[Norman Bates]

If Arnold really was/is better than Bustamante (which I am not convinced) then one has to ask: how can it possibly be worse??

That state is going down the tubes with the GOP at the helm. Big mistake.

I was sucked in by Arnold’s celebrity in 2003. I now regret it (in fact long ago). The man has been an epic failure and been so since at least his failed 2005 special election.

[Mojave]

If Arnold really was/is better than Bustamante (which I am not convinced) then one has to ask: how can it possibly be worse??

Their silence is telling.

[calcowgirl]

Arnold was able to pick off the minimum number of Republican votes required to push his programs as the "leader" of the party (arm-twisting, threats, promises, etc). This was true when he was pushing liberal legislation like big-spending budgets, unprecedented borrowing, bondage for "infrastructure" (including bike paths and the like), massive landgrabs (sierra nevada conservancy), and his signature global warming nonsense. If you go back and look at the votes on these items, you will find 100% Democrat backing and the token 2 Senate GOP votes required for passage.

Could Bustamante have pulled that one off? NOPE!

So, if the measure is who could have advanced the liberal agenda more, I give it to Arnold. Bustamante, being unpopular even in his own party, could never have "accomplished" the things Arnold did.