure as governor and create fissures in the Republican Party by driving away some conservatives on moral grounds. And observers from both parties warn that Schwarzenegger's star could quickly dim as he begins grappling with the state's daunting budget problems. (underlines mine)
Information from The Christian Science Monitor on Schwarzenegger's appeal is included in this report.
Copyright © 2003
The Seattle Times Company
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I think it's more of a warning that high taxes, illegal immigrant giveaways, and more spending is being rejected.
I say let them believe their own BS. What a pathetic bunch of losers.
What's interesting is that the NBC or ABC (the TV is on in the ER) morning news started off with some quote that stated "Well some pundits predicted this and recent polls showed that Schwartzneger was winning...." when in fact all the libs were push polling like crazy. I'm wondering if they even realize that their lying sacks of solid nitrogenous fecal material or are just so out of touch with reality that they don't realize how they appear.
Isn't it funny how they dedeuce a CA Republican victory makes Bush's team “worried”?
These bastards are not stupid nor gullible... they're putting the best spit shine they can on their cheap sneakers.
The Left does not understand why they lose. As long as they get the diagnosis wrong, they will never find the cure.
Long may the left live in delusion!
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